"For it is in giving that we receive."
St. Francis of Assisi
Maria's favorite Saint was St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). St. Francis
was a Catholic saint, who was a patron of animals, ecology and the
environment. St. Francis was a man, who during his life, astounded and
inspired the Catholic Church by living the holy gospel literally—not in a
narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said
and did, joyfully without limits and without a sense of self-importance.
He dressed in rough clothes and had to beg for his sustenance. But all the while he preached purity and peace wherever he went. He visited hospitals,served the sick, preached in the streets, cared for lepers, cleaned churches, gave food to hungry and took ALL men and women as his siblings.
But perhaps St. Francis of Assisi is most recognized for being a devout friend to all creatures, big and small. To this day, the most popular image of him is in the form of a statue, that has become a universal sight readily found in the backyards or gardens of many catholic homes. (Maria got one for our home!). These statues typically depict him as a bearded little man surrounded by birds standing in a birdbath. To St. Francis every creature was sacred. He possessed an unworldly ability to connect with all animals, from the small and meek to the big and ferocious.
That is why Maria was so attracted to the life of St. Francis. Even as a young child Maria exhibited an unbridled love for all creatures, big and small. As a young girl she would draw pictures of animals and have her share of the obligatory stuffed ones (from a lamb as a baby to a large bison when she grew older). And of course she loved reading about them in all kinds of fictional settings as well as wildlife and science text books. As all who knew Maria will remember, cats were her favorite and she surrounded herself by them her entire life. From her room growing up to her college dorms, the omnipresence of cats followed her wherever she went. You name it, she had it: Books, posters, drawings, even small clay figurines she made in art class. It made for easy gift ideas for her during the holidays. Anything to do with Cats would work, and I certainly obliged over the years.But it didn't stop with cats. Maria, like St. Francis loved ALL animals. She was one of the few girls I knew growing up who actually liked insects, bugs and even snakes! (A trait her niece Sophia shares as well!). One memorable story was a trip to the Greenburgh nature center when Maria was an 11-year-old girl. One of the handlers at the center was displaying a large snake, to the fright and screams of the many kids in the center. But not Maria. She actually asked, to the slight astonishment of the handler, if she could "hold it". With my Mom holding her breathe, my big sister grabbed hold of the snake and did not even flinch when the snake’s tail slowly coiled around her small arm. Animals do sense calm when interacting with humans and
Maria's steady hand and patience with all animals allowed her to touch them…even snakes! St. Francis would have been proud.
As for all the pets we had growing up, Maria’s "hand" in getting them was always front and center. When Poopsie, our first pet, was begging to come into our house (he was a stray) Maria was the one who reached out to him, took him in and gave old Poopsie all the sliced turkey he craved (no wonder he always came by the house). And when on a rainy fall Saturday morning in 1979, the very Saturday after Poopsie died, it was Maria who at the North Shore animal shelter picked a shy little cat sitting alone in the back of a large cage. There were dozens of cats jumping and meowing for the necessary attention to be liberated from the pound. But Maria saw something in this small frail little cat with four little white paws. And when Maria made up her mind there was no going back. And she had her sight on the little cat. She picked a good one. Sox, would become our beloved cat who lived for over 20 years. In fact, after Sox passed away, Maria immediately got the two cats my mom presently has: Molly and Goozer (the name our grandfather used to call cats). It was a perfect gift that Maria gave both my Mom and Dad.
Today, St. Francis still plays a big role in our remembrance of Maria and her spirit. At IHM church, the church Maria used to go to at home, there is a statue of St. Francis (no surprise). It faces the Grand Blvd. side of the Church. When Maria and I used to drive by the Church we would many times have to stop at the red light at the corner of Post and Grand Blvd. While we would wait for the light to change she would on many occasion (try every time) comment on St. Francis as we looked at the statue. Because of this whenever a rose blooms in the rose garden she and my Mom planted over 25 years ago, we cut them and place them at the foot of the statue of St. Francis at IHM.
A fitting tribute to two souls who shared a remarkable love for all creatures…big and small.
