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Saint Francis ... Catholic patron saint of ecology and nature

For Catholics, Oct. 4 is widely recognized as the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Among the best-known and most venerated of the saints, Francis of Assisi has become synonymous in religion pop culture with brown habits, birdbaths and the blessing of animals on his feast day.

But beyond pets, Francis is also known as the patron saint of ecology.

What does that mean? Who made that decision? And why?

Pope John Paul II wrote, "Among the holy and admirable men who have revered nature as a wonderful gift of God to the human race, St Francis of Assisi deserves special consideration."

The pope went on to note Francis' deep sense of the Creator at work in the world, and through it, the presence of the divine spirit. John Paul II mentioned too the "Canticle of the Creatures," Francis' famous prayer poem that is one of the cornerstones of Franciscan spirituality.

The canticle's recurring refrain "Praised be you, my Lord," or in Umbrian dialect of early Italian, "Laudato Si', mi signore," inspired the name of Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical on the environment and human ecology, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home."

Pope Francis was the first to tap the Assisi saint as his papal namesake.

ASSISI, Italy (AP) — October 2013 / Pope Francis told thousands of journalists (on March 16) that he took to heart the words of his friend and chose to be called after St. Francis of Assisi, “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.”

A GreenPolicy360 tip of hat h/t to Pope Francis, the first Catholic Pontiff to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi

Pope Francis made a pilgrimage to the hillside Italian town of Assisi, following in the footsteps of his namesake, St. Francis, the 13th-century friar who renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and service to the poor.

According to tradition, St. Francis was famously told by God to "repair my house." In word and deed, the first pope to name himself after St. Francis, has made clear how he wants to follow that command.

Francis is trying to shape a church that is welcoming to all, but especially to the most marginalized, with a church hierarchy that is worthy of its 1.2 billion flock.

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