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IN St. Francis' day, the world known to the west was limited to Europe, North Africa, and the Near East, where the Crusaders had fought and traded for a century. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
IN St. Francis' day, the world known to the west was limited to Europe, North Africa, and the Near East, where the Crusaders had fought and traded for a century. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
St. Francis of Assisi is one of those legendary characters whose life story is difficult to pin down and present to modern readers. Author Omer Englebert has mastered that task in this splendid biography.
Beginning with a background on Francis' world, Englebert tells the story of his conversion, not from one religion to another but from a life of pleasure to one of spirituality, mysticism, and self-sacrifice. On the pages of this book we read of Francis' families, first biological and later religious, and his devotions to the Holy Eucharist, his Savior and the Church. The miracles, the legends and documentable facts are all presented for what they are. The reader comes to appreciate Francis' compelling sanctity, his simplicity and his love for all creatures. His patronage of environmentalists is derived from his sermon to the birds, his conversion of the Wolf of Gubbio and the recognition that all share a brotherhood derived from our status as creatures of God. The clash between Francis' humility and the desires of his followers to study and learn that they might better serve is skillfully related in the later chapters of this book.
Some other biographies of St. Francis are almost fairy tales in their telling. Engelbert has done an excellent job of weaving the diverse sources of information into a work both biographical and inspirational. Of all my reading about St. Francis, this was the most interesting and informative. Among writings about saints in general, it ranks in the first tier.
Beginning with a background on Francis' world, Englebert tells the story of his conversion, not from one religion to another but from a life of pleasure to one of spirituality, mysticism, and self-sacrifice. On the pages of this book we read of Francis' families, first biological and later religious, and his devotions to the Holy Eucharist, his Savior and the Church. The miracles, the legends and documentable facts are all presented for what they are. The reader comes to appreciate Francis' compelling sanctity, his simplicity and his love for all creatures. His patronage of environmentalists is derived from his sermon to the birds, his conversion of the Wolf of Gubbio and the recognition that all share a brotherhood derived from our status as creatures of God. The clash between Francis' humility and the desires of his followers to study and learn that they might better serve is skillfully related in the later chapters of this book.
Some other biographies of St. Francis are almost fairy tales in their telling. Engelbert has done an excellent job of weaving the diverse sources of information into a work both biographical and inspirational. Of all my reading about St. Francis, this was the most interesting and informative. Among writings about saints in general, it ranks in the first tier.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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14 reviews
67 of 67 people found the following review helpful
Solid, thorough, and balanced
31 Aug 2000
Format:Paperback
Omer Englebert is one of few contemporary biographers of Francis of Assisi whose presentation is neither excessively romantic nor squeezed desperately into a late 20th century mould (of pure social justice and ecology). His treatment of Francis's life is accurate and balanced, often warm and humourous, and he presents a clear picture of the social, religious and political conditions of Francis's time and place. This is the best recent biography of Francis which I have seen - highly recommended.
51 of 52 people found the following review helpful
An essential biography of St. Francis
17 Dec 2002
Format:Paperback
Englebert's classic biography is not a fictionalized version of the little saint's life, but a good, historically accurate portrait. This is one of the outstanding Francis biographies of the past century, placing the little saint's life in historical and socio-political context as few of his biographers have done. The writing may sometimes seem a little dry, but the content is full of life.
I served as provincial formation director for the Anglican Third Order Franciscans in the American Province and this is a book I put on the reading list for all novices. Now I'm formation director for my SFO fraternity (Catholic secular Franciscans) and I use it in our initial formation classes and also highly recommend it all.
Besides, who could resist a name like Omer Englebert?
Pax et bonum!
I served as provincial formation director for the Anglican Third Order Franciscans in the American Province and this is a book I put on the reading list for all novices. Now I'm formation director for my SFO fraternity (Catholic secular Franciscans) and I use it in our initial formation classes and also highly recommend it all.
Besides, who could resist a name like Omer Englebert?
Pax et bonum!
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
An Up-to-Date Biography of St. Francis of Assisi
3 Jan 1997
Format:Paperback
The author not only provides a spiritual insight into St. Francis' life but also details the many historical facts of his life. The book also has an excellent index for researching facts about St. Francis. Our Secular Franciscan Fraternity distributes this book to people inquiring into the Secular Franciscan Order
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