St. Francis of Assisi Section: Prayers

Prayers of St. Francis of Assisi

Canticle of the Creatures (or Canticle of Brother Sun)

(St. Francis' "most famous work")

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessing. To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy to mention Your name. Praised be You, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, Who brings the day and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness of You, Most High One. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through which You give sustenance to Your creatures. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong. Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs. Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for love of You and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned. Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no living man can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm. Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility.

Church / Cross Prayer 

(Said when one passes a cross or a Catholic church)

We adore you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all your churches in the whole world, and we bless you because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

The Divine Praises of St. Francis

(Composed after receiving the Stigmata)

You are holy, Lord,

the only God,

and your deeds are wonderful.

You are strong,

you are great,

you are the Most High,

you are the almighty King.

You, holy Father, are King of the heaven and earth.

You are Three and One,

God above all gods.

You are good, all good, supreme good,

Lord God, living and true.

You are love,

You are wisdom,

You are humility,

You are endurance,

You are beauty,

You are gentleness,

You are security,

You are rest,

You are joy.

You are our hope and happiness,

You are justice and moderation,

You are all our riches,

You are beauty,

You are gentleness,

You are our protector,

You are our guardian and defender.

You are strength,

You are consolation,

You are our hope,

You are our faith,

You are our charity,

You are all our sweetness,

You are our eternal life,

great and admirable Lord,

God almighty,

merciful Savior.

Marian Prayers of St. Francis of Assisi

Holy Virgin Mary, among women, there is no one like you born into the world: you are the daughter and the servant of the most high and supreme King and Father of heaven, you are the mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ, you are the spouse of the Holy Spirit. Pray for us with Saint Michael the Archangel and all the powers of the heavens and all the saints to your most holy beloved Son, the Lord and Master.

Hail, O Lady, holy Queen, Mary, holy Mother of God: you are the virgin made church and the one 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 the fullness of grace and every good. Hail, His Palace! Hail, His Tabernacle! Hail, His Home! Hail, His Robe! Hail, His Servant! Hail, His Mother! 

Prayer at the Foot of the Crucifix 

(In the church of San Damiano)

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 I may carry out Your holy and true command. ('Simple version')

'Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi'*

* Note: This prayer is said to be "erroneously attributed to St. Francis".

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; and 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.

Prayer of Thanksgiving 

All-powerful, most holy, most high, and supreme God Holy and just Father; Lord, King of heaven and earth, we thank You for Yourself for through Your holy will and through Your only Son with the Holy Spirit You have created all things spiritual and corporal and, having made us in Your own image and likeness, You placed us in paradise. And through our own fault we have fallen. And we thank You for as through Your Son You created us so also, through Your holy love, with which You loved us You brought about His birth as true God and true man by the glorious, ever-virgin, most blessed, holy Mary and You willed to redeem us captives through His cross and blood and death. And we thank You for Your Son Himself will come again in the glory of His majesty to send the wicked ones who have not done penance and who have not known You into the eternal fire, and to say to all those who have known You and have adored You and have served You in penance: 'Come, you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom, which has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world.' And because all of us wretches and sinners are not worthy to pronounce Your name, we humbly ask that our Lord Jesus Christ Your beloved Son in whom You were well pleased together with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, give You thanks as it pleases You and Him for everything, Who always satisfies You in everything through Whom You have done such great things for us. Alleluia! And through Your love, we humbly beg the glorious Mother, the most blessed Mary ever-Virgin, Blessed Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, and all the blessed choirs of seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations, principalities, powers, virtues, angels, archangels, blessed John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, Peter, Paul, and the blessed patriarchs, prophets, the Innocents, apostles, evangelists, disciples, martyrs, confessors, virgins, the blessed Elijah and Henoch, and all the saints who were, who will be, and who are to give You thanks for these things as it pleases You, the supreme and true God eternal and living with Your most beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, world without end. Amen. Alleluia.

