St. Francis of Paola was a Vegan

St. Francis of Paola (not to be confused with the more famous St. Francis of Assisi) was a vegan, adhering to a diet free from meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and other animal products, and founded the Minims order, whose members took a vow of non-violence including this strict, plant-based diet as an expression of humility and compassion for all creatures. In contrast, while St. Francis of Assisi advocated for respect for animals, he was not a vegetarian and did eat meat, though he is sometimes incorrectly associated with modern veganism.

Minims Order:
He founded the Minims, a religious order whose two main charisms were radical humility and non-violence, which was expressed through this vegan diet.

Vow of non-violence:
The Minims took a vow of non-violence, refusing to harm or eat any creature.

Austerity:
His lifestyle was known for its austerity, living simply and embracing humility.

 
Vow of veganism: St. Francis of Paola was a Roman Catholic friar who founded the Order of Minims, a religious order characterized by humility and non-violence.

A historical vegan: Members of his order took a vow of "Lenten living" which required strict veganism, abstaining from meat, fish, eggs, butter, cheese, and milk. This makes St. Francis of Paola and his followers some of the earliest Catholic ethical vegans.

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Jain Society of Chicago Celebrates Mahavir Jayanti

The Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago’s (JSMC) temple will be celebrating Mahavir Jayanti this month. Mahavir Janma Kalyanak (Jayanti) is celebrated across the world as birth anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankar (enlightened one) of Jain philosophy.

He was born in 599 BC and this year marks the 2,614 years since the birth of the apostle of peace. His message of ahimsha (non-violence), aparigraha (non-possessiveness) and anekantvad (non-absolutism) are universal in nature and has been the guiding force for generations of Jains and many cultures in the Indus Valley Civilization. He was the son of King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala. On the night of conception his mother, Trishala, had a dream depicting 14 different auspicious things. The astrologers interpreted the auspicious dreams and predicted that the child would be either an emperor or a Tirthankar.

This year JSMC is celebrating its 20th anniversary and it being the first major event of the year, the chairman of JSMC, Arvind Shah, and Board of Trustees, presented the state of the JSMC. They also presented important information on the current and future initiatives undertaken by the managing team and shared the financial health of the society.

The JSMC president, Tejas Shah, said that the entire Jain community throughout the Chicagoland area, Indiana, and Wisconsin celebrated Mahavir Jayanti at the Bartlett Jain Temple. The facility was beautifully decorated including the Pratimaji (Idol) of Mahavir Swami. Mahavir Swami is the main deity at the Jain Temple of JSMC.

 

This is also an auspicious time of Ayambil Oli. Ayambil is a penance where the observer eats only once a day where a completely boiled Jain vegan menu is served. The Ayambil Oli is observed over a period of nine days and this year it runs parallel to the Mahavir Jayanti celebrations. About 65 members observed penance for the entire nine days and many more did it for a day or two.

 

For more information and how to register for the JSMC event, visit their website, at: www.jsmconline.org