English 
Deutsch 
Español Traditional Franciscan prayers
One of the most meaningful parts about being a Franciscan is our special and unique prayers. Our prayers are simple and original, deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture and Liturgy, and are easy to memorise.
These prayers keep us connected to our Franciscan heritage while reminding us of the importance of living our Christian faith in the present.
Generations of followers of St. Francis have used these prayers in individual and community prayer.
However you pray, we invite you to join us in saying these very special prayers.
Our Prayers
Peace Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life
Most High Glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of my heart,
and give me true faith, certain hope,
and perfect charity,
sense and knowledge, lord,
that I may carry out your Holy and true command.
St. Bonaventure
Meditate constantly on the mysteries of the cross
And the agonies of His Mother
Standing at the foot of the cross
Pray and always be vigilant,
Let us pray to God
For one another
For by carrying
Each other’s burdens of charity in this way
We will easily fulfill the law of Christ.
Prayer of St. Clare
Place your mind
before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul
in the brilliance of glory!
Place your heart
in the figure Divine substance!
And transform your entire being
into the image of the
Godhead itself through contemplation.
Most high, glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of my heart,
and give me Lord,
a correct faith,
a certain hope,
a perfect charity,
sense and knowledge,
so that l may carry out
Your holy and true command
Prayer upon entering the church and before the cross
We adore you, Lord Jesus Christ, here, and in all your churches throughout the world, and we bless you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Amen
Prayer Before the Crucifix
Most High glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart.
Give me right faith, sure hope and perfect charity.
Fill me with understanding and knowledge that I may fulfill your command.
The Prayer Before the Crucifix is one of the first prayers of our Holy Father Saint Francis that has been handed down to us. It portrays St. Francis’ deepest heart desire – his search for God’s will. It is therefore a prayer of discernment.
Early biographers like Thomas of Celano and Bonaventure confirm that the early years of Francis’ life, were marked by a struggle to discern God’s will for him. Franciscan scholars like Regis J. Amstrong say that “this prayer may have been influenced by the liturgical opening prayer of the Eucharistic Liturgy”.
Being a liturgical prayer, Francis made it his own by embellishing it with scriptures. Vs 1 and 2 seem to be an amplification of vs. 28 of Ps. 18. “Yahweh you yourself are my lamp, my God lights up my Darkness”. Asking therefore to be enlightened is indicative of his desire to know and do only what pleases the Lord God.
This prayer gives us a glimpse of the religious experience and spirituality of Francis which always implies a strong tension to know and understand because it is from knowledge that love and even mystical experiences are born- and Francis knows that this is an exclusive gift of grace. it is placed at the conclusion of a strenuous exercise of God’s loving intelligence.
Knowing is never aimed at knowing for knowing sake: because the request for inner illumination, for reason and knowledge, is immediately oriented by Francis to the conscious realization of the vocational plan that God had for him. (cfr Carlo Paolazzi, Critical edition pg. 34.)
I, therefore, recommend this prayer to everyone in vocational search or doubt, for God who enlightened Francis will surely lead you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
A Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Francis of Assisi
Hail, O Lady,
Holy Queen,
Mary, holy Mother of God,
who are the Virgin made Church,
chosen by the most Holy Father in heaven
whom He consecrated with His most holy beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,
in whom there was and is
all fullness of grace and every good.
Hail His Palace!
Hail His Tabernacle!
Hail His Dwelling!
Hail His Robe!
Hail His Servant!
Hail His Mother!
And hail, all You holy virtues
which are poured into the hearts of the faithful
through the grace and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit,
that from being unbelievers,
You may make them faithful to God.