Francis was known to his friends as a cheerful, popular boy who enjoyed the latest books and plays. He entered the Passionist Order and took the name Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother. His love and devotion to the Crucified Christ and His Sorrowful Mother didn’t turn him into a somber or serious man. Instead, those who know him believed him to be a saint, not because he did anything great, but because in normal daily life he was always joyful.