Bufano Francisco Pilgrimage
By Dana Sherry
Table of Contents
This pilgrimage was developed by Dana Sherry, M.T.S., Ph.D., as part of a Master’s in Theological Studies program at the Jesuit School of Theology, under the direction of Dr. Kathryn Barush. Her work at the JST focused on the lives of the saints, and devotions to the saints as lived practice through the present day. Her engagement with the saints blends her academic background as a historian with her artistic vocation as a storyteller, as she lectures at Saint Mary’s College of California on local pilgrimage as a means of encountering the saints who give their names to the places that surround us and brings stories of the saints to life at Bay Area parishes.
Invitation
This pilgrimage is an invitation to encounter Saint Francis in the city that bears his name through the public art of SF artist Beniamino Bufano. Some twenty six statues by Bufano are scattered throughout the city and stand amidst the everyday life of San Franciscans, and pilgrims may choose to journey along the route proposed here physically or virtually, in its entirety or in part, or create their own route that includes one or more additional pieces. The statues on the proposed itinerary focus on Bufano’s sculptures of St. Francis and nearby animal statues. His monuments to peace also embody a Franciscan theme, but and pilgrims may incorporate them into their route if they wish.
For a full map of Bufano statues in San Francisco, see here.
Proposed Route
This route assumes the use of public transit, and it begins and ends in locations easily accessible by BART and Muni lines. Driving is not advised, as walking and using public transit aligns better with Franciscan values of poverty and concern for the environment, and because these modes of transportation allow for a more direct experience of ourselves and the space we move through.
- 1. Animals (33 Maxwell Ct)
- 2. St Francis at Mission Dolores
- 3. St Francis on Horseback (2501 Sutter St)
- 4. St Francis (Grace Cathedral)
- 5. The Penguin (905 California)
- 6. National Shrine of St Francis / Nuova Porziuncola
- 7. Frank Cresci Plaza (St Francis de la Varenne), Fisherman’s Wharf
- 8. Pier 7 Vista Point
Background and Inspiration
The saint, the artist, and these statues are part of the fabric of San Francisco, and this pilgrimage aims to open our eyes to this numinous presence in the middle of our busy, distracted lives. On a personal level, as a long term resident of the Bay Area, I have loved some of these statues without knowing who made them (mostly the animal statues in Fisherman’s Wharf; somehow I never paid attention to the Francis statue, though I must have walked past in the innumerable times I’ve been there over the last forty five years with my father and, later, with my children). Reading about Bufano’s life, I was constantly smiling with unexpected recognition of familiar names from the literary and artistic life of the city – and with associations with St Francis himself. Bufano himself lived as large as the saint, albeit with a different orientation, and it is a source of joy and wonder to link both these figures with a city that has been at the center of my life. It is my hope that this pilgrimage project will create opportunities for that joy and wonder for others as well.
Saint Francis (~1181 - 1226)
St Francis has become one of the most popular saints in the US, and many versions of his life have circulated since his death. Franciscan Media, a popular Catholic organization that provides biographies of “Saints of the Day,” includes the following brief biography of Francis for his feast day, October 4:
The patron saint of Italy, Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit, and without a sense of self-importance.
Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his frolicking life as leader of Assisi’s youth. Prayer—lengthy and difficult—led him to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: “Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy.”
From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, “Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down.” Francis became the totally poor and humble workman.
He must have suspected a deeper meaning to “build up my house.” But he would have been content to be for the rest of his life the poor “nothing” man actually putting brick on brick in abandoned chapels. He gave up all his possessions, piling even his clothes before his earthly father—who was demanding restitution for Francis’ “gifts” to the poor—so that he would be totally free to say, “Our Father in heaven.” He was, for a time, considered to be a religious fanatic, begging from door to door when he could not get money for his work, evoking sadness or disgust to the hearts of his former friends, ridicule from the unthinking.
But genuineness will tell. A few people began to realize that this man was actually trying to be Christian. He really believed what Jesus said: “Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff” (Luke 9:1-3).
