MELBOURNE | Commemorating the 800th anniversary of his death and enduring legacy, Melbourne Central Catholic High School honored its patron, St. Francis of Assisi, with a Mass celebrated by Bishop John Noonan Oct. 5, 2026.

In his homily, Bishop Noonan told students to imitate St. Francis and abandon worldly ambition, choosing to serve the Lord instead. “He had that conviction that he wanted people to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Noonan said. “If you know the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then you can do great things.”

Nick Regina, president of MCC, said the school’s Franciscan tradition began in the fall of 1962, when four Franciscan Sisters of the Allegany joined the faculty a year after MCC opened. The congregation served at MCC until 1989.

“They brought with them the charism of St. Francis of Assisi,” Regina said.

Each year, the school highlights one core value rooted in the Franciscan tradition — humility, generosity, inclusivity and integrity. This year’s value is generosity.

“We’re focusing (on) those things that resonate with all students, not just our Catholic students,” Regina said, adding they try to integrate these values in theology classes and across the entire curriculum.

“It’s important for our students to know God is always speaking to them and offering them something. We just need to be selfless enough and have the humility (to) really listen,” said Bryan Gent, director of campus ministry, who added being docile is a necessary precondition to learning. “It’s tough to learn something new if you think you already know. It’s important to learn in order to practice well, so that’s one of the connections that we try to make as well.”

St. Francis’ life offers many lessons for students at MCC. “He’s a selfless role model for our staff and for our students… in terms of giving of ourselves and also appreciating what it is that God is giving right in front of us,” Gent said. “He just utterly cares for whatever it is that God puts in front of him.”

Throughout the school year, students can participate in Eucharistic Adoration in the school chapel and attend retreats or mission trips. “We’re also blessed that once a week we have a daily Mass on Tuesday mornings for any student or staff member who wants to attend,” Regina said. Mass is celebrated on Tuesdays by Missionary of the Precious Blood Father Enzo Napoli, parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Parish in Melbourne Beach.

A native of Sicily, Italy, Father Napoli has a special connection to St. Francis. As the patron saint of Italy, Father Napoli said every Italian loves St. Francis. At the end of his first year in seminary, he asked St. Francis to intercede for him to discover if it was God’s will for him to become a Franciscan friar and change his name to Francis.

“This (didn’t) happen, but Francis remained in my heart,” Father Napoli said. “I grew up with the Franciscan spirituality.”

Father Napoli was personally impacted by the witness of Biagio Conte, founder of Mission of Hope and Charity and a lay missionary from Palermo, the capital of Sicily. “For me, it was like the new St. Francis,” Father Napoli said. Like St. Francis, Conte left everything behind to live among and care for the poor, homeless, sick, immigrants and the most vulnerable. Father Napoli chose to be ordained a priest at the small church established at Conte’s third mission, honoring the great impact St. Francis had on him.

St. Francis of Assisi continues to be an exemplary model of holiness today. Father Napoli recalled when St. Francis heard God asking him who did he want to serve, the Lord or the servant. Father Napoli encourages students to choose the highest good and not settle for lower goods or pleasures.

“That means to become who you really are,” he said. “Have a personal relationship with God (and) serve God before all things.”

Before anyone can live a life of virtue, a person needs to meet Jesus and understand His plan for their life. Father Napoli says individuals must have the courage to go against the grain and choose God over the idols promoted by mainstream culture.

“Every saint is unique and (we) are called to become saint(s),” Father Napoli said. “St. Francis gives us an example; he entered in relationship with God and understood what was his way (to) live holiness.” Father Napoli says following this example will allow us to find the unique way God is calling us to live a holy life. “If we do so, we will do great things. We can make the difference in the world.”

At the end of Mass, Bishop Noonan blessed the students elected to represent the student body for student government. Afterwards, Bishop Noonan had lunch with a group of seniors who shared their post-graduation plans and swapped stories about sports, travel, and more.

By Lucas Blackwell of the Florida Catholic staff, October 8, 2026