800 years ago, if you were a layperson who followed St. Francis of Assisi and asked to join his order, he likely would not have responded as you expected. If you had a family or a job you were passionate about, he would have counseled you to not leave them but to embrace and live the Gospel in your work and day-to-day life.  

Want to know about St. Francis? Or about St. Clare? Have you heard bits and pieces about these two friends from Assisi but still don't have the complete picture? What is a commitment to God's Creation and ministry to the poor all about?