As a missionary, Bl. Agnellus took the Franciscan way of life—poverty, simplicity, prayerfulness, community—to England in both word and deed.

He was born to a family of nobles in Pisa, Italy, in 1195. St. Francis himself received him into the Franciscan order. Even though he was a deacon, he was sent to Paris to start a Franciscan mission there. From there, he was sent to England with nine other Franciscans.

True to the spirit of St. Francis, they set out for England with no money. A monastery near the coast paid for their passage to Dover. When they arrived, they settled at Canterbury in a building that was used as a school by day. They had to stay huddled in a back room while students were in the building, and after they had left, the Franciscans could come out and make themselves feel at home with a fire. For sustenance, they had only a little bread and a thick beer that had to be diluted with water. These conditions, however, did not dampen their spirits and they were quickly known for their simple piety, cheerfulness, and enthusiasm. The community grew and they secured a place to live in London and a school at Oxford.

King Henry III befriended Agnellus, and admired his holiness and purity. He asked Agnellus to serve as a diplomat and to negotiate a dispute between the king and an earl that threatened civil war.

Agnellus was known as a deeply prayerful man. He shed tears continually during Mass because he was moved so deeply, but he did not make any kind of show of his piety. He strictly followed a commitment to poverty. He only consented to build anything when it was a last resort, it was said, and one of the infirmaries was built so simply that its ceilings were only barely higher than a person.

He died at the age of 41 of natural causes in 1236, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

Blessed Agnellus of Pisa, you were the Franciscan missionary who founded centers of study and prayer in England—pray for us!

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Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Agnellus of Pisa is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed February 6, 2025.