Francis’ first rule for his followers was a collection of texts from the Gospels. He had no intention of founding an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all the legal structures needed to support it. His devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute and highly exemplary at a time when various movements of reform tended to break the Church’s unity. Francis was torn between a life devoted entirely to prayer and a life of active preaching of the Good News. He decided in favor of the latter, but always returned to solitude when he could. He wanted to be a missionary in Syria or in Africa, but was prevented by shipwreck and illness in both cases. He did try to convert the sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade.
During the last years of his relatively short life, he died at 44, Francis was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side.
On his deathbed, Francis said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, “Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death.” He sang Psalm 141, and at the end asked his superior’s permission to have his clothes removed when the last hour came in order that he could expire lying naked on the earth, in imitation of his Lord. (Source)
A fuller life of St Francis may be found on the website for the National Shrine of St Francis, the second station in this pilgrimage, and further recommended readings on the saint are listed in the “Resources” section of this pilgrimage.
Beniamino Bufano
Beniamino (“Benny”) Bufano (1890ish-1970) immigrated from Italy to the United States with his family in 1901, and lived in San Francisco from 1917 until his death in 1970. Throughout his life, he was known personally for his opposition to war, his dedication to creating art that is accessible to all, and his mischievous public persona. He is best known artistically for his minimalistic sculptures of Saint Francis and animals, many of which appear in areas dedicated to children. Bufano’s statues began appearing in significant public places in San Francisco through the sponsorship of the Federal Art Project in the 1930s, and over two dozen of them still stand in San Francisco today. More information on Bufano’s life and artwork is available at the Museo Italo Americano, which is located at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco and houses many of Bufano’s paintings and smaller sculptures. A virtual exhibit on Bufano’s life and work is available on the Museo Italo Americano’s website, at https://museoitaloamericano.
Physical
Preparation
The entire pilgrimage will take a full day with substantial time spent walking. Be sure to wear good walking shoes and attire appropriate to the weather. You may wish to bring food and water, or stop along the way for rest and refreshments. You may also wish to bring tools for writing or sketching.
Mental
Preparation
Each stop along the journey presents a series of questions as a starting point for meditation; they are possible and entirely optional points of entry. I am struck by the diverse ways that Bufano’s statues connect with the life of the city and with pilgrims, for all their obvious similarity, and in the ways each intersects with the life of St. Francis.
At each stop, notice the environment in which the statue or statues stand. How does the environment affect your perception of the art work and the saint it embodies? How do passersby engage with the statue(s)? Does the atmosphere invite prayerful meditation? Does it call us to integrate the transcendent in the mundane? Does the juxtaposition of the saint and the environment call us to action and/or contemplation? Does the movement from one place to another affect your encounter with St Francis?
As you conclude your meditation, please be sure to mark the close of your encounter with each statue both physically and spiritually before moving to the next stage of your journey. You may, for example, make the sign of the cross, bow your head, wave, hum or sing quietly, leave a stone or momento, or another gesture of your choice.
Guided Pilgrimage
Station 1: 33 Maxwell Ct
Context:
These statues are located on the edge of a public housing project, and stand in front of what is now a preschool. The cat and the rabbit frame the entrance to the classrooms, and an outdoor play area is beyond the bears. When I came here, the play area was filled with happy young children who called out to me in greeting. The buildings were being repainted, and the painters chatted and joked as they worked. The overwhelming impression was one of abundant life and joy, probably heightened by the fact that it was November 2, and the neighborhood was preparing to celebrate El Día de los Muertos. All the same, the youthful tone of the sculptures fit the setting very well.
There are many animal tales connected with St. Francis, but the unexpected friendship seen in the cat and mouse statue suggests the story of St Francis and the wolf of Agobio. A fierce wolf was terrorizing the people of Agobio, until Francis entered the wood to make peace, for he knew they were both creatures of God. The wolf bowed his head, indicating that he would cease to prey on the flocks of Agobio, and Francis promised that the people would make sure the wolf suffered no hunger. “And thereafter, the said wolf lived two years in Agobio, and entered familiarly into the houses, going from door to door, neither doing injury to any one nor receiving any; and he was courteously nourished by the people; and, as he thus went through the town and through the houses, never did any dog bark after him. Finally, after two years, friar wolf died of old age; whereat the citizens lamented much, because as long as they saw him going so gently through their city, they recalled the better the virtue and sanctity of St. Francis” (See The Little Flowers of St. Francis, tr. by W. Heywood, [1906], at sacred-texts.com, for a full version of this story).
