{M3Yesterday marked the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, one of history's most famous animal-loving peace makers.

Francis cast off worldly possessions in an effort to meditate on the Gospels. He fought to found a religious order based on his principles and teachings and eventually founded the Franciscans.

Check the Smithsonian bibliography and you'll discover Francis is one of the most written about historical figures. His story has again caught the interest of a writer -- this novel-writer Ian Morgan Cron.

"Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim's Tale" was written by a pastor and spiritual pilgrim. It chronicles the story of Chase Falson, a pastor who losing his faith in front of the congregation at his mega-church.

The church's elders impose a sabbatical of sorts, and Chase visits his uncle, a Franciscan priest. The trip launches Chase on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Francis.

In "Chasing Francis," Cron draws on history and injects fiction to portray Francis as the consummate postmodern saint.

"For 800 years, Francis has confronted us with our call to be peacemakers, loving stewards of creation and advocates for poor. Our times cry out for us to celebrate and imitate him."

The book includes a pilgrim's guide for those wanting to begin spiritual journeys of their own. Advance praise for "Chasing Francis" has come from Catholics and Protestants alike, including writer Brian McLaren, Friar Richard Rohr and well-known Christian motivational speaker Tony Campolo.

Cron found his way to Francis story during a spiritual crisis. After earning a bachelor's degree in English and romance languages, he received a master's in counseling and Master of Divinity degree.

For nine years, he served Young Life, a nondenominational Christian ministry for adolescents, and went on to become a minister in a Congregational church. He is also an accomplished songwriter in Nashville and New York City with two CDs of original work: "The Land of My Fathers" and "Sacred Hunger."

Eventually, Cron developed the impression that a "beige Gospel" had seeped into Christian culture at the same time the mega-church movement was growing. He calls this the "MacDonald-ization of Christianity."

"(Francis) simple and radical living out of the Gospel indicts most of us who living ‘beige-ified Christianity," Cron says. "Maybe he can inspire us to follow his lead and restore credibility to Christianity."

Alarmed by the evangelical movement and the way its adherents have aligned with conservative politics, cast off traditional worship and seeming reluctance to dialog with those of differing theologies, Cron decided to develop an alternative.

Today, Cron, an ordained Anglican priest, is senior pastor and founder of Trinity Church in Greenwich, Conn., and counts among its membership Wall Street investment bankers, hedge fund managers and venture capitalists.

Trinity emphasizes social justice and communicating Christian concepts through the arts. The church meets in a middle school auditorium in keeping with the Franciscan directive that prohibits the order from owning buildings. In the past five years, the congregation has donated more than 2 million to the embattled African country of Rwanda.

"Chasing Francis" is now available through most booksellers, and more information on Trinity Church can be found at {M7www.trinitychurchonline.com.

Golden writes the Couriers weekly faith column. E-mail her at {M3onfaith@karrisgolden.com.