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Prayers of Saint Francis

Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon    Prayer to Mary  Praise of God
The Our Father Prayer Praise and Thanksgiving The Testament  
 Blessing  Hourly Praises  

   

Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, All praise is Yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings.

To you alone, Most High, do they belong, and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.

Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all weather's moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.

Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious and pure.

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,
producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.
Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon for love of You and bear sickness and trial.

Blessed are those who endure in peace, By You Most High, they will be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.

No second death can do them harm. Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.

 
Prayer to Mary Hail, holy Lady, most holy Queen,
Mary, Mother of God, ever Virgin.
You were chosen by the Most High Father in heaven,
consecrated by Him, with His most Holy Beloved Son and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

On you descended and still remains all the fullness of grace and every good.
Hail, His Palace.
Hail His Tabernacle.
Hail His Robe.
Hail His Handmaid.
Hail, His Mother.
and Hail, all holy Virtues, who, by grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are poured into the hearts of the faithful so that from their faithless state, they may be made faithful servants of God through you.
Praise of God 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 Almighty.
You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
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 rest. You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches, and You suffice for us.
You are beauty.
You are gentleness.
You are our protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord,
God Almighty, Merciful Savior.
Blessing The Lord bless you and keep you.
May He show His face to you and have mercy.
May He turn His countenance to you and give you peace.
The Lord bless you!
The Testament The Lord granted me, Brother Francis, to begin to do penance in this way: While I was in sin, it seemed very bitter to me to see lepers. And the Lord Himself led me among them and I had mercy upon them. And when I left them that which seemed bitter to me was changed into sweetness of soul and body; and afterward I lingered a little and left the world.

And the Lord gave me such faith in churches that I would simply pray and speak in this way: "We adore You, Lord Jesus Christ, in all Your churches throughout the world, and we bless You, for through Your holy cross You have redeemed the world."

Afterward the Lord gave me and still gives me such faith in priests who live according to the manner of the holy Roman Church because of their order, that if they were to persecute me, I would still have recourse to them. And if I possessed as much wisdom as Solomon had and I came upon pitiful priests of this world, I would not preach contrary to thier will in the parishes in which they live.

And I desire to fear, love, and honor them and all others as my masters. And I do not wish to consider sin in them because I discern the Son of God in them and they are my masters. And I act in this way since I see nothing corporally of the Most High Son of God in this world except His Most holy Body and Blood which they receive and which they alone administer to others. And these most holy mysteries I wish to have honored above all things and to be reverenced and to have them reserved in precious places. Wherever I come upon His most holy written words in unbecoming places, I desire to gather them up and I ask that they be collected and placed in a suitable place. And we should honor and respect all theologians and those who minister the most holy divine words as those who minister spirit and life to us.

And after the Lord gave me brothers, no one showed me what I should do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the form of the Holy Gospel. And I had this written down simply and in a few words and the Lord Pope confirmed it for me. And those who came to receive life gave to the poor everything which they were capable of possessing and they were content with one tunic, patched inside and out, with a cord and short trousers. And we had no desire for anything more. We who were clerics used to say the Office as other clerics did; the lay brothers said the Our Father; and we quite willingly stayed in churches. And we were simple and subject to all.

And I used to work with my hands, and I still desire to work; and I firmly wish that all my brothers give themselves to honest work. Let those who do not know how to work learn, not from desire of receiving wages for their work but as an example and in order to avoid idleness. And when we are not paid for our work, let us have recourse to the table of the Lord, seeking alms from door to door. The Lord revealed to me a greeting, as we used to say: "May the Lord give you peace."

Let the brothers beware that they by no means receive churches or poor dwellings or anything which is built for them, unless it is in harmony with that holy poverty which we have promised in the Rule, and let them always be guests there as pilgrims and strangers. And I firmly command all of the brothers through obedience that, wherever they are, they should not be so bold as to seek any letter from the Roman Curia either personally or through an intermediary, neither for a church or for some other place or under the guise of preaching or even for the persecution of their bodies; but wherever they have not been received, let them flee into another country to do penance with the blessing of God.

And I firmly wish to obey the minister general of this fraternity and another guardian whom it might please him to give me. And I wish to be so captive in his hands that I cannot go anywhere or do anything beyond obedience and his will, for he is my master. And although I may be simple and infirm, I wish nonetheless always to have a cleric who will celebrate the Office for me as it is contained in the Rule. And all the other brothers are bound to obey their guardians and to celebrate the Office according to the Rule. And if any are found who do not celebrate the Office according to the Rule and who wish to alter it in any way or who are not Catholics, let all the brothers be obliged through obedience that wherever they come upon such a brother they must bring him to the custodian nearest to that place where they have found him. And the custodian is strictly bound through obedience to guard him strongly as a prisoner day and night, so that he cannot be snatched from his hands until he can personally deliver him into the hands of his minister. And the minister is strictly bound through obedience to send him with brothers who shall guard him as a prisoner day and night until they deliver him before the Lord of Ostia who is the master, protector, and corrector of the entire fraternity.

And let the brothers not say: This is another Rule; because this is a remembrance, an admonition, an exhortation, and my testament, which 1, little Brother Francis, prepare for all of you, my blessed brothers, so that we may observe in a more Catholic manner the Rule which we have promised to the Lord.

And the minister general and all other ministers and custodians are bound through obedience not to add to or subtract from these words. And let them always have this writing with them along with the Rule. And in all the chapters which they hold, when they read the Rule, let them also read these words. And I through obedience strictly command all my brothers, cleric and lay, not to place glosses on the Rule or on these words, saying: They are to be understood in this way. But as the Lord has granted me to speak and to write the Rule and these words simply and purely, so shall you understand them simply and without gloss, and observe them with their holy manner of working until the end.

And whoever shall have observed these things, may he be filled in heaven with the blessing of the most high Father and on earth with the blessing of His beloved Son with the most Holy Spirit the Paraclete and with all the powers of heaven and all the saints. And I, little brother Francis, your servant, inasmuch as I can, confirm for you this most holy blessing both within and without.
 
The Our Father Prayer OUR FATHER MOST HOLY,
our creator and redeemer,
our Savior and Consoler.

WHO ARE IN HEAVEN,
in the angels and saints
enlightening them that they
may know you, for you, Lord,
are love, dwelling in them and filling
them with your divinity, that bliss
may be theirs, for you, Lord, are the
highest Good, the eternal Good,
from whom all goodness flows,
without whom nothing is good.

YOUR NAME BE HELD HOLY:
may our knowledge of you
shine ever more clearly within us,
that we may perceive the breadth
of your blessings, the extent of your
promises, the height of your majesty,
the depth of your judgements.

YOUR KINGDOM COME:
rule us now, through grace,
and bring us at last to your
kingdom of light where we
shall see you as you are,
and our love for you
will be made perfect,
our union blissful,
our joy unending, in you.

YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN
may we love you
with all our heart,
ever thinking of you;
with all our soul,
ever longing for you;
with all our mind,
directing all our aims to you
and seeking nothing but your glory;
with all our strength,
spending all our energies
and all our senses of soul and body
to serve only your love and nothing else.

May we love our neighbors as ourselves;
drawing them all to your love
in so far as we can,
sharing their good fortune
as if it were our own,
helping them to bear their trials
and doing them no wrong.

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD:
your beloved Son
our Lord Jesus Christ,
that we may remember,
understand and revere
the love he showed for us,
and all he said and did
and suffered for our sake.

FORGIVE US OUR SINS
through your mercy beyond words,
through the power of the passion
of your beloved Son,
through the merits and intercession
of the Virgin Mary
and of all your chosen ones.

AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US
and that we ourselves
cannot fully forgive,
make us fully forgive;
make us love our enemies,
truly, for your sake;
teach us how to pray sincerely
to you on their behalf;
and not to render harm for harm
to anyone, but rather try
to do good to all, in you!

AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
whether veiled or visible,
sudden or searing and prolonged.

BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL
past, present and to come.
Amen
 
Praise and Thanksgiving Almighty, Most Holy, Most High and Highest God,
Holy Father and Just One,
Lord King of Heaven and Earth,
on account of Thee Thyself we give Thee thanks,
because through Thy holy will
and through Thy only Son with the Holy Spirit
Thou has created all spiritual and corporal things
and Thou has placed us,
made according to Thy image and likeness,
in paradise.
And we fell through our own fault.

And we give Thee thanks, because
just as Thou has created us through Thy Son,
so through Thy sacred love,
with which Thou has loved us,
Thou had Him born true God and true Man
from the glorious and ever-Virgin Holy Mary
and Thou willed that we captives be redeemed
through His Cross and Blood and Death.