Salutation of the Virtues / Praises of the Virtues

Hail, Queen Wisdom, may the Lord protect you with your sister, holy pure Simplicity. Lady, holy Poverty, may the Lord protect you with your sister, holy Humility. Lady, holy Charity, may the Lord protect you with your sister, holy Obedience. O most holy Virtues, may the Lord protect all of you, from Whom you come and proceed. There is surely no one in the entire world who can possess any one of you unless he dies [to himself] first. Whoever possesses one and does not offend the others, possesses all. And whoever offends one does not possess any and offends all. And each one destroys vices and sins. Holy Wisdom destroys Satan and all his subtlety. Pure holy Simplicity destroys all the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of the body. Holy Poverty destroys the desire of riches and avarice and the cares of this world. Holy Humility destroys pride and all the people who are in the world and all things that belong to the world. Holy Charity destroys every temptation of the devil and of the flesh and every carnal fear. Holy Obedience destroys every wish of the body and of the flesh and binds its mortified body to obedience of the Spirit and to obedience of one's brother and [the one who possesses her] is subject and submissive to all persons in the world and not to many only but even to all beasts and wild animals so that they may do whatever they want with him inasmuch as it has been given to them from above by the Lord.

Other Prayers of St. Francis of Assisi

Let us bless the Lord, the living and true God; to Him let us always render praise, glory, honor, blessing, and every good. Amen. Amen. So be it. So be it.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, Who has redeemed the souls of His servants with His very own most holy Blood and will not abandon all who hope in Him.

Almighty, most holy, most high, and supreme God, highest good, all good, wholly good, who alone are good. To you we render all praise, all glory, all thanks, all honor, all blessing, and we shall always refer all good to you. Amen.

I beseech you, O Lord, that the fiery and sweet strength of your love may absorb my soul from all things that are under heaven, that I may die for love of your love as you deigned to die for love of my love.

May our knowledge of You become ever clearer that we may know the breath of Your blessings the length of Your promises the height of Your majesty the depth of Your judgments

[May You] rule in us through Your grace and enable us to come to Your kingdom where there is an unclouded vision of You a perfect love of You a blessed companionship with You and eternal enjoyment of You

My Lord Jesus Christ, two graces I beg of you before I die: the first is that in my lifetime I may feel, in my soul and in my body, as far as possible, that sorrow which you, sweet Jesus, endured in the hour of your bitter passion; the second is that I may feel in my heart, as far as possible, that abundance of love with which you, Son of God, were inflamed, so as willingly to endure so great a passion for us sinners.

Where there is love and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger or annoyance. Where there is poverty and joy, there is neither cupidity nor avarice. Where there is peace and contemplation, there is neither care nor restlessness. Where fear of the Lord guards the house, there no enemy can enter. Where there is mercy and prudence, there is neither excess nor harshness.

Let every creature in heaven, on earth, in the sea and in the depths, give praise, glory, honor, and blessing to Him Who suffered so much for us, Who has given so many good things, and [Who] will [continue doing] so for the future. For He is our power and strength, He Who alone is good [and] most high [and] all-powerful, admirable, glorious...holy, praiseworthy, and blessed throughout endless ages. Amen.

Almighty, eternal, just, and merciful God, grant us in our misery to do for You alone what we know You want us to do, and always to desire what pleases You. Thus, inwardly cleansed, interiorly enlightened, and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, may we be able to follow in the footprints of Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. And, by Your grace alone, may we make our way to You, Most High, Who live and rule in perfect Trinity and simple Unity, and are glorified God all-powerful forever and ever. Amen.

Our Creator, Redeemer, and Savior, you are the only true God, in you is the fullness of Goodness, you are the true and sovereign good. You alone are good, loving, gentle, sweet, and loveable, holy, just true, and fair, kind, innocent, and pure. In you is all pardon, grace and glory for all the repentant, for the just, for all who share your joy in heaven. Let nothing separate us from you. Everywhere, at every place, at any hour and at any time, daily, ceaselessly, let us truly and humbly believe in you, love, honor and worship, praise bless and glorify you, serve you and give thanks to you, most high, sovereign, eternal God, Trinity and Unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Creator of all things and Savior of all who have faith in you, who put their hope in you and who love you. You are without beginning or end, unchangeable, invisible, ineffable and inscrutable; you are sublime and great, mild and loveable, the source of joy. We desire you above all else forever and ever. Amen.

