Dear Friends,

Has the Lord ever placed on your heart a desire to serve Him in a particular way and then life seemed to complicate every effort you made to do so?

St. Francis of Rome was a lay woman who, from a very young age, felt called to a religious vocation. Her parents being of nobility had other ideas. She was forced to marry and take over the duties of managing a large household and upholding her state in society. Together with her husband, she had three children.

Francis’ love for the Lord inspired her to many acts of charity, often prompting her in-laws to reprimand her. It seemed her every inspiration was thwarted by her family members. However, Francis remained faithful, and through her pious living converted her household. When war and famine descended upon Rome, Francis served those less fortunate, despite losing two children. God worked many miracles through Francis, even multiplying food supplies to feed the poor.

With her husband’s support, Francis started a lay order of women, the Oblates of Mary, associated with the Benedictines. Eventually, they founded a house where widowed members could live in community.

God rewarded Francis’ faithfulness with an archangel, one she could see and converse with, to be her guardian. Francis took on fasts of bread and water and wore a hairshirt sometimes. Her angel once commanded her to stop her severe penances: “You should understand by now, that the God who made your body and gave it to your soul as a servant never intended that the spirit should ruin the flesh and return it to him despoiled.”

Widowed at 52, Francis was finally able to follow her heart’s desire to live as a religious. God never ceased to call Francis to Himself, He just had a lot of plans for her in the in-between.

If you feel frustrated in your life as an apostle, St. Francis is a great reminder that the path God leads each one of us down is often filled with twists and turns.

Yours in the Heart of Jesus,

Donna