The Little Flowers of Saint Francis

In the vast tapestry of Catholic spirituality, few threads shimmer with the humble brilliance of The Little Flowers of Saint Francis. This cherished collection of stories, born from the life and legacy of Saint Francis of Assisi, isn’t just a historical artifact—it’s a living wellspring of inspiration, a call to radical simplicity and boundless love for Christ. At Journeys of Faith, we’re drawn to these tales like pilgrims to a sacred shrine, eager to uncover the divine whispers hidden in every act of kindness, every moment of surrender. Founded by Bob and Penny Lord with a heart for evangelization, our ministry—rooted in the mission of “all for Jesus”—seeks to share the transformative power of such works with Catholics hungry for deeper connection.

Imagine walking the dusty paths of 13th-century Italy, where a poor man in a tattered robe spoke to birds, tamed wolves, and bore the wounds of Christ Himself. The Little Flowers of Saint Francis captures these moments, not as mere legend, but as a testament to a faith so raw and real it still echoes through the centuries. Compiled long after Francis’ death by followers of his order, this anthology—originally titled Fioretti—paints a portrait of a saint whose life was a living Gospel, a sermon preached through deeds over words. For us at Journeys of Faith, a Catholic ministry devoted to pilgrimage, miracles, and the saints, these stories aren’t just history; they’re a roadmap for our own spiritual journeys.

Whether you’ve trekked to Assisi yourself or simply long to encounter the saints in the quiet of your prayer corner, The Little Flowers offers something rare: a glimpse into a soul utterly consumed by love for God and creation. As we delve into this sacred text, we invite you to join us—through the lens of our mission at Holy Family Mission in Arkansas and the countless resources we’ve crafted, from books to streaming content—to rediscover the joy of a faith that blooms in the smallest, most unexpected places. Let’s walk with Saint Francis, together, and see where his little flowers lead us closer to Jesus.

Compilation and Authorship Questions

Let’s dig into the murky waters of The Little Flowers of Saint Francis—a text as enigmatic as it is beloved. If you’re expecting a neat and tidy origin story, brace yourself for a bit of a historical whodunit. Scholars have been scratching their heads for centuries over who actually penned this collection of tales about Saint Francis of Assisi and his early followers. The traditional attribution points to Brother Ugolino di Monte Santa Maria, a Franciscan friar, as the compiler sometime in the late 13th or early 14th century. But here’s the kicker: there’s no definitive proof. The text itself doesn’t come with a signed confession or a medieval copyright page. Instead, we’re left piecing together clues from manuscripts and references in other works.

The earliest Latin versions, known as the Actus Beati Francisci et Sociorum Eius, are widely accepted as the foundation for what became The Little Flowers. These stories were likely gathered from oral traditions—think of friars swapping tales around a fire about Francis’s radical simplicity, his love for creation, and those wild miracles. But translation and adaptation over time muddy the waters. When the text was rendered into Italian as I Fioretti di San Francesco, it wasn’t just a straight port; it was shaped and flavored by the cultural and spiritual lens of the translator. Some argue this introduced embellishments, while others say it captured the heart of Francis’s charism in a way the Latin couldn’t.

Open by Steve Bailey