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Writer's pictureCarmen Barsody

Frankly Frank


Frank's presence in the different corners of the Fools Court


Hello, Frank. Good night! Frank. See you later, Frank.  


St. Francis of Assisi (or, “Frank,” as we warm-heartedly call him) is no stranger to Faithful Fools in San Francisco. Carved wooden images of him with birds on his shoulder, or one with a begging bowl in his hand are present in the Fools’ Court where Faithful Fools have lived for nearly 25 years.  A colorful, framed image of Francis and the Wolf Gubbio, recently gifted to us by the Franciscan Federation, hangs on a wall in our library. And now on an outside door is a newly painted mural… a colorful court jester ascending the stairs with words from the Peace Prayer printed on a ribbon moving with the fool who seeks to make them relevant. 


Along with Francis’s fame of being a fervent peacemaker, stories are told of him being a free-spirited being who ran through the fields singing as he rubbed two sticks together for a violin, or one of him taming a ferocious wolf that was terrorizing the townspeople of Gubbio, or the one where he embraced a leper that had been exiled to the outskirts of the city, marking a transformational moment in Francis’ life. In our eagerness to sanctify Francis we run the risk of simplifying him, of stripping him of his own humanity, the very thing he counted on to find the right relationship with himself, his God and warring ways all around him.   

Franciscan Fools, Carmen & Ade with the new mural created by local artist Rob Chambers

Being a peacemaker is no simple task for any human being, no matter how saintly they may be. I can imagine the wrenching frustration, and at times, exhausting perseverance required of Francis in facilitating conversations between bishops and mayors, townspeople and ferocious “wolves,” or merchants and beggars, and even between his own Brothers and family members. I have no doubt there were days he would have preferred to run carelessly through fields of grass, hearing sweet music in his mind as he rubbed two sticks together and conversing joyfully with birds.  But nope, that most often wasn’t the case. His simple desire to imitate his brother Jesus and adhere to a Love-centered life kept him immersed in the fullness of his humanity and the humanity of all those around him. To facilitate just and peaceful outcomes among people and institutions required him to work from a premise that every being had worth, and not just worth, but incredible worth!     


To “acknowledge each human’s incredible worth,” as we say in our Faithful Fools mission statement, may sound like a saintly task in this world where we too easily dehumanize saints and sinners alike, but, frankly, it is the mandate to which we aspire to as Faithful Fools. Francis is an inspiration as he invites us into our own humanity, and his words a call to action… “As they announce peace with their lips, let them be careful to have it even more within their own hearts.” 


Thanks, Frank! 


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