Top photo caption: St. Francis of Assisi is depicted in this detail from “Madonna Enthroned with the Child, St. Francis and four Angels,” a fresco executed by Giovanni Cimabue between 1278-80, in the lower church of the Basilica of St. Francis Basilica in Assisi, Italy. OSV News photo/Octavio Duran
By Katie Yoder, OSV News
OSV News – For the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi, experts are recommending their favorite books for getting to know the beloved 13th-century Italian friar better.
This year, the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, presents a new opportunity to delve into the saint’s life through biographies, devotionals, literary works and even his own writing. To identify these books, OSV spoke with Capuchin Franciscan Father Robert Barbato, rector of the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi in San Francisco; Joshua C. Benson, associate professor of historical and systematic theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington; Franciscan Father Joseph Chinnici, president emeritus and professor of history at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego; Father Jonathan St. Andre, a Third Order Regular Franciscan friar and vice president for Franciscan life at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio; and Franciscan Father Jerome Wolbert at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America in Washington.
Here are the 16 books they recommended. Although they answered independently, many of their suggestions overlapped.
1. “Francis of Assisi: Early Documents” edited by Regis J. Armstrong, OFM Cap., J.A. Wayne Hellmann, OFM Conv., and William J. Short, OFM (New City Press, 1999).
Several St. Francis experts – Benson, Father St. Andre and Father Wolbert – recommended a three-volume set called “Francis of Assisi: Early Documents.” The books contain St. Francis’ writings as well as medieval texts concerning St. Francis for the next 150 years or so, Benson said. The content from this set is available online for free at franciscantradition.org. Father St. Andre recommended the first volume in particular because it includes the writings of St. Francis as well as biographies by major contemporaries.
2. “Francis and Clare: The Complete Works” translated by Regis J. Armstrong, OFM Cap., and Ignatius C. Brady, OFM (Paulist Press, 1982).
Benson recommended this volume for accessing the writings of both St. Francis and St. Clare, a friend and follower of St. Francis.
3. “St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography” by Omer Englebert (Servant, 1979).
Both Father Barbato and Father Wolbert named this biography, which Father Wolbert described as “a classic, written with a historical perspective.”
4. “Francis of Assisi: His Life, Vision and Companions” by Michael F. Cusato, OFM (Reaktion Books, 2023).
Father Wolbert recommended this biography “for a sense of St. Francis in the context of his day, including the choices he and the brothers following him made.” Benson also recommended the work as a book with a historical approach.
5. “Francis of Assisi” by Chiara Frugoni (Continuum International Publishing Group, 1998).
Father Chinnici said this book about St. Francis’ life and teachings “reflects recent scholarship and yet is very accessible to the contemporary reader.”
6. “Francis of Assisi: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Saint” written by André Vauchez and translated by Michael F. Cusato, OFM (Yale University Press, 2012).
Both Benson and Father Chinnici listed this biography. “Written by a master medievalist and historian of sanctity, this work covers both the life of Francis and significant thematic elements in his spirituality,” Father Chinnici said. “Not quite as accessible to the average reader as Frugoni, this is still an excellent work for those who want to pursue the saint’s life and major contributions to spirituality.”
7. “Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life” by Lawrence S. Cunningham (Eerdmans Publishing, 2004).
Father Chinnici called this biography, which promises a realistic view of St. Francis, accessible to the reader. He recommended it as an introduction. Benson also described it as accessible as well as historical.
8. “The Rediscovered Life of St. Francis of Assisi: Thomas of Celano” written by Jacques Dalarun and translated by Timothy J. Johnson (Franciscan Institute Publications, 2016).
Father Chinnici called this work an “excellent translation and commentary on a recent manuscript of a shortened version with addition of the original life of Francis of Assisi by Thomas of Celano,” one of St. Francis’ first followers. He recommended it for readers “interested in original medieval texts communicating the saint’s life.”
9. “The Canticle of Brother Sun: Francis of Assisi Reconciled” written by Jacques Dalarun and translated by Philippe Yates (Franciscan Institute Publications, 2014).
Father Chinnici described this book as a “wonderful, enlightening presentation with beautiful illustrations and commentary on Francis of Assisi’s ‘Canticle of Brother Sun.’”
10. “Francis of Assisi: A Meditation on His Life and Writings” by Joshua C. Benson (Paulist Press, 2024).
Father St. Andre called this a short, readable book that “does a beautiful meditation on St. Francis’ writings and his spirituality.” Benson also mentioned his book, which he said relies on historical research and moves into devotion.
11. “Poverty and Joy: The Franciscan Tradition” by William J. Short, OFM (Orbis Books, 1999).
Father St. Andre called this work “a beautiful book that traces Franciscan spirituality thematically.”
12. “Francis of Assisi: A New Biography” by Augustine Thompson, OP (Cornell University Press, 2012).
Benson recommended this book (which is also available in a shorter version) to those interested in a historical, scholarly text on St. Francis. He called it “extremely carefully researched.”
13. “Francis: The Journey and the Dream” by Murray Bodo, OFM (Franciscan Media, 2022).
Several experts – Father Barbato, Father Wolbert and Benson – suggested this book, which was first published in 1972 and combines lyrical prose and vignettes. Benson called it a classic in the 1970s and 1980s, adding that, “for a certain kind of reader, that’s going to break open Francis in a kind of new way.”
14. “St. Francis of Assisi” by G.K. Chesterton (Dover Publications, 2008).
Benson called this spiritual biography by Chesterton, a well-known British writer and Catholic convert, historical and literary. It was first published in 1923.
15. “St. Francis” by Nikos Kazantzakis (Loyola Classics, 2005).
Benson pointed to this novel by Kazantzakis, who is also known for writing “Zorba the Greek” and “The Last Temptation of Christ.” It is “kind of visceral and provocative and powerful in its own way,” he said. It was first published in English in 1962 under the title “God’s Pauper.”
16. “St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth-Century Friar Became America’s Most Popular Saint” by Patricia Applebaum (The University of North Carolina Press, 2015).
This book explores how St. Francis became beloved in the United States by Catholics and non-Catholics alike, Benson said. “This is for people that … want something a little more scholarly, but what they’re interested in is how Francis became so popular – and particularly how he became so popular in America,” he said.
Katie Yoder is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Maryland.
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