Saint Frances was born to a wealthy family in Rome at a time of war and pestilence. As a child she always wanted to become a nun but her father wanted to marry her off at the age of twelve to the commander of the papal troops in Rome, Lorenzo Ponziano. After a great deal of soul searching asking herself the question, “Do I want God to do what I want or vice versa?” Frances decided to go along with her father’s wishes. Frances and Lorenzo were very happy together even though he was often away at war.
They had six children but two died in the plague and most of their property was destroyed by fighting and rioting in Rome. Undeterred, Frances turned what was left of her house into a hospice for the poor and dispossessed. Her sister-in-law, Vannozza, gave up her frivolous lifestyle and joined Frances, visiting prisons, feeding the hungry, looking after abandoned children, and praying together.
This did not please her father-in-law (or her husband). They objected to them giving away so much when food and other supplies were scarce and her father-in-law locked the cellar where all his corn, oil, wine and cloth were stored. He even sold off any surplus he had so that they could not give it away. Frances and her friend did not give up though. They went out into the streets of Rome to beg on behalf of the poor. Her husband and father-in-law, impressed by their persistence and obvious goodness, relented.
Frances took advantage of the freedom their support gave her and immediately sold off all her jewels and spare clothes and used the money to support the poor of the city. She kept a coarse green dress for herself and came to be recognised wherever she went.
At this time the Church was in a very poor state. Three men claimed to be pope. One sent an army to Rome to support his claim with violence. Lorenzo was wounded in the fighting and his brother was put in prison.
The commander of the army wanted to be sure that Lorenzo would behave if he recovered from his wounds so he demanded Frances’ youngest son as a hostage. Frances and Lorenzo had no choice but to give up their son. Frances immediately went to the church and began to pray for his safety. Legend says that every horse the boy was put on refused to move and the boy was eventually given back to his parents.
When this boy grew up he married a rather flighty girl who took no interest in Frances’ charitable work. In fact she ridiculed Frances in the street and made fun of her publicly. Frances did not rise to the bait but carried on regardless in her, by now very shabby but well known, green dress. One day, in the middle of a mocking tirade, her daughter-in-law had a sudden moment of self-knowledge and cried out, “Oh my pride, my dreadful pride!” and fainted. Frances took her in and nursed her. When she recovered she joined Frances and Vannozza in their work and life of prayer.
Frances’ meditations often took the form of visions in which an angel shone a light before her to show her the way to go. The Church could not let this go by. She was named in 1925 as the patron saint of car drivers!
Lorenzo’s health was ruined by continual warfare and he died in 1436. His last words were, “I feel as if my whole life has been one beautiful dream of pure happiness – God has given me so much of your love.” Frances became a Benedictine nun for the last four years of her life. Her last words were, “The angel has finished his task – he beckons me to follow him.”
Frances gave her life for her husband, her children and the service of the poor.
Author: C B Whittle