St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth-Century Friar Became

St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth-Century Friar Became America's Most Popular Saint

How did a thirteenth-century Italian friar become one of the best-loved saints in America? Around the nation today, St. Francis of Assisi is embraced as the patron saint of animals, beneficently presiding over hundreds of Blessing of the Animals services on October 4, St. Francis's Catholic feast day. Not only Catholics, however, but Protestants and other Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and nonreligious Americans commonly name him as one of their favorite spiritual figures. Drawing on a dazzling array of art, music, drama, film, hymns, and prayers, Patricia Appelbaum explains what happened to make St. Francis so familiar and meaningful to so many Americans.

Appelbaum traces popular depictions and interpretations of St. Francis from the time when non-Catholic Americans "discovered" him in the nineteenth century to the present. From poet to activist, 1960s hippie to twenty-first-century messenger to Islam, St. Francis has been envisioned in ways that might have surprised the saint himself. Exploring how each vision of St. Francis has been shaped by its own era, Appelbaum reveals how St. Francis has played a sometimes countercultural but always aspirational role in American culture. St. Francis's American story also displays the zest with which Americans borrow, lend, and share elements of their religious lives in everyday practice.
Country USA
Brand University of North Carolina Press
Manufacturer Univ of North Carolina Pr
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 1
EANs 9781469623740
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	University of North Carolina Press
Manufacturer	Univ of North Carolina Pr
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	1
EANs	9781469623740
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth-Century Friar Became America's Most Popular Saint

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