A Special Year of St. Francis: A Call to Peace in Our Time

In January 2026, the Catholic Church will enter a Special Year of St. Francis, proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. Spanning from January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, this jubilee year invites Catholics around the world to pause, reflect, and return to the radical simplicity, humility, and peace that defined Francis’s life.

St. Francis is one of the most beloved saints in the Church. He is the patron of animals, ecology, and merchants, the founder of the Franciscan Order, the saint who gave us the first Nativity scene, and a man whose love for all of God’s creation continues to inspire believers and non-believers alike. Yet this jubilee is not merely a celebration of his accomplishments. It is an invitation to live his spirit anew, especially in a world deeply in need of healing.

Why St. Francis, and Why Now?

The timing of this Special Year is striking—particularly for the United States. As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, many Americans are reflecting on who we are, where we have been, and where we are going. It is a moment marked by gratitude and hope, but also by division, unrest, and uncertainty.

In this context, St. Francis’s witness feels profoundly relevant.

Francis lived in a time of political conflict, social inequality, and spiritual confusion. He did not respond with anger or withdrawal. Instead, he responded with conversion of heart, choosing peace over power, poverty over prestige, and love over fear. His life reminds us that true renewal—whether personal, national, or global—begins not with control, but with humility.

“Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace”

Perhaps no words capture the enduring legacy of St. Francis more powerfully than the prayer attributed to him:

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love;where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith;where there is despair, hope;where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.”

While the prayer itself was written centuries later, it expresses the very heart of Francis’s life. He believed peace was not something to be demanded of others—it was something to be embodied.

In proclaiming this Special Year, Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to ask a simple but challenging question:How can we become instruments of peace in our own time?

A Jubilee of Renewal, Not Nostalgia

This Special Year of St. Francis is not about looking backward with sentimentality. It is about renewal—of families, schools, parishes, communities, and nations. It calls us to care for creation, to encounter the poor with dignity, to rebuild relationships fractured by pride or fear, and to trust that peace begins with small, faithful acts.

For children, St. Francis offers a joyful model of wonder and care for the world. For educators, he reminds us that formation is about the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. For adults, he challenges us to simplify, to listen, and to lead with love.

A Saint for Our Nation’s Prayer

As the United States marks a historic anniversary, this Franciscan Jubilee offers something deeper than celebration: intercession. We can ask St. Francis to pray for our country—that we may grow in unity without uniformity, in justice with mercy, and in freedom rooted in responsibility.

Peace does not mean the absence of conflict. It means the presence of love, even in the midst of it.

May this Special Year of St. Francis help us rediscover that peace is not merely an ideal—it is a vocation.

And may we, like Francis, have the courage to live it.