St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography

Rating:
Summary: An essential biography of St. Francis
Review: Englebert's classic biography is not a fictionalized version of the little saint's life, but a good, historically accurate portrait. This is one of the outstanding Francis biographies of the past century, placing the little saint's life in historical and socio-political context as few of his biographers have done. The writing may sometimes seem a little dry, but the content is full of life.
I served as provincial formation director for the Anglican Third Order Franciscans in the American Province and this is a book I put on the reading list for all novices. Now I'm formation director for my SFO fraternity (Catholic secular Franciscans) and I use it in our initial formation classes and also highly recommend it all.
Besides, who could resist a name like Omer Englebert?
Pax et bonum!

Rating:
Summary: An essential biography of St. Francis
Review: Englebert's classic biography is not a fictionalized version of the little saint's life, but a good, historically accurate portrait. This is one of the outstanding Francis biographies of the past century, placing the little saint's life in historical and socio-political context as few of his biographers have done. The writing may sometimes seem a little dry, but the content is full of life.
I served as provincial formation director for the Anglican Third Order Franciscans in the American Province and this is a book I put on the reading list for all novices. Now I'm formation director for my SFO fraternity (Catholic secular Franciscans) and I use it in our initial formation classes and also highly recommend it all.
Besides, who could resist a name like Omer Englebert?
Pax et bonum!

Rating:
Summary: Brother Francis' Life
Review: Father Engelbert has blessed us with a thoroughly delightful account of the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Accounts of the saints often take one of two extremes. The first is to give credence to all legends as if they are straight historical fact and not meant to convey a certain truth about the saint and his/her love of God. The second is to totally discount all data that cannot be scientifically proven to demonstrate some facet of the saint's life. Such accounts usually end up having little to do with the saint's faith and a lot to do with what was not important to that saint (i.e., politics).

Father Engelbert takes the middle road, and the result is truly fantastic. Saint Francis comes alive, and he takes life in this account because his love of God is so beautifully set forth. Francis, of all men on earth, lived the Gospel, and I'm so thankful that the rest of us have him as an example to follow.

This biography is very readable. I was most impressed with the fact that Father Engelbert kept editorializing to a minimum and let the record speak for itself in most instances. As noted above, fact and legend are interwoven wonderfully to present a historical account of a great saint's walk with God and the growth of the word's largest religious order, the Friars Minor.

I read this book as part of my formation for the Secular Franciscan Order, but I recommend it to anyone who wants to see how love of God should be expressed in the world. Purchase this book and be edified by the life of Brother Francis.

Rating:
Summary: Brother Francis' Life
Review: Father Engelbert has blessed us with a thoroughly delightful account of the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Accounts of the saints often take one of two extremes. The first is to give credence to all legends as if they are straight historical fact and not meant to convey a certain truth about the saint and his/her love of God. The second is to totally discount all data that cannot be scientifically proven to demonstrate some facet of the saint's life. Such accounts usually end up having little to do with the saint's faith and a lot to do with what was not important to that saint (i.e., politics).

Father Engelbert takes the middle road, and the result is truly fantastic. Saint Francis comes alive, and he takes life in this account because his love of God is so beautifully set forth. Francis, of all men on earth, lived the Gospel, and I'm so thankful that the rest of us have him as an example to follow.

This biography is very readable. I was most impressed with the fact that Father Engelbert kept editorializing to a minimum and let the record speak for itself in most instances. As noted above, fact and legend are interwoven wonderfully to present a historical account of a great saint's walk with God and the growth of the word's largest religious order, the Friars Minor.

I read this book as part of my formation for the Secular Franciscan Order, but I recommend it to anyone who wants to see how love of God should be expressed in the world. Purchase this book and be edified by the life of Brother Francis.

Rating:
Summary: St. Francis of Assisi
Review: I am a Secular Franciscan and a member of the formation team for our fraternity. St. Francis of Assisi by Omer Englebert is the book we use in our formation program . If someone were to tell me that they would only read one biography of Francis in their lifetime I would recommend this book as the one to read. This biography gives an accurate picture of the social, religious and political conditions Francis and the early friars faced. This is definitely a book that will have the Christian reader taking a spiritual inventory. The first 30 or so pages are a little slow paced in my opinion but after that it is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Solid, thorough, and balanced
Review: Omer Englebert is one of few contemporary biographers of Francis of Assisi whose presentation is neither excessively romantic nor squeezed desperately into a late 20th century mould (of pure social justice and ecology). His treatment of Francis's life is accurate and balanced, often warm and humourous, and he presents a clear picture of the social, religious and political conditions of Francis's time and place. This is the best recent biography of Francis which I have seen - highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Francis I love, but I'd love more a more accurate biography
Review: t is with great trepidation that I attempt this review. I dearly love St. Francis. My favorite movie is of his life, Brother Sun Sister Moon. Much of what my family and people group did and lived was based on his life. But I found this, supposedly the definitive biography of Francis, a rather unhelpful work.

