Franciscan Identity

In St. Francis Plaza, at the side of Roger Bacon High School, a statue of St. Francis honors our heritage. As a Franciscan high school, his spirit imbues every part of Roger Bacon.

Over 800 years ago, Francis of Assisi was born in northern Italy, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. Growing dissatisfied with this lifestyle, St. Francis heard the call of God and relinquished his possessions and stepped out of his social class. Breaking with the political and religious system of the thirteenth century, one of the estates and holy wars, St. Francis came back to the Gospel of poverty, fraternity and peace.

Today, Roger Bacon honors St. Francis’ work by remaining true to his values. With the Gospel of poverty, fraternity, and peace at the core, St. Francis emphasized love and compassion – for the environment, for others, particularly the most hopeless and needy, and for God.

And how do we at Roger Bacon bring this to life? We recycle and try to care for the environment as we would anything precious. We also care about each other.

When students talk about Roger Bacon, they can’t help but mention the family-like feeling here. The rapport between our faculty, staff, and students captures the essence of the community.

Furthermore, the community outreach program reminds us that we have a responsibility to give back to the community and those less fortunate. Bacon Buddies, mission trips, and Shantytown are a few examples of this compassionate service in practice.

Finally, campus ministry, religion classes, and faculty living by example help students strengthen their faith and relationship with God.

St. Francis’ influence helps Roger Bacon reach its mission of developing the hearts, minds, and bodies of its students. A Bacon graduate is tolerant, compassionate, giving, accepting of others, faithful, and concerned about the world and the plight of others.