Reflection and action:
Notice the environment in which the statues stand. What impression does it make upon you? Spend time with each of the statues, and notice which speak to you. What do you see in them, and do they connect with your vision of St. Francis? Do they remind you of any animals in your life, past or present? How have you been in covenant with the non- human creatures around us? Bid the animals/the saint farewell in a way of your choosing.
Station 2: St Francis at Mission Dolores
Context:
This small, pale St. Francis stands behind the pews in the mission church, across from the entrance via the gift shop. It almost blends into the wall behind it, and it is close enough to touch. No information is given about the statue, aside from the brass plaque identifying it as Saint Francis of Assisi by Bufano. Only the gap between the aesthetic of the statue and the place in which it stands draws the eye to it.
Mission Dolores was founded in 1776 as Misión San Francisco de Asís as part of the chain of missions founded by Franciscans to bring Christianity to the indigenous peoples of California. The devastating impact of European colonization on native peoples is well known, and the role of the missions in this process is now widely recognized (see resources for additional readings). The Old Mission, in which this Francis stands, has been restored to what it would have been in the nineteenth century and invites us to enter that world of contact in our imaginations.
Reflection and action:
Notice the environment in which Francis stands. How does it impact you? How do you balance the beauty of the place with the trauma it caused? Do these later events affect your vision of Francis?
This Francis is much smaller than any other pieces on this tour, and the only piece made of white stone. Does the size and color of the Francis affect your sense of the saint?
Notice the other depictions of St Francis in the mission church (two in the main altar, and several paintings). How do they affect you?
The Old Mission is preserved as part of the historical record, whereas the Mission Basilica church next to it serves the living Catholic community in the neighborhood. If you go into the Basilica, do you notice a different energy in this space? Notice that it is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, and Saint Francis is absent in it. Yet the Basilica grew from the Mission, and the past is interwoven in the present.
Bid the saint farewell in a way of your choosing.
Station 3: St. Francis on Horseback (2501 Sutter St)
Context:
St. Francis on Horseback, created in 1935 and placed in 1945, stands in the Westside Courts public housing project. It embodies Bufano’s belief in making art available to all, not only the privileged, and St. Francis’ mission to care for the poor. The subject captures a pivotal moment in young Francis’ life, when he turns from worldly pursuits to serve God. Bonaventure writes,
[When Francis] was asleep, the Divine mercy showed him a spacious and beautiful palace filled with arms and military ensigns, all marked with the cross of Christ, to make known to him that his charitable deed done to the poor soldier for the love of the great King of Heaven should receive an unspeakable reward. And when he asked for whom all these things were reserved, a Divine voice answered him that they were for him and for his soldiers.
When Francis awoke, … he thought that this strange vision betokened some great earthly prosperity. Therefore, being still ignorant of the Divine will, he determined to go into Apulia, there to enter the household of a certain Count …, hoping in his service to acquire military honor and renown…. When he had travelled for some days together, he came to a certain city, when the Lord spoke to him in the night with the familiar voice of a friend, saying, “Francis, who can do the most for thee—the Lord or the servant, the rich an or the poor?” And when Francis replied that the Lord and the rich man could do more for him than the poor, —“Wherefore, then,” said the voice, “dost thou leae the Lord for the servant, and the God of infinite riches for a poor mortal?” Then said Francis, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” And the Lord answered: “Return home; for the vision which thou hast seen prefigured a spiritual work which thou shalt bring to pass, not by human counsel, but by Divine disposition.” So, when the day dawned, Francis set forth in great haste towards Assisi, full of joy and confidence… (Bonaventure, Life of S. Francis of Assisi [London: R. Washbourne, 1868] 11-12)
In choosing this pivotal moment of the saint’s life, Bufano anticipates Norberto Proietti’s The Return of Francis (2005), which now stands before the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. See https://www.primematters.com/foundations/enrichment/return-francis for more on this statue.
