Commemorating the 8th Centennial of St. Francis’ passing into eternal life
 

Immediately on the heels of the ordinary Jubilee of Hope, the Vatican announced a special jubilee year to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, who passed from this life on Oct. 3, 1226. The special jubilee began on Jan. 10, 2026 and continues through Jan. 10, 2027.

After the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved saints in the Church. His life continues to offer a profound “example of evangelical life and a real image of Christian perfection” for our world today, according to the official decree from the Apostolic Penitentiary.

An enduring legacy
 

Born into a wealthy family, Francis renounced earthly riches to live a humble life in service to God. His love for Christ led him to seek to rebuild the Church, to embrace the poor and marginalized, to recognize the image of God in all creation and to establish bonds of peace with all human persons. Others were quickly drawn to join in his way of living, and so St. Francis went on to found the first Franciscan Order (Order of Friars Minor), the Second Order (Poor Clares) and the Third Order Regular. Today, members of these communities – both lay and religious – can be found serving the spiritually and materially poor in ministries and outreaches including hospitals, orphanages, schools, social service outreaches and retreat centers across the globe.

This legacy has continued to have a profound effect on the Church in our time. Upon his election to the papacy, Pope Francis explained his choice of name to a group of journalists, praising Francis as “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.” 

In his first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi te, Pope Leo XIV wrote of the ongoing influence of St. Francis’ life in the Church: “Care for the poor was also a great concern of St. Francis of Assisi: in the person of a leper, Christ himself embraced Francis and changed his life. Even today, Saint Francis, as the Poor Man of Assisi, continues to inspire us by his outstanding example.” (6) 

This year presents an opportunity for all Catholics to draw inspiration from this saint’s life and legacy.

How to participate
 

The faithful are encouraged to mark this anniversary with special prayers and pilgrimages, for which they may receive a partial or plenary indulgence, either for themselves or for deceased loved ones, upon fulfillment of the usual requirements (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father). 

The faithful are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to any Franciscan conventual church (or place of worship anywhere in the world named after St. Francis), and in meditation and prayer ask God for the grace to follow the example of St. Francis, concluding with the Our Father, the creed and invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Francis, St. Clare of Assisi and all saints of the Franciscan family.

Those who are sick or homebound and those who care for them may obtain a plenary indulgence without visiting a Franciscan site provided they fulfill the usual conditions and spiritually unite themselves to the jubilee celebrations of the Year of St. Francis. 

Pope Leo XIV’s Prayer to St. Francis of Assisi 

St. Francis, our brother, you who eight hundred years ago

went to meet Sister Death as a man at peace,

intercede for us before the Lord.

 

You recognized true peace in the Crucifix of San Damiano,

teach us to seek in Him the source of all reconciliation

that breaks down every wall.

 

You who, unarmed, crossed the lines of war

and misunderstanding,

give us the courage to build bridges

where the world raises up boundaries.

 

In this time afflicted by conflict and division,

intercede for us so that we may become peacemakers:

unarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace that comes from Christ.

Amen