Sister Water, Brother Sultan Francis of Assisi
Lori Dueck, Victoria
Volume 40 Issue 7, 8, & 9 | Posted: October 22, 2025
Leonard Desroches’ new book, Sister Water, Brother Sultan Francis of Assisi is in my opinion an indispensable resource especially during our present time and circumstances of the world.
It is written in an extremely easy to understand format filled with history, stories and Biblical principles. I could relate to numerous subjects discussed as it is similar to who I am and what I would like our world to be once again.
I especially liked chapter three when Len asked us to join him in imagining a conversation between Francis and the First Nations people of Turtle Island as they would have compared beliefs of looking after our earth and loving each other. I truly believe we often misunderstand other cultures. We try to make others understand us rather than learning to communicate and understand each other.
Len even has a chapter on Francis and the Sultan which is pertinent today to the Gaza struggle. Len includes many quotes. One from Dorothy Day, Catholic Worker Movement is: “ Love is not starving of whole populations. Love is not the bombardment of open cities. Love is not killing. It is the laying down of one’s life. There is nothing that we can do but love, and dear God please enlarge our hearts to love each other. To love our neighbour, to love our enemy as well as our friend.”
believe Len’s book is extremely relevant today. (see ‘Front Cover Image Note’ in the feature tab)
Lori Dueck, Victoria