St Francis Of Paola – Saint Of The Day – April 2

Francis of Paola (1416–1507) was an Italian mendicant* friar and the founder of the Roman Catholic Order of Minims. He was never ordained a priest.

*A mendicant (from Latin: mendicans – “begging”) is one who practices mendicancy, relying exclusively on alms to survive. Francis was born in the town of Paola in Calabria. 

When he was a little baby, Francis suffered from a swelling which endangered the sight of one of his eyes. His parents made a vow that their son should pass an entire year wearing the “little habit” of Saint Francis in one of the friaries of his Order (which was not an uncommon practice in the Middle Ages). The child recovered and at the age of 13 he entered a friary of the Franciscan Order to fulfill the vow made by his parents. After a year in the friary he returned to his hometown, selected a secluded cave on his father’s estate and lived there in solitude. Then he moved to an even-more secluded cave on the sea coast where he remained alone for about six years.

In 1435 two companions joined him in his retreat, and to accommodate them Francis caused three cells and a chapel to be built. This is how the order was begun. By 1436, he and two followers began a movement that would become the foundation of the Hermits of Saint Francis of Assisi, which would later be renamed as the Minim friars.

Francis followed a diet not only free from animal flesh, but also from all animal-derived foods, such as eggs and dairy products. One of the vows of the order he founded was the abstinence from meat, fish, eggs, butter, cheese and milk. Francis has been described as a vegan.

It was believed that Francis was favored with the gift of prophecy.