Through the history of the United States, St. Francis of Assisi has reigned as America’s quintessential saint: from an evangelical preacher, a bridge to Protestants and a guardian of creation to a social Gospel reformer, a hippie icon and an ambassador of Italian civilization.
As America marks its 250th centennial, Italy commemorates the 800th anniversary of the death of its beloved patron saint in 2026, with his feast day of Oct. 4 as a new Italian national holiday. Marking the celebration, the Italian Institute of Culture of Miami in Coral Gables hosted a lecture by independent scholar Professor Patricia Appelbaum on her book “St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth Century Friar Became America’s Most Popular Saint.”
