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A Prayer before a crucifix
by St. Francis of Assisi

Most High, glorious God, enlighten the shadows of my heart, and grant unto me a right faith, a certain hope and perfect charity, sense and understanding, Lord, so that I may accomplish Thy holy and true command.    

A Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary
by St. Francis of Assisi

Hail Lady, Holy Queen, Holy Mary Theotokos,¹ who art the Virgin made church and the One elect by the Most Holy Father of Heaven, whom He consecrated with His Most Holy beloved Son and with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete; Thou in whom was and is all fulness of grace and every good.

Hail His Palace;
Hail His Tabernacle;
Hail His Home.

Hail His Vestment;
Hail His Handmaid;
Hail His Mother
And hail all you holy virtues, which through the grace and illumination of the Holy Spirit are infused into the hearts of the faithful, so that from those unfaithful you make them faithful to God.                                            Top

¹ While St. Francis uses the phrase "Dei genitrix" here, which is usually translated as "Mother of God" in English, "Theotokos" has been chosen instead since this is an exact and familiar equivalent of the latin phrase, and in fact is the term of which the latin is itself the translation.            Top

A Salutation to the virtues
by St. Francis of Assisi

Hail Queen Wisdom, the Lord salute thee with thy sister Holy-Pure Simplicity.
Lady Holy Poverty, the Lord salute thee with thy sister Holy Humility.
Lady Holy Charity, the Lord salute thee with thy sister Holy Obedience.

Most holy virtues, the Lord salute all of you, He from whom you come and proceed.
There is scarcely a man in all the world, who can have one of you, before he dies.
He who has one and offends not the others, has all.
And he who offends one, has none and offends all. (cf. Jm 2:10)
And any whatsoever confounds vices and sins.

Holy Wisdom confounds Satan and all his wickednesses.
Pure Holy Simplicity confounds all the wisdom of this world (cf. 1 Cor. 2:6) and the wisdom of the body.
Holy Poverty confounds cupidity and avarice and the cares of this world.
Holy Humility confounds pride and all the men, who are in the world, and likewise all the things, which are in the world.
Holy Charity confounds all the diabolic and carnal temptations and all carnal fears.
Holy Obedience confounds all things corporal both carnal and one's own willings and holds the body mortified in obedience to the spirit and in obedience to one's brother and is subject and submissive to all the men, who are in the world and not only to men, but even to all the beasts and wildlife, so that they might do with him, whatever they will, as much as it will have been given them from above by the Lord (cf. Jn 19:11).         Top

The Canticle of Brother Son
by St. Francis of Assisi

Most High, Omnipotent, Good Lord,
     Thine be the praises, the glory, and the honor and every blessing (cf. Apoc. 4:9.11)
To Thee alone, Most High, to they belong.
     and no man is worthy to mention Thee.
May Thou be praised, my Lord, with all Thy creatures, (cf. Tob. 8:7)
     especially mister brother sun.
     of whom is the day, and Thou enlightens us through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant with a great spendor,
     of Thee, Most High, does he convey the meaning.
May Thou be praised, my Lord, for sister moon and the stars, (cf. Ps. 148:3)
     in heaven Thou has made them clear and precious and beautiful.
May Thou be praised, my Lord, for brother wind,
     and for the air and clouds and clear weather and every weather, (cf. Dan 3:64-65)
     through which to all Thy creatures Thou gives sustenance. (cf. Ps. 103:13-14)
May Thou be praised, my Lord, for sister water,
     who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
May Thou be praised, my lord, for brother fire (cf. Dan 3:66),
     through whom Thou illumines the night,
     and he is beautiful and glad and robust and strong.
May Thou be praised, my Lord, for our sister, mother earth, (cf Dan 3:74)
     who sustains us and governs,.
     and produces various fruits, colored flowers and green plants. (cf Ps 103:13-14)
May Thou be praised, my Lord, for those who forgive for the sake of Thy love, (cf. Mt 6:12)
     and endure infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed those who endure them in peace, (cf. Mt 5:10)
     because by Thee, Most High, will they be crowned.
May Thou be praised, my Lord, for our sister, bodily death,
     whom no man living can escape.
Woe to those, who die in mortal sin,
     blessed those whom it will find in Thy most holy desires,
     because the second death will do them no evil. (cf. Apoc 2:11;20:6)
Praise and bless my Lord, (cf. Dan 3:85)
     and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility!

