co-authored by Father Vincent Woo and Jacek Nowicki
Why is St. Francis of Assisi the patron saint of our Archdiocese? The answer may seem obvious, as the cathedral is located in San Francisco. But wait — our Archdiocese includes more than just the county of San Francisco. San Mateo, for example, is named after St. Matthew. So why isn’t St. Matthew the patron saint of our Archdiocese? To understand this, we need to look into our history.
Why St. Francis?
In 1768, St. Junípero Serra asked the Spanish magistrate, José de Gálvez, to name a mission after St. Francis. The magistrate agreed, suggesting that a major port should be named after the patron of the Franciscan friars. As a result, St. Francis was declared the patron of the Spanish presidio, settlement and port, as well as the Franciscan Mission of San Francisco, which was founded in 1776. Throughout the mission’s entire existence, the patronal feast was observed on Oct. 4 as both a liturgical solemnity and a popular celebration.
Interestingly, when the Archdiocese of San Francisco was established in 1853, no patronal feast day was officially designated. Still, the name of the Archdiocese itself implied the special role of St. Francis as its patron.
In the early 20th century, a wave of Irish immigration and the predominance of Irish clergy in San Francisco popularized the veneration of St. Patrick. The Holy See gradually allowed the elevation of St. Patrick’s feast within the Archdiocese.
St. Francis and St. Patrick declared as co-patrons in 1920
In 1920, Archbishop Edward J. Hanna officially requested that the Holy See canonically establish the principal patron of the entire Archdiocese. This request was preceded by an election of the patron by both the clergy and the faithful, though it remains unclear exactly how this election was carried out. In June 1920, Pope Benedict XV canonically approved St. Francis and St. Patrick as the principal co-patrons of the Archdiocese, granting them all liturgical privileges afforded to patrons of a place.
Enough about history. How does this apply to us today?
When it comes to the veneration of saints, we should remember two “i”s: imitation and intercession.
Imitating St. Francis in our lives
How can we imitate St. Francis? St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan order, dedicated his life to serving the poor. In the city of San Francisco, we are blessed with the presence of St. Anthony’s Dining Room, which has served daily meals to the poor continuously for decades. Similarly, the Missionaries of Charity have a strong presence in our Archdiocese, including a formation house and apostolates serving the homeless and the dying.
In imitation of St. Francis, we can consider helping the poor by volunteering our time, making financial donations and praying for those engaged in these ministries.
Apart from these, there are other small acts of kindness we can offer to those in need. One of my students at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University would carry snacks in his bag whenever he was in the city so he could offer food to those who are hungry. Even if we can’t provide food, we can at least say a prayer for the poor we encounter on the streets.
We may not be able to dedicate our entire lives to the poor as St. Francis did—but we can certainly carry out small acts of charity, both material and spiritual, for those in need.
Asking St. Francis for his intercession
Apart from imitation, we can also ask St. Francis to intercede for us. Many of us turn to St. Anthony of Padua when we have lost something. Let us not forget that our devotion to the saints should go deeper than simply asking for help with material needs. Saints can intercede for our spiritual needs so that we may grow closer to God and one day become saints ourselves.
In this materialistic society, it is not always easy to live out the spirit of poverty and detachment. We may find it difficult to let go of certain material comforts in order to grow closer to Christ. St. Francis can definitely help us. We can ask for his intercession so that we may live out the Beatitudes in our lives, in accordance with the state of life to which each of us is called.
Let us rekindle our love for St. Francis of Assisi, who is considered one of the greatest saints in the history of the Church. On Oct. 4, let us attend holy Mass in our parishes and celebrate his feast day with joy and devotion, while not forgetting to help the poor around us.
Father Woo is an assistant professor at St. Patrick’s Seminary, and Nowicki is archivist of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
This article originally ran in Catholics San Francisco’s anniversary issue in July of 2025.
