Francis has a special place in the heart of deacons, as he was a deacon himself.
Francis, Rebuild My Church’; a sonnet for the Saint and for the Pope
‘Francis rebuild my church which, as you see
Is falling into ruin.’ From the cross
Your saviour spoke to you and speaks to us
Again through you. Undoing set you free,
Loosened the traps of trappings, cast away
The trammelling of all that costly cloth
We wind our saviour in. At break of day
He set aside his grave-clothes. Your new birth
Came like a daybreak too, naked and true
To poverty and to the gospel call,
You woke to Christ and Christ awoke in you
And set to work through all your love and skill
To make our ruin good, to bless and heal
To wake the Christ in us and make us whole.
Malcolm Guite
More about the Franciscans: http://www.franciscanum.it/en/third-order-regular/
Malcolm Guite’s blog: https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/
CofE Network of Distinctive Deacons 