Today the Franciscan Family celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Angels, the name by which the second church that St. Francis “repaired” was known. Within the Franciscan Family, this tiny little church is known as the “Portiuncula,” which translated means “Little Portion.” It was in this church that St. Francis founded his Order of Penitents which went on to become the Franciscan Order. Today, that little church stands in the center of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels and is the destination of many a pilgrim.
The Portiuncula was the site on which St. Francis received St. Clare on Palm Sunday in 1211. He cut her hair and sent her to live with the Benedictine Sisters. Shortly thereafter, other women joined her. St. Francis then gave her the Church of San Damiano which became the birthplace of the Poor Clares.
The Portiuncula was also the site at which the brothers gathered every year at Pentecost for their General Chapter.
It was to this church that St. Francis asked to be taken as he sensed that his life was drawing to a close. He asked his brothers to place his naked body on the bare ground. He died about fifteen feet from the church on the evening of October 3, 1226. Before he died, he recommended the care of this little church to the care of his brothers.
On August 2 every year, the faithful who make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, or to any church under the care of the Franciscan Friars, can gain a plenary indulgence after having satisfied the usual conditions (confession, communion, and prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father). This indulgence is known as the “Pardon of Assisi.” This year, 2016, Pope Francis will make his own pilgrimage to Assisi on August 4 as part of the Jubilee of Mercy.
Devotion to Our Lady of the Angels came to the United States through the influence of the Spanish missionaries. A permanent colonial settlement dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels was established on September 4, 1781 as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles di Porciúncula which became Los Angeles, California. It was named in honor of the shrine to the Virgin Mary, Santa Maria degli Angeli, Our Lady of the Angels, on the plain below Assisi, Saint Francis' native village in Italy. The construction of a Presidio and town was the project of Governor Felipe de Neve, as mandated by by King Carlos III of Spain. He called for volunteers to come up from Mexico; hoping to attract 24 families, he was able to convince 11 to make the journey. (A short video history of Los Angeles can be found on YouTube.)
The entire Franciscan Family has been placed under the protection of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Devotion to her under the title of Queen of the Angels has become a staple part of Franciscan Spirituality. Today we beg her intercession as we keep this feast in her honor.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator