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The
Origin of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis*
by Dr. Christian Renoux,
Associate Professor of the University of Orleans, France
Original
Text of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis
Belle
prière à faire pendant la Messe
Seigneur,
faites de moi un instrument de votre paix.
Là où il y a de la haine, que je mette l'amour.
Là où il y a l'offense, que je mette le pardon.
Là où il y a la discorde, que je mette l'union.
Là où il y a l'erreur, que je mette la vérité.
Là où il y a le doute, que je mette la foi.
Là où il y a le désespoir, que je mette
l'espérance.
Là où il y a les ténèbres, que je
mette votre lumière.
Là où il y a la tristesse, que je mette la joie.
Ô Maître, que je ne cherche pas tant à
être consolé qu'à consoler, à
être compris qu'à comprendre, à être
aimé qu'à aimer, car c'est en donnant qu'on
reçoit, c'est en s'oubliant qu'on trouve, c'est
en pardonnant qu'on est pardonné, c'est en mourant
qu'on ressuscite à l'éternelle vie.
Source:
La Clochette, n° 12, déc. 1912, p. 285.
Origin
of this Prayer
The
first appearance of the Peace Prayer occurred in France
in 1912 in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette
(The Little Bell). It was published in Paris by a Catholic
association known as La Ligue de la Sainte-Messe
(The Holy Mass League), founded in 1901 by a French priest,
Father Esther Bouquerel (1855-1923). The prayer bore the
title of 'Belle prière à faire pendant
la messe' (A Beautiful Prayer to Say During the Mass),
and was published anonymously. The author could possibly
have been Father Bouquerel himself, but the identity of
the author remains a mystery.
The
prayer was sent in French to Pope Benedict XV in 1915 by
the French Marquis Stanislas de La Rochethulon. This was
soon followed by its 1916 appearance, in Italian, in L'Osservatore
Romano [the Vatican's daily newspaper]. Around 1920,
the prayer was printed by a French Franciscan priest on
the back of an image of St. Francis with the title 'Prière
pour la paix' (Prayer for Peace) but without being attributed
to the saint. Between the two world wars, the prayer circulated
in Europe and was translated into English. Its has been
attributed the first time to saint Francis in 1927 by a
French Protestant Movement, Les Chevaliers du Prince
de la Paix (The Knights of the Prince of Peace), founded
by Étienne Bach (1892-1986).
The
first translation in English that we know of appeared in
1936 in Living Courageously, a book by Kirby Page
(1890-1957), a Disciple of Christ minister, pacifist, social
evangelist, writer and editor of The World Tomorrow (New
York City). Page clearly attributed the text to St. Francis
of Assisi. During World War II and immediately after, this
prayer for peace began circulating widely as the Prayer
of St. Francis, specially through Francis cardinal Spellman's
books, and over the years has gained a worldwide popularity
with people of all faiths.
For
more information : see the book by Dr. Christian Renoux,
La prière pour la paix attribuée à
saint François : une énigme à
résoudre, Paris, Editions franciscaines, 2001,
210 p. : 12.81 euros + shipping (ISBN : 2-85020-096-4).
-- Order From: Éditions franciscaines, 9, rue Marie-Rose
F-75014 Paris.
Author's
Note: Dr. Christian Renoux, is continuing his
research on the propagation of this prayer, and is looking
for new information about its publication in English between
1925 and 1945, and in all other languages between 1912 and
today. If you have such information, please contact him
at contacted at this
email address.
The
Franciscan Archive wishes
to thank Dr. Renoux for permission to publish the Original
Text of this very popular Prayer and the history of its
origin.
*From
The
Franciscan Archive
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