IN THE BEGINNING.... Born and raised in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area Mario dedicated himself to sports, especially swimming and soccer, but also martial arts, basketball, tennis, track-n-field, hockey and even a little rugby. As a young 13 year old he can recall feeling a strong pull in the depths of his being to be a minister of some sorts,and even recalls inklings of being one that stood for good. In 1994,after a career attending Catholic School he showed his first signs of rebellion, these were the beginning signs of a spiritual battle for his soul. This rebellion landed him in a Military School, which, as tough as it was, showed his family and even himself that he had the ability to get straight A's, excel in sports, and create true bonds of friendship. This was his first sign that popularity, girls,money and status were not the most important things in life.

After 2 years in college he told his family he wanted to get back into the Military life and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. But while on a family vacation just before going off to boot camp God seemed to have had other plans for him. While swimming confidently in rough water in Cartagena, Colombia he noticed 4 men struggling in the waters which he confidently waded in. Long story short, he helped save the men, but at a cost!  Becoming exhausted by his efforts he eventually saw that the only way to save himself was to "catch a wave" that would carry him to something he could rest on and climb out of the riptide.  This "something" would be sharp, jagged rocks that would cut and tear his flesh once the waves hurled him against them.  Staring death in the face and a scared crowd of locals of which his own mother was at the forefront, watching hopelessly, not once but twice was Mario thrown against these dangerous rocks.   Once upon the rocks Mario made a B-line for the sandy beach that this formation of rocks was connected too.  After running across the sharp rocks barefoot, Mario arrived at the sand and was greeted with looks of horror form the crowd! Blood was smeared all over his body from shoulder to toes from about 30 small wounds and 5 large ones one his shoulder making it look like a lion had clawed him or a sharp scraped him with its teeth. And so, in the face of his upcoming bootcamp and the reputation the Marines have for an extreme "No Pain, No Gain" philospohy of training and life, he knew that with these fresh wounds, it would be nearly impossible to "be a man" and hour after hour endure the suffering of both the physical training with the scabbing wounds! 

SO....
Back to college for one more semester!
While pursuing a major in Sociology Mario was attentive to his heart and its continued restlessness.  Not wanting his family to put him thru college just for the sake of "getting the piece of paper"ie the diploma, he asked for permission to leave and pursue a management positions and sales jobs which he was already part-timing while in school.  His father recalls that his son said it would only be a one year break from school. 

 WELL....
1 year turned into 4 years!
     One thing lead to another and in that year he caught wind of the "world of modeling, publicity and movies" and was given a window of opportunity to get involved.  What started as an inquiry in the yellow pages, took form at first as a passtime and eventually a career that would send me traveling and working.  In his first 4 years Mario traveled to Toronto, Canada. Miami Beach, Florida. Colombia, South America and Kansas City, Missouri. His first jobs ranged from serving coffee on a movie set, photo-shoots for Tommy Hilfiger, Levi's,  among others as well as short appearances on a handful of TV. shows (even one of those cheesy looking soap-operas in spanish that you pass while flipping thru all 300 satellite channels you have at home.
With a budding career in the spotlight all he needed to fit the American Ideal of a mans joy, he was just missing a supermodel girlfriend.  Little did he know what kind of Super Model she would be.
and then there was LIGHT!
 