Englebert does give a lot of details into Francis' life- and give a much more accurate picture of him than the movie. I came to understand more for the first time how all the events and random stories I had hear fit together. I found, again, Francis to be inspiring in his example, encouraging me into Holy Sister Poverty, and pursuing humility, and serving others. I especially enjoyed his search for Joy. This was not an attempt to reach poverty out of duty, or even simply social justice- good desires in themselves. Rather, it was for perhaps the highest of motives- to know the Joy of Christ, to be in love with Him, to be served by Him. And Francis found, realized, that this could be found most fully in Poverty.

But perhaps it is Englebert's approach which somewhat spoils the reading. He writes about Francis as if Francis were a saint- which of course he is, in both the Catholic and Protestant senses. But he seems to take everything that is believed about Francis- everything that the Roman Church says is true, and simply accept it, without winnowing out the legends. Englebert *is* stating at times that some stories have less authenticity than others. But even with this caveat, much of what he shares seems to be swallowed wholesale without reservation. I don't refer to the miraculous or the stigmata of course- there is every reason to believe that such events happened through Francis. But rather, the tone of the miraculous, and other stories, is of an other-worldly man, almost docetic. This leads to acceptance of everything Francis taught and did as righteous.

But I found that, with this approach, as I read a 20th century biography of a 13th century man through 21st century eyes, I was less inclined than previously to see all that Francis did as morally upright. Certainly Francis' intentions were pure. But I found Englebert's uncompromising support of Francis encouraged me to question some of Francis' practices as actually all that helpful- such as a continual debasement of himself, without seeing more of the God in himself. Or love of fire, which compromised some of his concern for the environment. Or pursuing poverty to such an extent that he couldn't abound in some gifts that came his way- as both Paul and Jesus were willing to do, when the sat down at rich men's houses. None of this detracts from the holiness of Francis. Some of his beliefs were right for his time, and historical anachronism should not be practiced and it be expected that he know certain things back in the 13th century. He was, I still believe, the person most close to Christ since Christ. But he was also not Christ.

All this I see more clearly because of Englebert's approach, canonizing a person who was an exceedingly exceptional man, but still a man. And I really believe that Francis would have really not liked such a description of himself. He would have preferred something honest, something authentic, and something quite normal, ordinary, and humble. I'm still looking for an biography of this saint that would be something like that.

Rating:
Summary: Francis I love, but I'd love more a more accurate biography
Review: t is with great trepidation that I attempt this review. I dearly love St. Francis. My favorite movie is of his life, Brother Sun Sister Moon. Much of what my family and people group did and lived was based on his life. But I found this, supposedly the definitive biography of Francis, a rather unhelpful work.

Englebert does give a lot of details into Francis' life- and give a much more accurate picture of him than the movie. I came to understand more for the first time how all the events and random stories I had hear fit together. I found, again, Francis to be inspiring in his example, encouraging me into Holy Sister Poverty, and pursuing humility, and serving others. I especially enjoyed his search for Joy. This was not an attempt to reach poverty out of duty, or even simply social justice- good desires in themselves. Rather, it was for perhaps the highest of motives- to know the Joy of Christ, to be in love with Him, to be served by Him. And Francis found, realized, that this could be found most fully in Poverty.

But perhaps it is Englebert's approach which somewhat spoils the reading. He writes about Francis as if Francis were a saint- which of course he is, in both the Catholic and Protestant senses. But he seems to take everything that is believed about Francis- everything that the Roman Church says is true, and simply accept it, without winnowing out the legends. Englebert *is* stating at times that some stories have less authenticity than others. But even with this caveat, much of what he shares seems to be swallowed wholesale without reservation. I don't refer to the miraculous or the stigmata of course- there is every reason to believe that such events happened through Francis. But rather, the tone of the miraculous, and other stories, is of an other-worldly man, almost docetic. This leads to acceptance of everything Francis taught and did as righteous.

But I found that, with this approach, as I read a 20th century biography of a 13th century man through 21st century eyes, I was less inclined than previously to see all that Francis did as morally upright. Certainly Francis' intentions were pure. But I found Englebert's uncompromising support of Francis encouraged me to question some of Francis' practices as actually all that helpful- such as a continual debasement of himself, without seeing more of the God in himself. Or love of fire, which compromised some of his concern for the environment. Or pursuing poverty to such an extent that he couldn't abound in some gifts that came his way- as both Paul and Jesus were willing to do, when the sat down at rich men's houses. None of this detracts from the holiness of Francis. Some of his beliefs were right for his time, and historical anachronism should not be practiced and it be expected that he know certain things back in the 13th century. He was, I still believe, the person most close to Christ since Christ. But he was also not Christ.

All this I see more clearly because of Englebert's approach, canonizing a person who was an exceedingly exceptional man, but still a man. And I really believe that Francis would have really not liked such a description of himself. He would have preferred something honest, something authentic, and something quite normal, ordinary, and humble. I'm still looking for an biography of this saint that would be something like that.

Rating:
Summary: A balanced rendering of St. Francis' life.
Review: This book, originally written in French, removes the many layers of dirt and varnish that have obscured this man. The author paints a very realistic view of this humble monk with humorous vignettes of his fellow disciples. The mystical aspect of Francesco's, overly romanticized life, is put into proper perspective. It is a very refreshing look at a humble servant of God.