This translation is based upon the original italian text, with reference to the latin translation by Fr. K Esser. [Top]

Prayer for Final Perseverance
by St. Francis of Assisi

Omnipotent, Eternal, just and merciful God, grant to us wretches that doing for Thy sake, what we know Thou wants, and always wanting, what pleases Thee, as ones interiorly cleansed, interiorly illumined and inflamed with the fire of the Holy Spirit, we might follow the footsteps of Thy Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and attain to Thee, Most High, by Thy grace alone, who in perfect Trinity and simple Unity lives and reigns and is glorified as the Omnipotent God, for all the ages of ages. Amen.

Praises to be said at every hour
by St. Francis of Assisi

Here begin the praises which our most blessed Father Francis ordained and himself said at every hour of the day and night and before the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, beginning thus: Most Holy, Our Father who art in heaven, etc.. with the Glory be. Then the praises are to be said:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was and who is to come (cf Apoc 4:8) : 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 (cf Apoc 4:11) : And let us praise and exalt Him above all throughout the ages.
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain to accept virtue and riches¹ and wisdom and fortitude and honor and glory and blessing (Apoc 5:12) : 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 (Dan 3:57) : 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 (cf Apoc 19:5) : And let us praise and exalt Him above all throughout the ages.
Praise Him the Glorious One you heavens and earth (cf Ps 68:35; Ps Rom) : 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 (cf Apoc 5:13) : 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.

Omnipotent, Most Holy, Most High, and Highest God, all good, highest Good, wholely good, who alone is good (cf Lk 18:19), to Thee do we render all praise, all glory, all thanks, all honor, all blessing and all goods. So be it. So be it. Amen.

¹  "Divinity"  is the litteral rendering of the Vulgate here, which however differs from the Greek text, which has "riches." [pluton] In fact in classical usage, "riches" [divitia] and "divinity" [divinitas] were often exhanged in Latin (and similarly in Greek) on account of the close association of the God of wealth [Dives / Pluto] with the nature of Divinity in itself; perhaps the most literal translation would be "the riches of divinity," that is the divine glory which the Son of God forsook, for a time, in becoming the Son of Mary, and with which the Father again glorified Him in His Resurrection.             Top

Prayer for imitating St. Francis
Collect from St. Francis' Feast Day, October 4th

O God, who increase Thy Church with the merits of blessed Francis by the heavenly birth of this Thy newborn: grant unto us, that through imitating him we may dispise earthly goods and always rejoice in the participation in Thy heavenly gifts. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns God forever and ever. Amen.    Top

Prayer asking God for St. Francis' intercession
Collect for the Feast of St. Francis' Stigmata, September 17th

O Lord Jesus Christ, who, when the world was growing cold, did renew in the flesh of the most blessed Francis the sacred stigmata of Thy Passion, in order to inflame our hearts with the fire of Thy love, graciously grant unto us, that yoked to his merits and prayers we may bear the Cross, and bring forth fruits worthy of penance: You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.  Top

Prayer asking for Mary's Intercession
by St. Francis of Assisi

Holy Virgin Mary, there is no one like Thee born in the world among women,
Daughter and Handmaid of the Most Highest King, the Heavenly Father,
Mother of Our Most Holy Lord Jesus Christ,
Spouse of the Holy Spirit:

Pray for us with St. Michael the Archangel
and all the powers of Heaven and all the Saints
before Thy Most Holy and Beloved Son, the Lord and Master.

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, ...            Top