The Little Flowers of Saint Francis

Brother Ugolino Boniscambi

Aug 2011 · Paraclete Press

About this eBook

These stories of St. Francis and his first followers have inspired millions of people over the centuries. Since they were first committed to paper, they have motivated people to become better followers of Jesus (not St. Francis). For that reason, they have endured unlike any other early Franciscan literature. Many of the stories are known to us from other biographical sources, but in some cases, here they are expanded or made more florid. This edition of The Little Flowers is unique in its physical beauty as well as its editorial arrangement. For the first time, the stories have been arranged in the most likely chronological ordering of when they happened - rather than following the traditional ordering of them handed down for centuries. As a result, today's reader is now able to read The Little Flowers as a biograpical narrative of the life of St. Francis and the world-transforming movement that he founded.

About the author

Brother Ugolino Boniscambi was born around 1260 and died around 1345. The primary compiler of The Little Flowers, he spent his novitiate in Roccabruna in the far northwest corner of Italy and was a friend of the angelic Pope Celestine V, who briefly ruled and then controversially quit, in 1294.

Jon M. Sweeney is the author of several books including Strange Heaven: The Virgin Mary as Woman, Mother, Disciple, and Advocate (September 2006); and Born Again and Again: Surprising Benefits of a Fundamentalist Childhoodwhich was named one of the "Best Books of 2005" by Spirituality & Health magazine and with an Award of Merit in the Spirituality category by Christianity Today. He has also written The St. Francis Prayer Book; The Lure of Saints; Praying with Our Handswhich was featured on PBS's "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly" and is the editor of Paul Sabatier's classic biography of St. Francis, The Road to Assisi, which was a selection of the History Book Club, Crossings Book Club, Literary Guild, and Book-of-the-Month Club. Jon was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of SkyLight Paths Publishing, a multifaith trade book publisher in Vermont, until he joined Paraclete Press in Massachusetts as their associate publisher. He writes an occasional column for the website, www.explorefaith.org, and his articles have been published in a variety of magazines including Catholic Digest, The Lutheran, The Merton Seasonal, and Spirituality & Health. He is a frequent guest speaker to groups of all denominational backgrounds on the subjects of understanding the Virgin Mary, Christian fundamentalism, St. Francis of Assisi, and appreciating the Catholic imagination. He was the featured speaker at The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on St. Francis's feast day in 2004. Jon lives in Vermont with his two teenage children.