St Francis of Paola

Francis was born into a very poor family, but they loved God very much. He was named after St. Francis of Assisi. When Francis was 15, he went with his parents on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. He felt God was calling him to become a hermit and live his life alone in prayer. After 5 years several other young men had come to live with him, so he started the religious order of the “Franciscan Order of Minim Friars”. Minim means “to be least of all”. Brother Francis was very humble and the brothers in his order became known for the humility they practiced. The people of Paola loved Brother Francis. He showed them Jesus’ love by his kindness and gentleness. God worked many miracles through Brother Francis. One of the most well known miracles happened when Brother Francis and some of his friends needed to sail from Italy to Sicily. The boatman refused to let them on the boat to sail across the sea. Brother Francis put his cloak on the water and tied the end of it to his staff and he and God sailed them all safely across the sea. It is for this reason that St. Francis of Paola is known as the patron saint of sailors.