A calendar to celebrate the Canticle
Each year the friars of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi produce a calendar illustrated with artwork inspired by the life and teachings of St. Francis, which they provide at no charge to residents of Italy and to pilgrims … Continue reading →
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The calendar front cover, and opened to December with an image of the sculpture. The caption reads:
“Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks,
and serve Him with great humility.”
Each year the friars of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi produce a calendar illustrated with artwork inspired by the life and teachings of St. Francis, which they provide at no charge to residents of Italy and to pilgrims visiting the Basilica. The 2025 calendar celebrates the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’s Canticle of the Sun, and includes an image of my Canticle of Creation sculpture!
From the Basilica’s website (using Google Translate):
In 2013 I went on a pilgrimage to Assisi and painted scenes from the trip after my return. The experience was deeply meaningful to me, and the Canticle really spoke to me. In 2017 I painted on lighter-weight acrylic (which could be slumped) and a stronger Lexan™ background piece, joining them together to form the approx. 36″ x 63″ sculpture. The artwork shows St. Clare and St. Francis surrounded by figures from stories that are told about St. Francis’s life. The sculpture is currently displayed by the Sisters of St. Francis in Dubuque, Iowa.
Sister Pat (at left) and Nancy (at right)
meet with Brother Riccardo in Assisi
In July of this year Brother Riccardo Giacon in Assisi emailed to ask permission to use an image of the sculpture to accompany a month of the Basilica’s 2025 calendar. The acrylic and Lexan™ materials are both transparent, and its supporting easel showed through in the largest photo I had, so Sarah Clark at Allegra worked with the image to remove the easel from the background and get it ready for print. Some pilgrims from Iowa were in Assisi when the new calendar came out, and got to meet with Brother Riccardo!
In an introductory essay in the calendar, Brother Riccardo writes: “The Canticle of Brother Sun inspired Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’, which reminds not only Christians, but all people of goodwill, of the responsibility that everyone must take upon themselves to safeguard this world and pass it on to future generations, and above all to keep it as it truly is: an icon of the beauty of God’s countenance.” I feel both excited and humbled to be part of this tribute to a work that has been such an inspiration to me.
The image used for the calendar
(Click image to view larger)
Earlier posts about the sculpture:
Paintings of Assisi:
