The Unexpected Discovery Inside a Friar’s Habit

I'm quite certain the Patron Saint of animals would have approved of the decision of his spiritual descendant to leave the little mother alone.

From Aleteia

By Cerith Gardiner

A simple household task led to a discovery that has captured hearts far beyond southern India.

A small bird in southern India recently made a housing decision that St. Francis of Assisi would almost certainly have approved of.

Faced with all the trees, ledges, branches, and hiding places available around a Capuchin monastery in Kerala, a bulbul bird carefully selected the hood of a friar's habit as the ideal place to raise her family. And you have to admire her taste.

The discovery was made by Fr. Jinu Mandiyil after he hung his habit out to dry and returned a few days later expecting to find a clean robe. Instead, he found a nest tucked inside the hood, complete with tiny chicks waiting for their next meal.

Apparently, while the friar had been going about his daily business, a mother bird had been busy conducting a property search. And it seems she had very particular tastes.

Rather than evict his unexpected tenants, Fr. Jinu decided to leave the habit exactly where it was. The Capuchin community watched as the mother bird returned again and again to feed her young, disappearing into the folds of the garment before darting away once more.

At Aleteia we found it difficult not to smile at the image. Of all the places a bird could have chosen, it picked the hood of a Franciscan friar.Yet, the timing makes the story even sweeter.

This year marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, whose love of creation remains one of the most charming aspects of his legacy. Francis saw every creature as a brother or sister, spoke of Brother Sun and Sister Moon, and famously preached to birds. So if the beloved saint was watching, he was probably delighted, and no doubt encouraging his feathered friend!

After Shalom World News shared the story online, one commenter immediately thought of a verse from Psalm 84:

"Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young."

We can't help but smile at the comparison. Somewhere in Kerala, a mother bird spent her days searching for the perfect place to raise a family and eventually settled on the hood of a Franciscan friar. It was an unconventional choice, but let's not forget, house-hunting is not easy these days.

Now the chicks have grown, the mother bird has moved on, and Fr. Jinu will finally be reunited with his habit. Yet it is difficult not to feel that St. Francis would have wholeheartedly approved of the arrangement. After all, if a bird was looking for shelter, why not choose the wardrobe of one of his spiritual sons?