Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
ECUMENICAL 1912
The Prayer of St. Francis
Also known as Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace ยท Peace Prayer of St. Francis
About this prayer
Despite its common attribution, the Prayer of St. Francis was not written by Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). It first appeared in print in 1912 in a small French Catholic magazine, La Clochette, published in Paris, under the title "Belle priere a faire pendant la messe" (A beautiful prayer to say during Mass), with no author credited. It was subsequently reprinted on a holy card bearing an image of St. Francis, which is likely how the attribution arose. The prayer spread rapidly through the 20th century, appearing in church bulletins, devotional books, and eventually in the offices of world leaders. Mother Teresa kept a copy. It was read at the funeral of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Its authorship remains unknown, but the prayer's themes of selfless service, forgiveness, and peace align closely with the spirituality of Francis of Assisi, which is why the attribution has endured.
When it's said
The Prayer of St. Francis has no fixed liturgical role but is widely used in private devotion, church services, and memorial occasions across Catholic and Protestant traditions. It is commonly read at funerals, memorial services, and peace-focused gatherings. The Franciscan order uses it in their devotional life, and it appears in many Catholic and Protestant prayer books and hymnals.
Notes on the text
The original 1912 French text differs slightly from the English versions in common circulation. The phrase "it is in dying that we are born to eternal life" does not appear in some early versions and may have been added in later editions. Multiple English translations exist; the version above is the most widely used form in American churches. Because the prayer was published anonymously before any copyright registration and has circulated freely for over a century, it is in the public domain.
Common questions
Did Saint Francis of Assisi write the Prayer of Saint Francis?
No. Despite the name, the prayer was not written by Francis of Assisi (1181-1226 AD). It was first published anonymously in French in a small Catholic devotional magazine called 'La Clochette' in Paris in December 1912 AD. The attribution to Saint Francis developed only after the prayer was widely circulated in the 1920s, and the connection is purely thematic: the prayer's emphasis on peace, humility, and self-giving reflects Franciscan spirituality without being Francis's work.
Why is it so widely associated with Saint Francis?
The themes of the prayer (peace, pardon, faith, hope, light, joy) align closely with the spirituality of the Franciscan order, and Francis himself is regarded as the great Christian peacemaker. When the prayer was popularized after the First World War as a 'peace prayer,' the association with Francis stuck. By the 1920s many Catholic devotional books had attached his name to it, and the title has remained ever since.
How is the Prayer of Saint Francis used today?
It has crossed denominational and even religious boundaries. It is used in Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, and many other Christian services as a prayer for peace. It is also used in interfaith contexts, in twelve-step programs (where it is sometimes called the 'Eleventh Step Prayer'), and at civic events. Its non-denominational language has made it one of the most widely recited modern Christian prayers.
Source
First published anonymously in La Clochette, Paris, 1912. Author unknown. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.