This holiday season, the United Nations headquarters in New York City will have the rare opportunity to host an exhibit featuring the original writings of St. Francis of Assisi, known the world over as the patron saint of animals, the environment, and Italy.
From November 17- 29, ‘Brother Francis: icons, words, images’ will feature original documents relating to the saint, whose popularity is having a resurgence due to his influence on the Catholic Church’s new Pope Francis.
The highlight of the exhibit, which will move to Brooklyn on December 2 – January 14, 2015, is the manuscript known as ‘Codex 338’, which contains St. Francis’s Canticle of the Creatures, perhaps the Saint’s most famous poem praising God’s gifts of “brother fire” and “sister water” as well as the other earthly elements. In addition, intricately detailed medieval papal documents from popes Honorius III and Gregory IX will be displayed, giving Americans the brief opportunity to come in contact with historically important documents, usually confined within the boarders of Italy.
St. Francis of Assisi was a man who, by today’s standards, might be described as a hippy. He lived by example, in poverty, renouncing material goods and worshiping all of God’s creatures and creations, both big and small. A new found interest in the Order of Friars Minor, also commonly known as Franciscans, is due in large part to Pope Francis choosing the late saint’s name and focusing his papal energies on serving the underprivileged and marginalized populations, much as Saint Francis himself did in the 13th century.
This exhibit will also be of interest to lovers of literature. The Canticle of the Creatures is believed to be one of the first works written in a dialect (Umbrian) closely resembling the written Italian of today, and has gone on to inspire countless works of art, films, songs, etc. throughout history. It is a timely exhibit, directing our attentions to what matters most during the holidays; treating all living things, earth, animals and humans with care and respect and living a life of humility.
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