And we give Thee thanks,
because Thy Son Himself is to come
in the glory of His Majesty to send the accursed,
who do not do penance
and who do not know Thee,
into eternal fire, and to say to all,
who know Thee and adore and serve Thee in penance:
Come, you blessed of My Father,
lay hold of the kingdom,
which has been prepared for you
from the origin of the world.

And because all of us wretches and sinners
are not worthy to mention Thee,
we entreat Thee suppliantly,
so that Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Beloved Son,
in whom Thou are well pleased,
together with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,
may give Thee thanks,
as it may please Thee and Him, for all things,
He who for Thee is always sufficient for all things,
through whom Thou has made so many things for us.
Alleluia.

And we humbly entreat the glorious Mother,
the most blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
blessed Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
and all the choirs of the blessed Seraphim, Cherubim,
Thrones, Dominations, Principalities, Powers,
Virtues, Angels, Archangels,
blessed John the Baptist, John the Evangelist,
Peter, Paul and the blessed Patriarchs,
Prophets, the Holy Innocents, Apostles, Evangelists,
Disciples, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins,
blessed Elijah and Enoch, and all the Saints,
who were and will be and are,
for the sake of Thy love, so that,
as it may please Thee,
to render thanks for these things to Thee
the true God, eternal and living,
with Thy most dear Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Spirit unto the ages of ages.
Amen Alleluia

And all of us friar minors, useless servants,
humbly beg and beseech all within in Holy Catholic
and Apostolic Church willing to serve the Lord God
and all those following orders,
priests, deacons, subdeacons,
acolytes, exorcists, lectors, ushers and all the clergy,
all the religious men and women,
all the converts and children, poor and needed,
kings and princes, labourers and farmers,
servants and lords, all virgins and the continent
and the married, lay, men and women,
all the infants, adolescents, youth and elderly and infirm,
all the small and great, and
all peoples, clans, tribes and tongues,
all nations and all men of whatever lands,
who are and who will be,
that we may persevere in the True Faith
and in penance, because no one can be saved otherwise

Let us all love with all our heart,
with all our soul, with all our mind,
with all our virtue and strength, with all our intellect,
and with all our powers of soul and body,
with all our effort, with all our affection,
with all our guts, with all our desires and willings
the Lord God, who gave and gives all of us
our entire body, our entire soul and our entire life,
He who created, redeemed,
and by His mercy alone will save us,
He who had worked and works all good for us
who are miserable and wretched,
putrid and stinking, ungrateful and wicked.
Therefore let us desire nothing other,
let us want nothing other,
may nothing other please and delight us
except the Our Creator and Redeemer and Saviour,
the only true God,
who is the Full Good, All Good, entirely Good,
the True and Highest Good,
who alone is good , faithful, meek, gentle and sweet,
who alone is holy, just, true, holy and right,
who alone is kind, innocent, clean,
from whom and through whom
and in whom is all pardon, all grace,
all the glory of all the penitents and the just,
of all the blessed rejoicing together in Heaven.
Therefore let nothing impede, nothing separate,
nothing come between us and Him;
wherever all of us are in every place,
at every hour and in every season, daily and continually,
let us believe truly and humbly and hold in our hearts
and love, honour, adore, serve, praise
and bless, glorify and exalt above all,
magnify and give thanks to
the Most High and Highest Eternal God,
in Trinity and Unity,
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
the Creator of all and the Saviour of all who believe
and hope in and love Him,
who is without beginning and without end,
immutable, invisible, inexplicable, ineffable,
incomprehensible, unsearchable, blessed,
praiseworthy, glorious, exalted above all ,
sublime, exceeding, gentle, lovable,
delightful and desirable above all things
throughout the ages. Amen.
 
Hourly Praises Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was and who is to come:
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.

Worthy are Thee, Our Lord God,
to accept praise, glory and honor,
and blessing:
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.

Worthy is the Lamb,
who was slain to accept virtue and riches
and wisdom and fortitude and honor
and glory and blessing:
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.

Let us bless the Father and the Son
with the Holy Spirit :
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.

All you works of the Lord bless the Lord:
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.

Recite praise to Our God all you His servants
and you who fear God, tiny and great:
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.

Praise Him the Glorious One you heavens and earth:
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.

And every creature, which is in Heaven
and on the earth and which is beneath the earth
and the sea and those which are in it:
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.

Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.

As it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be always
and unto the ages of ages. Amen
And let us praise and exalt Him
above all throughout the ages.