Reflection and action:
Notice the environment around the statue. In most photos, it would seem the statue is in a harsh, unwelcoming location. Visiting it in person, it was surrounded by beds of growing things (mint, kale, flowers), strollers stood before the doors to the apartment buildings, and children in matching red t-shirts ran and laughed with their caregiver at the playground behind Francis. Overall, the space brimmed with abundant life. How does it relate to the previous environments where you have found Francis? Do you have the sense of a Francis ministering to the poor?
What emotions do you perceive in Bufano’s rider? Have you had similar moments in your life, when you realize you have been going in the wrong direction and had to turn back? Reflect on that past experience, or meditate on any current uncertainties about your path.
How do you connect with the subject of the statue? Do you see Francis riding toward Apulia, filled with a misguided sense of his calling, or back to Assisi? Bonaventure sees joy in this return ride, whereas Proietti’s 2005 statue shows a downcast saint. What emotions do you perceive in Bufano’s rider? Have you had similar moments in your life, when you realize you have been going in the wrong direction and had to turn back? Reflect on that past experience, or meditate on any current uncertainties about your path.
Bufano created only one Francis on horseback, returning to his cruciform Francis in all his other statues. Do you have a different sense of the saint here? Is it significant that Bufano gave this statue to public housing?
Bid the saint farewell in a way of your choosing.
Station 4: St. Francis, Grace Cathedral
Context:
This Bufano St Francis arrived at Grace Cathedral in 1993, relocated from the nearby Fairmont Hotel. Grace Cathedral is renowned for its welcoming spirituality, its care for the needy, its sheer beauty, and its innovative arts programs. The Grace Cathedral arts page states,
We believe that art connects people to the depths of their souls and to the divine, so we foster the arts in many ways.
Grace Cathedral’s vision is a spiritually alive world, and its mission is to reimagine church with courage, joy, and wonder. Art is an integral part of that vision and mission. Art is transcendent. It represents the best of what makes us human. It connects us to others and also to ourselves. From our Artist in Residence program to art exhibits and programs throughout the year, our cathedral is a work of art filled with works of art.
You may wish to consult the Cathedral’s website in scheduling your pilgrimage: https://gracecathedral.org/
Reflection and action:
Participate in any features at Grace Cathedral, and consider pausing to contemplate the natural world in Huntington Park, across from the cathedral.
Station 5: Penguin (905 California, parking lot for the Stanford Court Hotel)
Context:
Bufano created multiple penguin statues around the city, and they connect with St. Francis through their prayerful attitude, gazing at and pointing to the heavens with flippers crossed. Today, a prayerful penguin also evokes prayer for the environment, captured in many aspects of his life and in his most famous prayer, “The Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon.”
Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, All praise is Yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong, and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.
Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all weather’s moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.
Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious and pure.
Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You my Lord through our Sister, Mother Earth
who sustains and governs us,
producing varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon for love of You and bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace, By You Most High, they will be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.
— St. Francis of Assissi
Reflection and action:
The penguin stands at the entrance to a boutique hotel amidst a highly urban, prestigious neighborhood steeped in the history of the affluent city, looking back at the financial district and beyond to the San Francisco Bay. How can we hold an awareness of our kinship with the natural world, with its beauties and challenges, amidst luxury and concrete?
At the same time, the statue brings a particular spirit to the space. A concierge reported that the statue is very popular with children and with dogs (note the water dishes for dogs placed next to the statue). He also urged us to watch a video on its installation in its present location on the hotel website, inviting further engagement. Passersby often glanced at the statue. Also notice the tinsel strung around the statue’s neck for Christmas.
Bid the saint/the penguin farewell in a way of your choosing.
Station 6: National Shrine of St. Francis and Nuova Porziuncola
Context:
The National Shrine of St Francis and the Nuova Porziuncola embody a more traditional Catholic vision of the saint. The shrine contains a first class relic of the saint, meaning a physical part of Saint Francis. The stairs leading to the National Shrine were the first home of St Francis de la Varenne – can you imagine it here? See https://californiarevealed.org/do/fa46d26c-59df-4fd5-a78c-a5820f011eaa for home video footage of the installation of the statue on these stairs.
The Nuova Porziuncola is a replica of St Francis’ Porziuncola, the church he restored in Assisi at divine prompting, and is a site of plenary indulgence (see http://www.shrinesf.org/pardon-of-assisi.html for more on the indulgence gained by visiting the Porziuncola). Thus, both sites have deep connections with the historical life of Francis and with his veneration over the centuries.