Also See: Teachings of St. Francis of Assisi | The Seraphic Blessing of St. Francis of Assisi (to Brother Leo)

Prayers to St. Francis/Prayers in Honor of St. Francis

Liturgical Prayers 

O Lord Jesus Christ, who when the world was growing cold, in order that our hearts might burn anew with the fire of Thy love, didst in the flesh of the most blessed Francis renew the sacred marks of Thy passion; mercifully grant, that by his merits and prayers, we may ever carry our cross, and bring forth fruits worthy of penance: Who livest and reignest. (Collect)

O God, who in divers ways, didst show in blessed Francis, Thy confessor, the wonderful mysteries of Thy cross, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may ever follow the example of his devotion, and be strengthened by constant meditation on that same cross. Through our Lord. (Postcommunion)

God, who through the merits of blessed Francis dost enrich Thy Church with new offspring; grant that imitating him we may despise the things of this world and ever rejoice in partaking of Thy heavenly gifts. Through our Lord. (Collect)

May the grace from heaven magnify Thy Church, O Lord, which thou hast willed to illustrate by the glorious merits and example of Thy holy confessor Francis. Through our Lord. (Postcommunion)

Other Prayers 

Lord Jesus Christ, who, when the world was growing cold, didst renew in the flesh of the blessed Francis the sacred marks of Thy Passion in order to inflame our hearts with the fire of Thy love; mercifully grant that, by his merits and prayers, we may always carry the cross and bring forth fruits worthy of repentance: Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen. (Raccolta)

O glorious Saint Francis, who, even in thy youth, with a generous heart didst renounce the comfort and ease of thy father's house in order to follow Jesus more closely in His humility and poverty, in His mortification and passionate love of the Cross, and didst thereby merit to behold the miraculous Stigmata impressed upon thy flesh and to bear them about with thee, obtain for us also, we pray, the grace of passing through our life here below, as though insensible to the ephemeral splendor of all earthly possessions, with our hearts constantly beating with love of Jesus Crucified even in the darkest and saddest hours of life and with our eyes ever serenely raised towards heaven, as though already enjoying a foretaste of the eternal possession of the infinite Good with His divine and eternal joys. (Raccolta)

Also See: Prayers & Devotions Section

Prayers for Animals / Pets

Franciscan Pet Blessing

Dearest God, Heavenly Father, maker of all living creatures, we ask you to bless [N.], who brings so much joy into our lives. By the power of Your love, enable him/her to live according to Your plan. May we always praise You for all Your beauty in creation. Blessed are You, God, in all Your creatures! Amen. 

'Prayer for Animals'

God, our Heavenly Father, You created the world to serve humanity's needs and to lead them to You. By our own fault, we have lost the beautiful relationship which we once had with all your creation. Help us to see that by restoring our relationship with You, we will also restore it with all your Creation. Give us the grace to see all animals as gifts from You and to treat them with respect for they are Your creation. We pray for all animals who are suffering as a result of our neglect. May the order You originally established be once again restored to the whole world through the intercession of the Glorious Virgin Mary, the prayers of St. Francis, and the merits of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with You now and forever. Amen.   [Sources: Various]

Prayer for a Sick Pet

Heavenly Father, please help us in our time of need. You have made us stewards of [N.]. If it is Your will, please restore him/her to health and strength. I pray, too, for other animals in need. May they be treated with the care and respect deserving of all Your creation. Blessed are You, Lord God, and holy is Your name for ever and ever. Amen.   (Source: Franciscan Flier)

Prayer for the Blessing of Animals

[N. - name of animal] may you be blessed in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. May you and [N. - name of 'owner'] enjoy life together and find joy with the God who created you.   (From the Book of Blessings Approved by the USCCB / Confirmed by the Apostolic See)

Note: This prayer is provided for informational purposes only. The prayer is for use by the proper ministers of the Church.