ST. FRANCES OF ROME – Mar 9

St. Frances of Rome (1384-1440), widow and foundress of the Collatines

A GRACE FILLED YOUTH
St. Frances was born in Rome at 1384 into nobility; both her parents came from illustrious families. From a tender age she was extraordinarily pious, modest, and discreet. She had an aversion to the frivolous activities and games which engaged her peers, and instead sought solitude and prayer. When she was filled with too much ‘noise’ she could not hear God and was not at peace. (The silence she longed for was not just auditory, but also a silence of the eyes and an internal silence of her imagination.) On account of her heightened recollection, she conversed at times with the angels. On her eleventh birthday she resolved to consecrate her virginity to God and enter a monastery.

However her parents, Paul de Buxo and Jacobella Rofredeschi, were set against this decision. Her father believed she was too young to devote her life to Christ but not too young to marry. He had promised her in marriage and his word was law. Frances had an indomitable will (perhaps inherited from her father) and a great battle of wills began. She stubbornly prayed to God to prevent the marriage until her confessor asked, “Are you crying because you want to do God’s will or because you want God to do your will?”

A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE
In 1396, when she was thirteen, out of obedience to her parents, she married Lorenzo Ponziani, a wealthy young nobleman and a good man. His mother, Cecilia, loved the 'high society' life or Rome and she was thrilled with the prospect of so many social events occasioned by her son’s wedding. These events became nightmarish torture for Frances, who actually preferred fasting and scourging. A terrible sickness manifested how disagreeable this kind of life was to her spiritual well-being. She collapsed from strain and for months lay close to death, unable to eat, speak or move. Her husband was terribly grieved and offered many prayers at her bedside. At her worst moment, she received a vision from St. Alexis. He too was a Roman nobleman; he had fled his family and marriage to live a life of penance as a beggar in the fourth century. St. Alexis revealed to her that God was giving her a very important decision which would require much penance, especially the sacrifice of her will. At this point in her life Frances actually preferred to die, but instead with a completely committed heart, she weakly whispered “God’s will is my will.” These words changed her life and set her on the road to becoming a great saint. St. Alexis replied, “Then you shall remain alive and yet you will live to glorify His Name!” Her recovery was immediate and complete.

AN OBEDIENT MARRIAGE
From that point on, Frances offered all the unpleasantness in her life with joy and dutifully observed the obligations of her state in life. Lorenzo was greatly impressed by the change he saw in her and became even more devoted to her. He also began to grant her permission to perform some of the penances which were so agreeable to her. Whenever possible, she shunned feasts, public gatherings and instead sought retirement within her home. She practiced the austerities of the stricter life she had intended to lead in so far as it was lawful for her. Her obedience to her husband was inimitable. This perfect submission coupled with her gracious kindness and generous love towards him, won her such an admiration and reciprocity of affection that for the forty years they lived together they never had the least disagreement. Each spouse spent their whole married life in a constant effort to surpass the respect and compliance showed by the other.

A KINDRED SPIRIT
Living with her husband’s family was particularly difficult for her as her mother-in-law always strove to make her more worldly. She would pressure and chastise her, stating she should be more like Vannozza, her other daughter-in-law, who enjoyed social events. One day Frances found Vannozza alone in the garden crying. She sought to comfort her and learned that Vannozza had also desired the religious life. The two became a great source of support and mutual edification for each other. From Vannozza, Frances learned to soften her stance against her mother-in-law and to joyfully offer-up the social obligations which accompanied her station in society. The two sisters-in-law often prayed together, assisted at Mass, served in hospitals, visited prisons, gave alms to beggars and practiced other works of charity. Truly, each served as a great blessing from God and a channel of grace for the other - they had an exemplary friendship.

FAMILY LIFE
When Cecilia passed away, Lorenzo’s father determined that Frances would run the household. Although she was only sixteen, she wan excellent administrator, a hard-worker, and a kind employer. Poor Frances, these new responsibilities only forced more worldly obligations upon her. Yet by now she was mastering the secret of sanctity and masterfully combined her duties with prayer and penances. Whilst she was at prayer or other spiritual exercises, if called away by her husband, she laid all aside to obey without delay, saying: “A married woman must, when called upon, quit her devotions to God at the altar to find him in her household affairs.” One time when Frances was praying, four times she was called away without being able to complete the same one verse of a psalm in our Lady’s office. When she returned to attempt to pray it a fifth time, she found that the entire verse had been transformed and written in

St. Frances only prayed for the blessings of the womb so that she might raise citizens for heaven. When God blessed her with children it was her great concern to form them into saints. Her first son was named Battista, after John the Baptist, her second Evangelista, after St. John the Apostle, and her third, a girl, name after the Roman virgin martyr Agnes. She treated her house hold servants as siblings and future co-heirs of heaven. She made every effort within her power to encourage them to labor seriously towards their salvation.

