Silent Night is a song that many consider to be the "anthem" of Christmas time and is often referred to as "the song heard round the world." Its powerful message of heavenly peace has crossed all borders and language barriers, conquering the hearts of people everywhere. The original six stanzas of the carol we know as "Silent Night" were written by Joseph Mohr in 1816, when he was a young priest assigned to a pilgrimage church in Mariapfarr, Austria. On December 24, 1818 Joseph Mohr journeyed to the home of musician-schoolteacher Franz Gruber. He showed his friend the poem and asked him to add a melody and guitar accompaniment so that it could be sung at Midnight Mass. Later that evening the two men, backed by the choir, stood in front of the main altar in St. Nicholas Church and sang "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!" for the first time.