On the evening of October 3, 1226, Francis of Assisi died on the bare ground of a small chapel below the town he had once scandalized. This October marks eight hundred years.
Each day this month brings one moment from Francis’s life, a short reflection, and a single question to carry into your own day. Each takes about two minutes to read. Choose a day below; each reflection opens on its date.
The Passing
- Day 1 · Thu, Oct 1 — Eight Hundred Years
- Day 2 · Fri, Oct 2 — The Road Home
- Day 3 · Sat, Oct 3 — Welcome, Sister Death (the 800th anniversary)
- Day 4 · Sun, Oct 4 — The Grammar of Welcome (Feast of St. Francis)
Rebuild My Church
- Day 5 · Mon, Oct 5 — The Leper on the Road
- Day 6 · Tue, Oct 6 — What Was Bitter Became Sweet
- Day 7 · Wed, Oct 7 — The Cave on Mount Subasio
- Day 8 · Thu, Oct 8 — “Go, Repair My House”
- Day 9 · Fri, Oct 9 — He Started with Stones
- Day 10 · Sat, Oct 10 — The Square in Assisi
- Day 11 · Sun, Oct 11 — The Borrowed Cloak
The Canticle
- Day 12 · Mon, Oct 12 — A Song Written in the Dark
- Day 13 · Tue, Oct 13 — Kin, Not Scenery
- Day 14 · Wed, Oct 14 — Every Kind of Weather
- Day 15 · Thu, Oct 15 — Sister Water
- Day 16 · Fri, Oct 16 — The First Scripture
- Day 17 · Sat, Oct 17 — Sermon to the Birds
- Day 18 · Sun, Oct 18 — Harmony You Participate In
Peace and Encounter
- Day 19 · Mon, Oct 19 — The Sultan’s Tent
- Day 20 · Tue, Oct 20 — Brother Wolf Was Hungry
- Day 21 · Wed, Oct 21 — Perfect Joy
- Day 22 · Thu, Oct 22 — An Instrument of Peace
- Day 23 · Fri, Oct 23 — Clare at San Damiano
- Day 24 · Sat, Oct 24 — The Heart as Bridge
- Day 25 · Sun, Oct 25 — Hermitage and Road
The Footprint He Left, and Yours
- Day 26 · Mon, Oct 26 — Eight Hundred Years of Footprint
- Day 27 · Tue, Oct 27 — Greccio: God in a Feeding Trough
- Day 28 · Wed, Oct 28 — La Verna: Marked by What He Loved
- Day 29 · Thu, Oct 29 — A Rule for the Rest of Us
- Day 30 · Fri, Oct 30 — The Charism in Three Words
- Day 31 · Sat, Oct 31 — Your Eight Hundred Years (Eve of All Saints)
You’re welcome to share these reflections in bulletins, newsletters, and gatherings — see how to reprint them.
Reflections © 2026 Michael J. Cunningham OFS · San Damiano Retreat Center · spiritualbreak.com