"The best kind of Supermodel"
        After his time in South America working on that cheesy soap-opera and even competing for the title of Mr. Colombia (whose winner competes for Mr. World) Mario returned to the good 'ol USA.  His time in Colombia was not without dates and outings with local models and beauty queens, but soon he would meet a real "super model".   She was almost as tall as he was, had brown hair, photographed well and even walked a few runways in her life.  But that's not what made her super.  What she modeled for Mario more than anything, was what a Christian looked like!  SURPRISED!!!  SO was he!   It was in the year 2000 that this supermodel started to influence and challenge his own faith.  This would begin a direct path of seeking nothing but God, and doing almost anything he could to reconcile her life of fait- in-action as a Protestant, and his experience of what seemed to be a Catholics lack there of. "SEEK AND YE WILL FIND" Stubbornly and Proudly trying to reconcile in his own mind and heart that his Catholic heritage was not what her education made seem that it was in some way flawed or less than that of his protestant counterpart, he did the "unforbidden" for a Catholic! He started reading from the Bible and paying attention to the readings at Mass!  HA!   Somehow (we know how, but at the time it was just..."somehow", desires began raging even more in his heart to find meaning in his life.... and it was in the Bible, aka, the Word of God, that this took off!  Once he began encountering the meaning...he naturally longed to be closer to the Author, God. 
                This is another long story and adventure but it basically went like this.  Mario felt that being a modeling agent (did we mention that he was one at this time....ooops, yeah, had an office, leather chair, models photos all over his desk and he was getting new models in the business and putting actors in movies such as Ben Afflecks film "Changing Lanes").  So, Mario felt that this kind ofenvironment was not going to fulfill him.  He wanted something more real, meaningful and of a greater purpose.  His first-step was to find a job and career in something a little more conservative than "showbizness."   Searching his heart for a job that he would be passionate about he entered into the medical/health field like his father, (many a kids dream!) What could be more fulfilling than healing peoples bodies and improving their lives, even saving them?  Ok, well, Mario wouldn't be a surgeon or saving lives, but certainly helping people in a big way who suffer from chronic pain.  So, in the year 2001 while studying Pain Management, Mario met another model.  It was his teacher in Anatomy class.  He was a role model for the local youth as the head Youth Minister at his church.  It was around March and his teacher invited Mario to a free pancake breakfast at that same church.  Of course Mario went, he lived alone in what looked like a hip night club and had nothing but crackers in the kitchen.  So on Sunday morning after stuffing his face with all-you-can-eat pancakes Mario was leaving the cafeteria when the question was put to him.  "Mario, what are you doing tonight?"  He replied, "Uhhhhmmm" (as he licked the syrup from the corner of his mouth).  "Why, whats up?, Mario added.  His teacher replied "there is a speaker coming to talk to the whole parish tonight, he is amazing, you should come."  Shrugging his shoulders and rolling his eyes in thought, Mario told him the truth, "I can't, I am busy, some students are coming to the house for some note and technique tutoring and sharing."  His teacher persisted, "you really need to come, really, just make it happen, you don't want to miss this."  Mario's eyes even tear up as he recalls this dialogue, "I'll never forget it, that night changed my life...it just absolutely completely and totally changed  my life. I hadn't lived until that night!!!"
 Mario retells the story himself:  " I remember that it was about 10 minutes to 7 in the night.  The ladies from my school had already shown up and were chit-chatting.  I was sitting at my my desk setting up the medical books for reference when all of a sudden I got slammed with what felt like a heat-wave or a hot-flash.  I looked at my watch and remembered the words "you really need to come...make it happen..."  "What the heck!" I thought, I had people at my house and was just getting started on school work that I was hosting and leading.  But, something was making me really stressed and hot.  "I have to leave" slipt out of my mouth.  I didn't say it, but I did.  It was wierd, I had to leave, it was true, and I just walked out the door and said "I'll....be back and I'll bring pizza" . And I left and made my way quickly to my car and as fast as I could to the church.  I entered the doors of the church and of the beginning of a new life.   Out with the old, in with new! I can't even explain it...MAAAANN!"  Mario cuts it short and his face just lights up like a kid on Christmas morning.   He is giddy and just beaming and nodding his head in disbelief and says "I could never explain it well enough, human words, movies, sounds and even the best of writers couldn't recreate what happened to me over the next three days.  It was unbelievable!"