MIRACLE: MULTIPLICATION OF FOODSTUFF
Frances had many virtues, yet never were they more resplendent than in how she faced great adversity and obstacles. (Surely it was for this reason that God had disposed her to have such an iron will.) A terrible flood brought disease and famine to Rome. Frances gave orders that no one asking for alms should be turned away. She and Vannozza began to distribute all their corn, wine, oil and clothing to the poor. Her father-in-law grew furious and took the keys of the granary and wine cellar from her. He even sold all their extra wheat and wine, except for one sack and one barrel, to make sure Frances could not give them away. Frances and Vannozza responded by going out into the streets to beg themselves so they would have some alms for the poor! Frances even grew so desperate that she went into her family’s empty granary and began sifting through the straw searching for any kernel of grain. After she left the granary, Lorenzo was stunned to find the previously empty granary filled with golden wheat! She also continued to give wine to the poor from the family’s lone barrel. When her father-in-law learned of his he was determined to save what was left in the barrel, yet he found it already empty. The whole family was now incited against Frances. Yet she quietly prayed. Then she turned the spigot of the empty barrel and out flowed the most delicious wine. These miracles convinced Lorenzo and his father that Frances should not be prohibited from works of mercy; for they did not want to oppose God Almighty Himself.

MIRACLE: THE IMMOVABLE HORSES
St. Frances lived in Rome during the time of the Great Western Schism when there were three claimants to the papal throne (1409-1415). Civil war broke out in the city when anti-pope John XXIII challenged Pope Gregory XII and sent the cruel Count Troja to conquer Rome for him. Lorenzo was seriously wounded defending the papacy and he and his brother, Vannozza’s husband, were both imprisoned. Troja insisted that Frances’ first-born, Battista, be given to him in exchange for his prisoners. He knew that the influential Poniziani family would stop fighting if he had custody of their heir. Frances was terrified and chose to flee with her small boy. Yet her spiritual advisor intercepted her and told her she was making the wrong decision. She ought not flee Rome and instead trust in God. Slowly, France made her way back to the Capitoline Hill where Troja was encamped. Crowds tried to stop her or 'save' Battista out of her hands, but she remained resolute. After handing-over her first born son as a ransom, she entered a nearby church to pray and weep. Wishing to secure Battista in safer confines, Count Troja attempted to send Battista out of the city on a horse; but no horse on which he placed the child would move an inch. Eventually he gave up, seeing he could not oppose God. Frances was still kneeling before the altar when Battista was placed back in her arms.

[column size="2-3" last="0"]FACING GREAT ADVERSITY WITH HEROIC VIRTUE
Her troubles however did not end as the political turmoil in Rome continued. This time the city was invaded by Ladislas, King of Naples. He banished Lorenzo and his brother from Rome. He permitted brigands to enter the family estate, plunder their goods, demolish their palatial home, and torture and kill their servants. They abducted Battista and carried him off to Naples. This time God did not intervene with a miracle. Subsequently a plague ravaged Rome and her second son, Evangelista, died from the disease. Frances' home was in ruins, her husband banished, one son a hostage, another dead, and she was impoverished. She remained calm and said: “God hath given, and God hath taken away. I rejoice in these loses, because they are God’s will. Whatever he sends, I shall continually bless and praise His holy Name for it.” She then converted the rubble of her home into a makeshift hospital and shelter for the homeless. (Even in these dark times, she thought nothing of herself and instead worked towards alleviating the needs of others!) Evangelista appeared to his mother in a dream and let her know that Agnes would soon die. In return, God gave her a special archangel who was always visible to her for the rest of her life. This 'Guardian Archangel' often counseled and directed her. [/column]
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Eventually the wars were over and her husband and son returned to Rome. Frances greatest home challenges were then before her. One was helping her broken husband recover his former self. The other came in the form of Battista’s pretty bride, Mabilia. When her son married, Frances looked forward to help in managing the household affairs. However, Mabilia was the complete opposite of Frances and only desired a life of ease, pleasure and parties. Mabilia openly scorned her mother-in-law and would even ridicule Frances in public for her shabby dress, simple habits, pure standards, and her goodness towards the poor. One day when Mabilia was disdainfully tongue-lashing Frances, she suddenly turned pale, cried “Oh my pride, my dreadful pride” and fell into a kind of coma. Frances gently nursed her back to health. A revived and converted Mabilia then did her best to imitate Frances after that.

FOUNDING THE OBLATES
Lorenzo naturally grew in admiration and love for his wife who had helped him recover. Her mortifications had been intense, but now grew even more severe as her husband permitted her to inflict even greater hardships upon her body. She abstained completely from wine, meat and fish (unless specifically ordered otherwise). She only ate once a day. Her regular diet included moldy and hard bread. In fact, she often secretly exchanged her home’s good bread with the dry crusts carried by beggars in their pouches. She drank nothing but water and used a human skull for her cup. If she inadvertently offended God in the least, then she would punish the offending member of her body, for example by sharply biting her tongue.

Frances strove mightily to counteract the trend toward a worldly display and vanity among the married noble women of Rome. When the occasion warranted it, she even reprimanded some of the noble women she encountered in the streets of Rome for their immodest speech, dress, or comportment. With her husband’s support and respect, Frances sought to curb these worldly excesses by founding a lay order of women. They were to follow the Rule of St. Benedict, live in the city, and call themselves the Oblates of Mary (others frequently referred to them as Collatines). These women continued to live in the world and with their families, but pledged themselves to serve God and the poor. They purchased and maintained a home for the widows among their number.

