Saint Francis was born in 1181. He was a Catholic friar and founder of the Franciscans. He is the patron saint of animals, birds and the environment. Catholic churches hold ceremonies honoring animals around his feast day, which falls on October 4. Originally Francis joined the military, but a vision deepened his spirituality and he became a friar. Literary critics consider St. Francis the first Italian poet. He believed commoners should be able to pray to God in their own language, and he always wrote in the dialect of Umbria instead of Latin. His writings are considered to have great literary value, as well as religious importance.