The Prayer of
Saint Francis

Lord, make us instruments
of your peace.
Where there is hatred
let us sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that we 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.
Our Vision:
          To be an instrument of God's peace.
Our Mission:
           To be a growing community gathered for
                          worship and renewal in order to spread
                                      God's message of love.
We seek to provide a serene, natural, simple physical environment in which we can

          -- experience God's power through worship, study and fellowship
          -- experience God's peace by finding a place of refuge and renewal
          -- witness God's love by celebrating our individuality and gifts
          -- call forth our gifts in service to one another, and to
                        the community and world beyond our parish.
          
The Prayer of Saint Francis is one of the most beautiful petitions in all of Christian literature.  It is also a powerful challenge for Christians in our time.

For many members of Saint Francis-in-the-fields Episcopal Church, this prayer, which is attributed to the 13th century founder of the Franciscan Order, is not only an eloquent call to service, it is our legacy.

The early Franciscan rule of life was "To follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to walk in His footsteps."  Perhaps no one in history has ever set himself so seriously as did Francis to imitate the life of Christ, and to carry out so literally Christ's work in Christ's own way.

Since 1957 our community of believers have sought to answer the call "to be instruments of God's peace."  Saint Francis-in-the-fields has provided a place of refuge; a place where people of all ages can offer their hearts and hands to God and to their sisters and brothers. We fall short of Saint Francis' consecration to poverty, and don't always reach out spontaneously and unreservedly to those in need.  But the spirit of brotherhood and simplicity that characterized his ministry inspires us.
Informed by the Prayer of Saint Francis, and the Baptismal Covenant
The Baptismal Covenant
Book of Common Prayer

Q.  Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

A.  I will, with God's help.

Q.  Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

A.  I will, with God's help.

Q.  Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?

A.  I will, with God's help.

Q.  Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?

A. I will, with God's help.

Q.  Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

A.  I will with God's help.
The Baptismal Covenant and the Prayer of Saint Francis remind us in a powerful way that living Faith is a verb, the action of faithful persons in a world in need of the awareness of God.
Saint Francis-in-the-Fields
Episcopal Church
Parish Ministry Hub
Our parish ministries, organizations, and activities are inspired by and based upon the Prayer of Saint Francis and the Baptismal Covenant.
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