Some Franciscan Misconceptions

I have some relatives who have the privilege to attend a Jesuit institution "somewhere in New York State." The school is well known, and because we have readers walking in its hallowed halls, I will decline to mention it by name. After all, this is more of a "ha" kind of article rather than a "gotcha."

One of the patrons, obviously, is St. Francis Xavier, who, by himself, brought about thousands upon thousands of conversions in Southeast Asia and Oceania. He died just days before he would have arrived in China. What a different world we would have if this saintly man had lived long enough to set foot into that country.

However, the students are a bit confused about "St. Francis." "Isn't he the animal guy?" Well, no. He isn't. That is St. Francis of Assisi. However, this correction is not given to the students. One of my nephews overheard a teacher say, "You moron - they're the same guy. He played with animals and then he went over to Asia."

So Franciscans are actually just Jesuits in disguise? Thank God we've finally put that mystery to rest.

But wait, there's more.

There are (were?) posters hanging in those same hallowed halls which portray this ambiguous "St. Francis" as a "Green Knight." There have been no saints who got canonized on the basis of recycling, promoting ecology, cutting CO2 emissions, or anything along those lines. If so, Al Gore would surely be in their ranks.

So, just to recap, this is our Jesuit lesson for the day: St. Francis Xavier, aka St. Francis of Assisi, was a crusader for animal rights and ecology, and was commonly called the Green Knight. Sounds like a strange Catholic twist on Spider Man.


St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.
St. Francis Xavier, pray for us.
St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.


Al Gore, leave us alone.