St. Bonaventure describes the restoration of the Porziuncola thus:
[Francis] came to the church of S. Damian, which, from its great antiquity, was fast falling into decay, and, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, he went in thither to pray. As he lay prostrate before a crucifix he was filled with great spiritual consolation, and gazing with tearful eyes upon the holy cross of the Lord, he heard with his bodily ears a voice from the crucifix, which said thrice to him: ‘Francis, go and build up my house, which, as thou seest, is falling into ruin.’ Then Francis, trembling, and full of fear, being in the church alone, wondered at the sound of that marvelous voice, and as his heart received the meaning and power of the divine words, he fell into a great ecstasy. When he had recovered his senses, and came to himself, he prepared to obey, and set himself at once to fulfil the command which he had received to repair the material church, although the principal intention of these words referred to that Church which Christ has purchased and built up with His precious blood, as the Holy Spirit afterwards revealed to him (Bonaventure, Life of S. Francis of Assisi [London: R. Washbourne, 1868] 17-18)
Reflection and action:
What are your impressions of visiting Francis in this more formal setting? How does it connect to Bufano’s images of the saint? How does encountering Francis in quiet settings (unless you attend a Mass, these sites are set apart from the daily life of the city) complement your experience amidst Fisherman’s Wharf?
In the Nuova Porziuncola, take time to notice the details of this replica of the space that Francis made with his own hands. Can you imagine Francis envisioning and repairing this church? What might it mean to rebuild the church, and how might you respond to a call to rebuild damaged structures (physical or social) around you? Whether or not you have prepared to receive a plenary indulgence from stepping into this sacred space, what would it feel like to be purified?
Bid the saint farewell in a way of your choosing.
Station 7: St Francis de la Varenne (Frank Cresci Plaza, Fisherman’s Wharf)
Context:
This is the statue that began the connection between the artist and the saint, as Beniamino Bufano sculpted his first Francis in Paris in 1928-1930. Bringing it to San Francisco proved difficult, but it was finally installed on the steps of the St Francis of Assisi Church (now the National Shrine of St Francis of Assisi) in 1956. Bufano wrote from Paris in 1955 to his friend Herb Caen, columnist for the SF Chronicle, describing the process of preparing the statue for transit:
Well, here I am in Paris working like a beaver on my statue of Saint Francis that I made here in 1928, 29 and 30, and, as you know, gave to San Francisco. They [the church] financed my trip here so I could get it ready for shipment. But the money they allowed me is so small that I have been living for the past two months on black bread, figs and milk while working in this damp and cold warehouse where Saint Francis has been in prison so long.
But the saint is still smiling. So I keep on polishing, rubbing his face and find myself singing a half-sad and half-joyful song. “Brother Francis, we will be out of here. We will be out of here in a week or so, then out in the sun, the sun, the sun, of California, California, California—There we will dry our tears and share our song with the people, all the people, peace and good will!”
In a little while his years of imprisonment will be ended and he will have a beautiful place on the steps of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi. There in all his humility and grandness, Saint Francis will call upon the people of all nations to live in peace with one another. Now I pray this time his message will be heard.
Herb, our greeting comes to you from 6000 miles away and God Bless you and all our friends, including our enemies.
Beniamino.
(Cited in Virginia B. Lewin, One of Benny’s Faces [Hicksville, NY: Exposition Press, 1980] 186)
The statue proved controversial, as it did not conform to the expected visions of the saint. It was removed in 1961, on the grounds that it blocked access to the church doors, and moved to various sites before settling in Fisherman’s Wharf in 1962, in a parking lot (again!) in front of the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union. Notice that he is adorned for Christmas (again!). Speaking with a woman selling newspapers dedicated to workers’ concerns, she said she had never paid any attention to the statue and couldn’t say anything about it. It was easy to find, given its size, but hard to get to, as the parking lot was surrounded by metal fencing.
Reflection and action:
Consider the location of the statue, in a highly touristic part of the city and tended by very active defenders of the rights of laborers. Does Francis seem at home here?
