Feastday: March 13
The founder of the English Franciscan province, Blessed Agnello, was admitted into the Order by St. Francis himself on the occasion of his sojourn in Pisa. He was sent to the Friary in Paris, of which he became the guardian, and in 1224, St. Francis appointed him to found an English province; at the time he was only a deacon. Eight others were selected to accompany him. True to the precepts of St. Francis, they had no money, and the monks of Fecamp paid their passage over to Dover. They made Canterbury their first stopping place, while Richard of Ingworth, Richard of Devon and two of the Italians went on to London to see where they could settle. It was the winter of 1224, and they must have suffered great discomfort, especially as their ordinary fare was bread and a little beer, which was so thick that it had to be diluted before they could swallow it. Nothing, however, dampened their spirits, and their simple piety, cheerfulness and enthusiasm soon won them many friends. They were able to produce a commendatory letter from Pope Honorius III, so that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Steven Langton, in announcing their arrival, said, "Some religious have come to me calling themselves penitents of the Order of Assisi, but I called them of the Order of the Apostles." In the meantime, Richard of Ingworth and his party had been well received in London and hired a dwelling on Cornhill. They were now ready to push on to Oxford, and Agnello came from Canterbury to take charge of the London settlement. Everywhere the Friars were received with enthusiasm, and Matthew Paris himself attests that Blessed Agnello was on familiar terms with King Henry III. Agnello is thought to have died at the age of forty-one, only eleven years after he landed at Dover, but his reputation for sanctity and prudence stood high amongst his fellows. It is stated that his zeal for poverty was so great that "he would never permit any ground to be enlarged or any house to be built except as inevitable necessity required." He was stern in resisting relaxations in the Rule, but his gentleness and tact led him to be chosen in 1233 to negotiate with the rebellious Earl Marshal. His health is said to have been undermined by his efforts in this cause and by a last painful journey to Italy. Opon his return he was seized with dysentery at Oxford and died there, after crying out for three days, "Come, Sweetest Jesus." The cult of Blessed Agnello was confirmed in 1892; his feast is observed in the Archdiocese of Birmingham today and by the Friars Minor on the eleventh.
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Agnellus of Pisa, (c. 1195 – 1236), was an Italian Franciscan friar. As its first Minister Provincial in England (1224–1236), he is considered the founder of the Franciscans in England. His feast day is variously observed on May 7 or September 10.
Life
The only account of the life of Agnellus is a brief one recorded by Thomas of Eccleston, a Friar Minor.
Angellus was born in Pisa in 1195 of the prominent Agnelli family. In early youth he was received into the Seraphic Order by Francis himself, in 1212, during the latter's sojourn in Pisa.
Francis sent Agnellus, although but a deacon, to Paris, where he built a friary and became custos. He then returned to Italy, was present at the "Chapter of Mats", and thence was sent to establish the Order in England.
On September 10, 1224 Agnellus and his party of eight friars, landed at Dover, courtesy of the monks of Fécamp Abbey, who kindly paid their way. When they arrived at Canterbury, they were hospitably received by the Dominicans, who had already established a friary in the town. On the way to Oxford, they found shelter in a barn belonging to the Benedictines of Abingdon Abbey, who at first mistook them for a band of ragged minstrels..
At Oxford, King Henry III gave them on which to build a friary. Agnellus established a school for the friars at Oxford, and asked Robert Grosseteste to serve as lector in theology to the Franciscans, a position he held from about 1229 to 1235. The English Franciscan Order subsequently played a large role in the establishment of the University of Oxford.
Agnellus became known for his humble piety and prudence. In 1233 King Henry III asked him to help arbitrate a dispute with Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke that had broken out into civil war. The following year, he was part of a delegation representing the English bishops at the Roman Curia.
Throughout his life, Agnellus would never allow expansion to the friars quarters, beyond what was absolutely necessary. This practice was maintained for a little more than a decade, until Haymo of Faversham began the expansion of the English order's holdings so that they would be able to provide for themselves rather than depend on others' charity.
By the time of his death, there were forty-three friaries established in the English Province. Agnellus died after a brief illness, on 7 May 1236. His remains were buried at Oxford.
Veneration
His cultus was confirmed by Pope Leo XIII in 1882, and his feast day is kept on May 7 in Italy. The English Franciscan provinces celebrate his memory on September 10. In honor of his great influence in the establishment of the university. Eccleston wrote that his incorrupt body was preserved with great veneration at Oxford up to the dissolution of the religious houses in the time of Henry VIII, when the friary and church were destroyed. In 2014, the Conventual Franciscans setup up a friary again in Oxford, formally calling it the Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Friary.