        Mario describes the series of talks as a lively, passionate and authoritative account of His-story (get it?).  There he encountered the story of God and of man.  It included the reality of our creation (no one made themselves up, they were made), the lineage of the people God spoke with and those that would not listen.  "PAGANS" the preacher would call out.  "PAGANS"  again he would insert into the talk.  "Having seen Gods works and hearing from Gods prophets, they got bored, selfish and disobedient and preferred pagan worship and praise."  I guess it was just cooler and more fun. The preacher, Fr. Larry Richards from Erie Pennsylvania,  began posing questions for reflection to the crowd and somehow it hit Mario like a ton of bricks.  "He spoke directly to me...how does he do that?  He was talking to me!"  What Mario is referring to is that Fr Larry questioned the crowd if they ever felt bored as being raised catholics and going to mass every sunday.  If they made god's out of other things like sunday football, money, relationships or literally other gods?  He continued on-and-on about His-story and mans faithfulness and infadelity to God and his promises.  To make yet another long story short the talk continued thru the promises of God and the signs he swore to give us as reminders.   Passing from Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, and Isaiah, he eventually connected it all to Jesus Christ.  "Wow," says Mario, "its not everyday a Catholic says the great name... Jesus Christ...yes! I love it!"  After further inquiry Mario expands on this saying "you hear things like, Jesus, the Lord, Christ, or God... but rarely do you hear a Catholic say with pride: Jesus Christ!"  And so after explaining the reasons for Jesus Christ to even be born, and morso born of Mary, he went on eventually to the most profound moment.  The whole His-story of faith, hope and true Life finds itself culminating in the Passion of Christ.  Not the movie, but the real thing.  Once again, Mario hits another topic that he cannot find enough words to explain, and if he did, you would never  invite him to talk in your area because this story would have given away all the goods!  "Suffice it to say that  in the Passion is the greatest act of Love where man, among other things, discovers that God loved the world so much that he gave us his only Son, and gave up his only son, who was falsely accused, not accepted, betrayed, beaten and condemned as things he was not.  Yet he took upon himself not just these sufferings, but in them, all the sufferings of all the world for all time...so that  by the spilling of this innocent blood, all mankind would be given the gift of eternal life.... but there is a catch.  Its offered to man, but we must accept it... once that reality (as well as the reality of all the things he talked about) is explained and understood I and we all, find ourselves loved so much more that we can imagine.  Not only that but even though man has made a habit of abandoning God, God had not abandoned his people. Rather, like a parent who yells out "Don't make me come down there!" the Son of God was sent to us to take upon himself the punishment we deserve and to be the perfect mediator on our behalf before God the Father..."  And to top it all off.... "thats all only the half of it", Mario continues "as God has always left us signs of his promises Jesus Christ has given us the assurance of a continued presence, His Real Presence.  ZUUUUTALOOOOOO!!!!!"    It was all making sense.  With further explanation Fr. Larry made it ALL make sense and made them realize the importance.  The Eucharist, Confession, Mass, Priests, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Pope, Saints and everything!    HOLY! Holy! HOLY! I would finish that by saying cow, but this IS Holy.  The Church.  The Faith.  Being Catholic.  It was all just made very real and above that Mario somehow grasped it all in a way beyond words.  It seems that Gods hands were on him in a special way as he heard all this, and on his heart even more.   That part of this parish mission was called Eucharistic Procession,  where Fr Larry walked around the church reverently holding up the large gold stand  in which was contained the Most Holy and Eucharistic body of Our Lord Jesus Christ!  He proceeded around the church with the "monstrance" and after passing Mario, who hid his eyes and turned his head away from feelings of unworthiness before such magnificence, looked up only to see that the Blessed Sacrament (The Eucharist-Jesus Christ under the form of bread) was staring at him in the face basically and BAAAAAMMMMM, tears like never before streamed from Mario's eyes "and even from my heart and soul" he adds.  "I was a mess, you name it, I had it...tears, slobber, even my nose was crying!  It was aweful and awesome!"  Although the puddle he was leaving on the floor was not so wonderful!    But, he didn't care, his life had now officially been turned upside down because his whole hearts desire, the very reason for his existence had become crystal clear to him as well as what his next steps to grow in that new found life. The rest is history, and you need to hear him tell the story in order to get more details.  One talk or one interview cannot capture it all.  Maybe he should write a book!  To which Mario responds, "maybe, but why, its already written, and I candidly refer to is as the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (aka, the BIBLE), and besides, I'm still getting my arms around this whole thing still and will spend the rest of my life trying. Who knows... maybe I'll write my experience down at length...when I retire!", he laughs and seems to play off the question.  Regardless he HAS had what he refers to as a "conversion".  But adds that its not over.  More is required.  You don't just fall in love at first sight and leave it at that.  You pursue the very object of love, have a relationship with it and dive deeper and deeper into that relationship in all the ways possible.

"ZEAL for the house of Lord has consumed me" 

"When I found you words I devoured them. Your words are my joy and my heart's delight..."

I must decrease, and you Lord must Increase... 

    Now he is in the second part that is necessary in most conversions. FIRST conversion is away from the world towards Christ. SECOND... back into the world WITH CHRIST. Still working in "showbizness" and fighting the good fight, Mario is reminded of his own two-folded conversion when he is asked his name.  At birth he received the first name of Mario, and thats it.  "Just Mario!  That made me one of the few latinos in all of God's creation without s second name let alone five of them recalling a latinos proud lineage of parents, grandparents and even saints.." But now, Mario St Francis is his Christian name.  Blending into his career as a model and surrounded by celebrities whose real names are often times not even known to themselves, Mario decided to live out his faith with pride even in his own name.   Mario tells us that "At the age of 23 a rich young man named Francis had an all out conversion and redically lived it out.  Well it so happened that I was 23 when I did too, and like him, I was walking away from many of the "cool and popular" things that had won him the public attention he was known for.  Not only that, but when I was confirmed in jr. highschool it turns out that I chose the name of some other saint Francis...but coincidence....I mean as "God-incidence" would have it the Bishop made a "mistake" and when laying his hands on me and 'dubbed' St Francis of Assisi as my special patron.   Who knew...I would live this out almost literally!!!, so since it truly became part of my name, I thought to use the whole thing.  I'm not just Mario Francis as many in my cultural background like to go by.  He's a saint, and we are all called to be holy-ones (saints) so I keep my name signifying my old self and use St. Francis as the rest of my first name to signify the new life I am answering the call to.  Its really quite self explanatory, atleast in my head.  But regardless of the technical aspects, in "showbiz" you can use whatever you want for a "stage name"   Since then Mario has appeared in a handful of magazines, radio shows, television and live talks as Mario St Francis, period!
This surprise "God-incidence of his name would prove to be one of the many that God would have in store for him.