MAKE ME A CHANNEL OF YOUR PEACE

Our Hymn story today is about a well-known text entitled Make Me A Channel of Your Peace.  It is a prayer that has widely been attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, who lived from 1182 to 1226 and founded the Franciscan Order.  Yet these words never appeared in any of his writings…although this poem is the kind of prayer he would compose and a message he would not be displeased about. 

Some of the words in part bears a strong resemblance to famous sayings of Giles of Assisi, one of Francis’s closest companions.  At face value this text appears to be heavily inspired by an earlier Biblical text, namely the Beatitudes of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5.  It is safe to say that the author of the text is not clearly evidenced and remains unknown.

The first appearance of the prayer occurred in France in 1912 in a small spiritual magazine called, in English, "The Little Bell," published in Paris by a Catholic association.  This prayer text was widely publicized during World War 1 & 2 and has been frequently used during times of war to encourage peace.  It continues to be used as part of Catholic Mass and has been adopted by many denominations with its universal message of peace.

Sebastian Temple is considered one of the most influential folk composers of mass music in the Catholic Church.  Sebastian was born in South Africa in 1928 and moved to America in 1958 where he converted to Catholicism and joined the Franciscan Third Order.  The music for this hymn now carries his name for the tune. 

MAKE ME A CHANNEL OF YOUR PEACE was used in the funeral service of Princess Diana in 1997 and as part of the religious wedding ceremony of Prince Albert II of Monaco to South African Charlene Wittstock in 2011.  It is also the anthem of the Royal British Legion. 

This text is a wonderful and thoughtful prayer that, if granted, would change the world as we know it.