SHE JOINS THE OBLATES
Frances cared for Lorenzo until he died. His last words to her were: “I feel as if my whole life has been one beautiful dream of perfect happiness. God has given me so much in your love.” As soon as she settled her family’s affairs, Frances went barefoot, with a cord about her neck, to the monastery which she herself had founded. She lay prostrate on the ground before her spiritual children and begged to be admitted. She appropriately donned their habit on the Feast of St. Benedict in 1437. Being fully convinced that she was the most contemptible before God among them all, she sought the most vile and menial tasks. Nevertheless, the other Collatines elected her as their superior and the acting superior abdicated in deference to her. Frances continued to call herself 'the handmaid of all' and 'the most worthless of women'. She was 52 years old and had suffered so much, yet God had finally granted her the life she had longed for since she was eleven. (Perhaps she had been right about her ultimate vocation, but God’s timing had surely been different. He had allowed her to merit many graces and became one of the Church’s most wonderful, amazing and unusual saints.)

HER HOLY DEATH
St. Frances of Rome only spent four years as a religious. Our Lord called her to His heavenly kingdom on 9 March 1440. Her last recorded words were: “The angel has finished his task – he beckons me to follow him.” Her virtue was acclaimed by all men and God attested to her sanctity by numerous miracles. She was honored as a saint by many immediately after her death but was only raised to the altars of the Church in 1608 by Pope Paul V. Her shrine in Rome is most magnificent and rich. For many years thereafter, in happier Catholic times, her festival was a kept as a holy day in the Eternal City with great solemnity.

PRAYER - COLLECT OF THE DAY
O God, who among other favors, granted Thy servant St. Frances of Rome the favor of conversing habitually with her Angel; grant through her intercession, that we may become the companions of angels. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

GREAT SACRAMENTAL: THE AGNUS DEI
St. Frances’ Oblates continued to thrive and attracted many women of Roman society. They made no solemn vows, only a promise of obedience to the mother-president, and could still enjoy pensions, inherit estates and go abroad with leave. Their home in Rome was the Monastery of Tor de’Specchi. In 1958, Pope John XXIII commanded that they be formally recognized as religious sister and their commitment be acknowledged as a canonical vow.

[column size="2-3" last="0"]By a special papal privilege, for centuries the Sisters of Tor de’Specchi have been the only ones permitted to create a sacramental of special papal significance called the AGNUS DEI. It is a small wax image of Christ as the Lamb of God. The wax was taken from the previous year’s paschal candles, adding both chrism and balsam to the wax. As per tradition, the pope would solemnly bless these discs only on the Wednesday of Holy Week during the first year of his pontificate (and only every seven years thereafter). A Cardinal who visited the Holy Father would receive several Agnus Dei discs in his miter and could distribute them as he saw fit. The Holy See would also give them as way of honoring those deemed of having rendered a particular valuable service to Holy Mother Church. On account of their scarcity, families who received an Agnus Dei treasured it and passed it on from one generation to the next.[/column]
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The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913 Edition) describes the "Symbolism and Use" of the Agnus Dei as follows. "As in the paschal candle, the wax typifies the virgin flesh of Christ, the cross associated with the lamb suggests the idea of a victim offered in sacrifice, and as the blood of the paschal lamb of old protected each household from the destroying angel, so the purpose of these consecrated medallions is to protect those who wear or possess them from all malign influences. In the prayers of blessing, special mention is made of the perils from storm and pestilence, from fire and flood, and also of the dangers to which women are exposed in childbirth. Miraculous effects have been believed to follow the use of these objects of piety. Fires are said to have been extinguished, and floods stayed (Vol. 1, p. 220)." In an article entitled 'The Forgotten Sacramental', Charles Hugo Doyle cites papal documents (e.g. Urban V, Paul II, Sixtus V) to enumerate various other virtues attributed to this powerful sacramental including cancelling of venial sins, purification of stain left by grievous sin remitted in the Sacrament of Penance, banishment of evil spirits, preservation from eternal ruin, protection from a sudden and unprovided death, dispelling fears occasioned by evil spirits, protection in spiritual combat, and delivery from the snares of the wicked. (As with all blessed items, an Agnus Dei may not be bought and sold. Any such commerce causes a sacramental to loose the efficacy of its blessing. This rules were put into place by the Church in order to prevent the sin of simony, i.e. making profit by selling sacred things.)

The End of an Ancient Tradition. Records show that the Agnus Dei sacramental already existed in the 6th century. When it was begun is not known with certitude. Sadly, the last public consecration of an Agnus Dei was by Pope Paul VI in 1963. Inexplicably, he did not repeat the consecration in 1970. This action, or lack thereof, was shrouded in silence. Since then, no other pope has created the Agnus Dei sacramental, despite many requests in its favor. To this day there has been nothing but silence from the papacy regarding why this most beneficial sacramental has apparently been discontinued. It seems that just when this sacramental is needed most, it has been abandoned. St. Francis of Rome, intercede for us that our holy Catholic Tradition may be recovered and restored!