Consider the statue itself. What impresses you about this vision of Francis? What aligns with your understanding of the saint, and what challenges you? What does it convey about Francis in the modern world?
Bid the saint farewell in a way of your choosing.
Station 8: Pier 7 Vista Point
Context:
Walking along the Embarcadero from Fisherman’s Wharf to Pier 7 takes you along the edge where the Bay meets the city. The water lies to the east, the city to the west, and visitors and residents alike fill the paths.
Reflection and action:
Notice the people and animals, the sights and sounds and smells, as you walk along the water. Posh restaurants stand beside working piers.
Consider pausing to admire the sea lions as you pass Pier 39.
When you come to the Pier itself, look back at the city that has arisen in the spirit of St. Francis. How have you seen the saint present in the life of the place that bears his name? Where does he challenge us to live differently?
Nature has not played a major role in this pilgrimage, but looking out over the water, notice the things that were here long before the city was born: the islands, the fog, the bay.
Bid the saint and his city farewell in a way of your choosing.
The Return Home
Context:
Give yourself time to return gently to everyday life, traveling in silence or listening to music related to Francis to ease your transition back. You may wish to write down any concluding reflections or images. Creating visual, material, or verbal reminders of your time with the saint is recommended.
Reflection and action:
What memories and impressions will you carry forward from your pilgrimage? Make a physical and mental gesture to mark your return out of the pilgrimage mind, such as taking a series of deep breaths, stretching, offering a prayer of farewell, or similar.
Optional Site: St. Francis of the Guns statue
Context:
In 1969, Bufano cast St. Francis of the Guns from gunmetal, melted down from two thousand hand guns collected through a voluntary gun turn-in program in San Francisco in 1968. Francis’ robes feature four assassinated American leaders (John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Abraham Lincoln) and the children of the world. (Similar children occur frequently in Bufano’s statues to peace, but this is the only instance when he links then with St Francis.)
Bufano called for an end to world violence throughout his career, and St Francis’ most dramatic push for an end to war came when he traveled to Egypt in 1219 in an attempt to convert the sultan and thereby end the Fifth Crusade. He did not succeed, but the sultan did allow him to return to Europe. Additional resources on St Francis’ encounter with Sultan al-Malik-al-Kâmal may be found below.
Reflection and action:
How does the setting affect you? Are you able to connect with the saint?
This Francis has a clear message about the impact of violence. How does that facet of Francis affect your connection with the saint?
Bid the saint farewell in a way of your choosing.
Optional Site: Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma; St. Francis
Context:
Bufano died in 1970 at the age of 79, and is buried in Colma in a section of the cemetery reserved for the indigent. Bufano had to be laid to rest in this section because it was the only place where the statue could be placed, but it also brings Francis to minister to those whom he served in life.
The detail of the birds on the statue is unique in Bufano’s oeuvre and calls to mind many stories about Francis and birds, most famously the story of Francis preaching to the birds, as told in the Little Flowers:
[H]e lifted up his eyes and saw certain trees hard by the road, whereupon was an almost infinite number of birds; whereat St. Francis marvelled, and said to his companions: “Ye shall await me here on the road, and I will go and preach to the birds my sisters”; and he went into the field and began to preach to the birds which were upon the ground; and anon those which were in the trees came to him, and all of them stood still together until St. Francis finished preaching; and even then they departed not until he gave them his blessing; … when St. Francis went about among them touching them with his mantle, none of them moved therefor. Now the preaching of St. Francis was on this wise: “My sisters the birds, much are ye beholden unto God your creator, and always and in every place ought ye to praise Him, because He hath given you liberty to fly wheresoever ye will, and hath clothed you on with twofold and threefold raiment. Moreover, He preserved your seed in the ark of Noah that your race might not be destroyed. Again, ye are beholden unto Him for the element of the air which He hath appointed for you; furthermore, ye sow not neither do ye reap; yet God feedeth you and giveth you rivers and fountains wherefrom to drink; He giveth you mountains and valleys for your refuge, and high trees wherein to build your nests; and, in that ye know not how to sew nor spin, God clotheth you and your little ones; wherefore doth your Creator love you seeing that He giveth you so many benefits. Guard yourselves, therefore, my sisters the birds, from the sin of ingratitude and be ye ever mindful to give praise to God.” And, as St. Francis spake these words unto them, all those birds began to open their beaks, and to stretch out their necks, and to open their wings, and reverently to bow their heads even unto the ground, and to show by their motions and by their songs that the holy father gave them very great delight: and St. Francis rejoiced with them and was glad and marvelled much at so great a multitude of birds, and at the most beautiful diversity of them, and at their attention and fearlessness; for which cause he devoutly praised the Creator in them. Finally, when he had made an end of preaching, St. Francis made over them the sign of the Cross and gave them leave to depart; whereupon all those birds rose into the air with wondrous songs; and thereafter, according to the form of the Cross which St. Francis had made over them, they divided themselves into four bands; and one band flew towards the East, and one towards the West, and one towards the South and the fourth towards the North, and each company went singing marvellous songs; signifying thereby that, even as St. Francis, the Standard-bearer of the Cross, had preached to them, and made over them the sign of the Cross, according whereunto they separated themselves toward the four quarters of the world, so the preaching of the Cross of Christ, renewed by St. Francis, was about to be carried through all the world by him and by his friars; the which friars, like unto the birds, possess nothing of their own in this world but commit their lives wholly to the providence of God.
