In his Canticle of the Creatures: written about 1225, St. Francis of Assisi blessed the Lord for "Brother Sun," "Sister
Moon," stars, fire, water and earth. The founder of the Franciscan order developed a wide following during his life for his appreciation of nature''''s bounty, In recent times, his popularity has grown: st. Francis has been the subject of numerous movies and biographies, and became something of a cult idol for hippies in the 1960s. Now it is Pope John Paul 11 who has honored St. Francis. The Pope named him Patron* Saint of Ecology because "he has sung stupendously the beauties of nature, considering it a marvelous gift of God to humanity."
St. Francis of Assisi, preaching to his feathered flock
By Fausto Fabio de Araujo.