This Saint More Than Just a Bird-Lover

Francis of Assisi by Michael de la Bedoyere
Sophia Institute Press, 1999

St. Francis of Assisi often gets pigeon-holed into being nothing more than Jesus' most famous bird-lover. And while it's indeed true that Francis had an uncommon appreciation and love of nature, to see him in only that light completely overlooks the vast majority of his work and prodigious accomplishments. After all, there's obviously more to becoming a saint than just loving animals. In Francis of Assisi - The Man Who Found Perfect Joy, author Michael de la Bedoyere presents a thorough and detailed account of an entire life's work that culminated in canonization by Gregory IX.

Those looking for an introductory or summary presentation on Francis would probably do well to look elsewhere. After grabbing the reader's attention by retelling the well-known story of Francis embracing the leper, Bedoyere returns to the saint's youth to travel with him through the ups and downs of what was a most difficult journey. He leaves few, if any, stones unturned. Though this might bog down newcomers to Francis' story, those wishing to bolster their rudimentary knowledge of Francis likely will savor the layers of detail Bedoyere brings to the narrative.

Originally published in 1962, Bedoyere's work, like most pieces about Francis, seems to rely heavily on two previous biographies written in the thirteenth century by Thomas of Celano, one of St. Francis' first disciples. While Francis' life is one of the most documented of its time, Bedoyere admits in the introduction that there is relatively little we know about his day-to-day life for certain. This, of course, opens the door to speculation based on what we do know. Bedoyere takes an occasional liberty or two by injecting suppositions, but he is always careful to alert the reader when doing so and takes great pains to explain on what information those suppositions are based.

All in all, this biography certainly can't be categorized as an edge-of-your-seat thriller. There are some interesting and engaging stories to be sure, such as Francis' evangelizing Muslim sultan Malek-el-Kamel, but those looking for constant feats of daring-do will likely be disappointed. This is a character study and that's where it's value lies -- Bedoyere transforms Francis from a flat, cartoon cut-out into a rich, three-dimensional man of God with depth and passion we aspiring saints can only imagine.