April 2 - Saint Francis of Paola

Hermit - Optional memorial

Francis was born at Paola (Calabria), Italy in 1416. After three years in a convent of the Friars Minor, he left to withdraw to a cave by the sea, where he led a life of prayer, fasting, work, and mortification. He was joined by many followers, leading to the formation of the Hermits of St. Francis, later called the Minims (Minimi Fratres, "least brethren"), with a rule approved in 1506. Francis was called to France by Louis XI and died there in 1507. He was canonized in 1519. He is depicted with a long beard and wears a brown habit; the word charitas inscribed within a sun or on the cover of a book. He is invoked against sterility.

PROTECTOR: Hermits, Seafarers.
NAME: Francis (Frank) is of German origin, from the name of the people who settled in France; it has come to mean "forthright, sincere.