Reflection and action:
Meditate with Francis in this setting, before bidding saint and artist farewell and carrying them out into the world with you.
Peace Prayer
(Often Attributed to St. Francis)
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;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Resources / Bibliography
Bonaventure, Saint. Life of S. Francis of Assisi (London: R. Washbourne, 1868), http://www.saintsbooks.net/books/St.%20Bonaventure%20-%20The%20Life%20of%20St.%20Francis%20of%20Assisi.pdf, accessed 11/17/2023.
California Revealed, “Saint Francis Statue by Bufano Installed.” https://californiarevealed.org/do/fa46d26c-59df-4fd5-a78c-a5820f011eaa , accessed 11/17/2023.
Chesterton, G.K. Saint Francis of Assisi (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1954).
Google Maps, “Bufano Statues in San Francisco.” https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1lgLl5Rb8EqwUtdXROWzHBVWxsVpEzg4p&hl=en&ll=37.770452399581835%2C-122.42506778326769&z=13, accessed 11/17/2023
Grace Cathedral, https://gracecathedral.org , accessed 11/17/2023.
Hackel, Stephen W., ed. The Worlds of Junipero Serra: Historical Contexts and Cultural Representations (Oakland: University of California Press, 2018).
Heywood, W., trans. Little Flowers of Saint Francis (1906), at https://sacred-texts.com/chr/lff/index.htm, accessed 11/17/23.
Interview with Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino, “Reviving and Strengthening Indigenous Foods of SF Bay Area,” Next Economy Now: For the Benefit of All Life, podcast audio, August 15, 2023, https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/vincent-medina-louis-trevino
Kronemer, Alex, director. The Sultan and the Saint. Unity Productions Foundation, 2016. 58 minutes.
Lewin, Virginia B. One of Benny’s Faces (Hicksville, NY: Exposition Press, 1980).
Museo Italo Americano, https://museoitaloamericano.org/beniamino-bufano-so-be-it-in-peace/, accessed 11/17/2023.
Prime Matters, “The Return of Francis,” https://www.primematters.com/foundations/enrichment/return-francis , accessed 11/17/2023.
Robson, Michael J.P., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Francis of Assisi (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012).
San Francisco Public Library. http://sflib1.sfpl.org:82/record=b1004623, “Sculptor Beniamino Bufano gazing at his Statue of Saint Francis of Assisi after it had been moved to the grounds of the ILWU building at Fisherman’s Wharf”, accessed 11/17/2023.
“Saint of the Day: Saint Francis.” https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-francis-of-assisi/, accessed 11/17/2023.
“Saint Francis,” http://www.shrinesf.org/life-of-st-francis.html, accessed 11/17/23.
Sandos, James. Converting California: Indians and Franciscans in the Missions (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004).
Special Section Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, May 18, 2012. https://issuu.com/productioncsf/docs/web_csf_5-18-12_hccemetery, accessed 11/17/23.
Tolan, John V. Saint Francis and the Sultan: The Curious History of a Christian-Muslim Encounter (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009).
