A Stage, a Song, and a Saint for Life: My Journey with St. Francis

Some relationships are forged in the most unexpected of crucibles. For me, my lifelong bond with Saint Francis of Assisi wasn’t born in quiet prayer or from a book, but on a stage, under the glow of theater lights. The year was 1987, a time of vibrant youth ministry when the San Pedro and Saint Jude youth groups merged our talents and spirits for an ambitious project. A musical play on the life of St. Francis.

Under the passionate direction of the late Fr. Aries Pesquira, we embarked on a journey that was about so much more than memorizing lines and hitting our cues. We became a traveling family, bringing the story of the Poverello of Assisi to life. We performed at the San Pedro Cathedral Auditorium, for the contemplative Pink Sisters, and took our show on the road to Cotabato, Mati, and other places that now live softly in my memory. That shared experience created a profound connection between us, a bond of friendship and faith that, remarkably, endures to this day.

While the community we built was a gift, the play gave me something deeply personal. In stepping into the world of St. Francis, I began to see creation through his eyes. My heart opened up to the beauty of the natural world in a way it never had before. He taught me to see the divine in the flight of a bird, the warmth of the sun, and the rustle of leaves. This newfound love for nature wasn’t a passing phase, it became a core part of who I am.

This spiritual thread has woven itself through my professional life as well. Today, I work in Social Action, what we call Community Extension, and it feels perfectly fitting that our office patron is none other than St. Francis. His charism of serving the poor and caring for the marginalized is the very essence of our mission.

Decades after that play, when Pope Francis released his powerful encyclical letter, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, it felt like a profound affirmation. The themes of integral ecology, of hearing both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, resonated with the lessons I first learned on that stage in 1987. My heart felt deeply connected to the message, a beautiful full-circle moment.

What began with a musical play has become the guiding compass of my life. St. Francis of Assisi is more than a patron saint to me; he is a friend, a mentor, and a constant reminder of our sacred duty to live simply, love all of creation, and serve those in need. Happy Fiesta St. Francis! (Jeralyn Babet Adegue-Palero)