Instruments of Peace: St. Francis of Assisi and Dr. Maria Montessori in the 800th Jubilee Year

As the Church marks the 800th Jubilee of St. Francis of Assisi, Montessori schools around the world find themselves standing at a profound crossroads of faith and education. Though separated by seven centuries, St. Francis of Assisi and Maria Montessori speak to one another with striking clarity—especially in their shared conviction that peace is not imposed by force, but cultivated through love, humility, and the formation of the human person.

St. Francis’s most beloved prayer opens with a simple yet radical plea:“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

This prayer is not passive. It is an invitation to action—to become a living channel through which peace enters the world. For Francis, peace began within the human heart and radiated outward through acts of mercy, simplicity, and reverence for all of creation. He believed that harmony with God, neighbor, and the natural world could transform even the most fractured societies.

Centuries later, Dr. Montessori echoed this same truth in the language of modern education:

“Education is the best weapon for peace.”

To Montessori, peace was not merely the absence of war; it was the presence of justice, dignity, and mutual respect. She insisted that lasting peace could never be achieved through politics or power alone.

Instead, it must be rooted in the careful, intentional formation of the child.

This conviction is made even clearer in her assertion:

“Preventing conflicts is the work of politics; establishing peace is the work of education.”

Here, Montessori reframes education as sacred work—work that shapes not only intellect, but conscience.

Like St. Francis, she believed that peace begins long before treaties are signed or conflicts arise. It begins in early childhood, when the foundations of empathy, self-discipline, and respect for others are laid.

The parallels between these two visionaries are striking. St. Francis called people to live simply so that others might simply live. Montessori prepared environments that were calm, ordered, and beautiful, trusting that children formed in such spaces would grow into adults capable of inner balance and social harmony. Both honored freedom—Francis through joyful obedience to God, Montessori through freedom within limits—understanding that true freedom is always guided by responsibility and love.

In a Catholic Montessori school, this shared legacy comes alive each day. When children are taught to resolve conflicts peacefully, to care for their environment, to see the dignity of every person, and to recognize their responsibility to the global community, they are being formed as instruments of peace.

Prayer and work, contemplation and action, faith and education are no longer separate paths—they become one.

During this Jubilee Year, the call of St. Francis feels especially urgent. Our world longs for peace, yet peace cannot be rushed or demanded. It must be nurtured patiently, child by child, classroom by classroom, heart by heart. Montessori understood this deeply, insisting that education was humanity’s greatest hope.

To educate a child, then, is to participate in a Franciscan mission: to sow peace where there is discord, understanding where there is doubt, and hope where there is fear. In honoring both St. Francis of Assisi and Dr. Maria Montessori this Jubilee year, we recommit ourselves to this sacred task—forming not only capable students, but compassionate peacemakers for a wounded world.