MY FAVOURITE PRAYER: Serenity Prayer eases things in stressful world

By 
  • March 6, 2007
elizabeth mayFor Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May it’s difficult to choose a favourite prayer. She’s partial to the Peace Prayer of St. Francis (which is Franciscan in spirit, but not written by St. Francis) and St. Francis’ Canticle of All Creatures (which probably does date from St. Francis’ lifetime).
Like many Greens, May has an affinity for St. Francis.

But the prayer May ultimately relies on is of a much more recent vintage. The Serenity Prayer was penned by American Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in 1934, but secured its place in the culture when it was adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1950s. The simple version used by AA says: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

May chooses this prayer for daily meditation because she finds herself in a stressful world and up against huge odds, according to a member of her staff.

Over the years the Serenity Prayer has wormed its way into a wide range of popular culture. The hardcore punk band Blood for Blood named its 2004 album Serenity after the prayer, and Olivia Newton-John’s 2006 album Stronger Than Before includes a setting of the prayer.

Please support The Catholic Register

Unlike many media companies, The Catholic Register has never charged readers for access to the news and information on our website. We want to keep our award-winning journalism as widely available as possible. But we need your help.

For more than 125 years, The Register has been a trusted source of faith-based journalism. By making even a small donation you help ensure our future as an important voice in the Catholic Church. If you support the mission of Catholic journalism, please donate today. Thank you.

DONATE