At the heart of Franciscan spirituality is a profound respect for the interrelatedness of all creation. St. Francis of Assisi believed that since God was the Father and Creator of all, he was a child of God, and therefore a sibling of every creature, every element, and every part of creation. In his Canticle of the Creatures, a song of praise that he wrote as his death drew close, Francis named some of his sacred siblings: Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother Fire, Sister Wind, and even Sister Death.
