The Catholic News

The prayer to St. Francis de Sales, patron of newsmen, was recently quoted in Ray Erwin's Column in "Editor and Publisher." It originally appeared in the Journal of the British Institute of Journalists. As this is Catholic Press month, it' is reprinted here.

St. Francis, dear patron of a harrowed tribe, grant us thy protection.
Bestow on us, thy servants, a little more of thy critical spirit, and a little less on our readers. Confer on our subscribers the grace of condescension in overlooking our faults and the grace of promptitude in paying our bills.

Make them less partial to compliments, more callous to rebuke, less critical to misprints.
Give us brave thoughts, beautiful thoughts, so that we thy children, may have the courage to write as we think, and our readers the docility to think as we write.

Then shall we, thy faithful servants, resting on thy protection, fight thy battles with joyful hearts, drive the wolf from the door, the evil

The Malayan Catholic News, Sunday, January 1959, page 8