“Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace”: Franciscan Peacemaking in a Conflicted World
September 25-27, 2026
with Emily Dykman
The prayer commonly known as the Prayer of St. Francis was likely not written by Francis himself, yet it beautifully expresses the heart of his life and legacy. Believed to have first appeared in French around 1912, the prayer carries a deeply Franciscan spirit: humility, relationship, and the call to become a vessel of God’s peace.
The opening line, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,” invites us to shift the center of peace away from ourselves and toward God. Peace is not something we possess or control; it is something we receive, embody, and offer. Through our actions, attitudes, and relationships, God’s peace takes shape in the world.
This retreat is an embodied exploration of the Prayer of St. Francis and its relevance for our conflicted world.
Through music, art, reflection, shared meals, engagement with creation, ritual, and the building of relationship, participants will explore what it means to live as instruments of peace.
Program Highlights:
-
- Reflect on the Prayer of St. Francis through a Franciscan lens
- Explore peacemaking as an embodied spiritual practice
- Engage music, art, ritual, and reflection as pathways into prayer
- Spend time in relationship with creation and community
- Consider how peace is received, practiced, and offered in daily life
Peace is not something we possess or control; it is something we receive, embody, and offer.
Your Guide for the Journey
Emily Dykman
Emily Ann Dykman is Professor of Religious Studies and Theology at Viterbo University, where she has spent more than a decade accompanying students in the exploration of theology, spirituality, ethics, and the living traditions of faith. Rooted in the Franciscan heritage of Viterbo, Emily brings together academic depth, pastoral sensitivity, and a deep love for the spiritual vision of St. Francis and St. Clare. Her background in campus ministry, theology, music, and spiritual formation gives her work a grounded and relational quality that invites both reflection and transformation.
Holding degrees in music, theology, and ministry – including a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Seminary – Emily is especially drawn to the ways contemplative practice, creativity, relationship, and embodied experience open pathways toward peace and reconciliation. Her love of Franciscan spirituality is reflected not only in what she teaches, but in the way she invites others to encounter peace as a lived practice: humble, relational, and deeply connected to the healing of our world.