Author: Donald Howe

A Pastoral Look at the Hymns We Sing: Past & Present — The Parish Hymnody Study

PREFACE

This study began with a simple question: What happened to the hymns we once sang at St. Mary’s?

Behind that question lies a deeper story — a story of memory, devotion, and the quiet ways a parish’s musical identity can change over time. This work does not seek to judge or to criticize. Its purpose is pastoral: to understand, to remember, and to honor the musical tradition that shaped generations of parishioners.

For nearly three decades, St. Mary’s sang from a repertoire that was deeply Catholic, profoundly Eucharistic, and richly Marian. These hymns were not merely selections on a page; they were the parish’s devotional heartbeat. When the organists who carried this tradition in their hands and memory was no longer present, the tradition itself began to fade. New hymnals brought new music, and slowly, almost imperceptibly, the parish’s musical voice changed.

This study traces that journey — from the hymns we all shared, to the hymns we lost, to the hymns that arrived later. It is a pastoral look at the hymns we sing, and the hymns we no longer sing, and what that means for the life of a parish.

Companion Document

This study is grounded in the definition of a Catholic hymn presented in the companion document, What Is a Catholic Hymn? which outlines the doctrinal principles used throughout this reflection.

INTRODUCTION

Every parish has a musical memory. Some of it is written in hymnals, but most of it lives in the people — in the voices that rise together Sunday after Sunday, in the melodies that echo through the church long after Mass has ended, in the hymns that accompany baptisms, funerals, weddings, and feast days.

Many pastors assume that the musicians they hire are already familiar with the Church’s documents on sacred music and will naturally choose hymns that reflect those teachings. Musicians, for their part, often assume that if a hymn appears in a widely used missalette—or in the liturgy aid that accompanies it—it must be fully suitable for the Sacred Liturgy.

These resources, however, do not distinguish between Catholic, Protestant, or theologically ambiguous hymns. In this gap of assumptions, hymns with unclear or incomplete theology—such as Ashes—continue to be used simply because they are familiar or long associated with a season. The solution is not more documents, but formation: a shared process in which pastors and musicians learn together how to evaluate hymn texts, understand the Church’s vision for sacred music, and make choices that reflect the faith we celebrate. When clergy and musicians grow in this understanding side by side, the parish’s sung prayer becomes clearer, stronger, and more deeply rooted in the Church’s tradition.

In many parishes, there are also faithful individuals who quietly carry the parish’s musical memory and can help bridge the gap between pastor and musician. These parishioners—often long‑time choir members, organists, or those formed by the parish’s devotional life—can offer gentle guidance, historical insight, and practical support.

Their presence is a gift. When pastors and musicians welcome their perspective, the parish benefits from a deeper continuity with its own tradition and a more unified approach to the Church’s vision for sacred music.

St. Mary’s musical memory is unusually rich. From 1977 to 2005, the parish sang from a repertoire that was stable, traditional, and unmistakably Catholic. The J.S. Paluch Seasonal Missalettes of the early 1990s supported this identity, reinforcing the Eucharistic, Marian, and devotional character of the parish’s worship.

When Breaking Bread became the primary hymnal, a new repertoire entered the parish — one shaped by contemporary styles, new theological emphases, and a different understanding of participation. Without the organist who had carried the older tradition, the parish’s musical identity shifted quickly.

This study tells that story in three pastoral narratives.

How the Research Was Conducted

A Pastoral Explanation for Parish Musicians and Parish Leaders

This study was carried out with a simple goal: to understand more clearly what the Church means by Catholic hymnody and to help parish musicians choose music that expresses the faith of the Church with clarity and beauty. The research did not begin with opinions about particular hymnals or publishers. Instead, it began with the Church’s own teaching.

1. Beginning with the Church’s Documents

The foundation of this work comes from the Church herself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, and the USCCB’s 2020 document Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church provided the core principles. These sources explain what sacred music is, how hymns serve the liturgy, and what doctrinal clarity looks like in sung prayer. Additional guidance came from Sacrosanctum Concilium, Musicam Sacram, Tra le Sollecitudini, and the Roman Missal. These documents shaped the criteria used throughout the study.

2. Examining Hymn Lists with Pastoral Sensitivity

When reviewing hymn lists from parish missalettes, the goal was not to critique publishers but to understand the theological patterns present in the music commonly available to parishes. For most hymns, the title alone was enough to identify whether it was liturgical, devotional, or drawn from another Christian tradition. Catholic hymnody has recognizable devotional patterns, and Protestant hymnody has its own distinct theological vocabulary.

When a title was unclear or ambiguous, publicly available lyrics were consulted to understand the hymn’s theology. Only lyrics that were legally accessible online were used. This allowed the study to evaluate Christological clarity, Eucharistic language, ecclesial identity, and the difference between communal prayer and individual spirituality.

3. Respecting Copyright and Using Only Public Sources

No copyrighted hymn texts were reproduced or stored. When lyrics were needed for classification, only publicly available excerpts or summaries were used. This ensured that the research remained respectful of publishers and within proper boundaries.

4. Recognizing the Value of Parish Tradition

The study also took seriously the lived musical tradition of parishes like St. Mary’s in Akron, Ohio where devotional hymns shaped the faith of generations. These hymns were not treated as “lesser” or “outdated,” but as part of the Church’s devotional life. The research honored these traditions while also distinguishing between devotional hymnody and the liturgical texts of the Mass.

5. Applying Universal Criteria, Not Publisher‑Specific Judgments

The criteria developed in this study apply to any missalette or hymnal, whether or not it was examined directly. Because the framework is based on Catholic doctrine and liturgical norms—not on the contents of a particular book—it can be used by any parish or diocese regardless of which hymnal they use.

6. A Pastoral Purpose

Above all, this research was conducted with a pastoral heart. The goal is not to criticize, but to clarify; not to restrict, but to strengthen; not to divide, but to help the whole parish pray with one voice and one faith. The study is offered in service to the Church, in gratitude for the musicians, clergy, and parishioners who give so much of themselves to the liturgy.

THE HYMNS WE ALL SHARED

(St. Mary’s • Paluch • Breaking Bread)

Some hymns are so deeply woven into the life of a parish that they survive every transition. These are the hymns that grandparents, parents, and children all know by heart — the hymns that rise instinctively from the congregation even when the organ falls silent.

At St. Mary’s, these hymns formed the continuity spine of parish life. When the parish sang “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name,” it wasn’t simply singing a hymn — it was singing its identity. When “Panis Angelicus” filled the church, the parish remembered its Eucharistic heart. When Advent arrived and the first notes of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” sounded, the whole community entered the season together.

These hymns endured through the Paluch missalettes and into Breaking Bread. They are the musical memories that never faded, even as other traditions slipped away. They remind us that the parish’s voice has a history — and that some parts of that voice remain strong.

THE HYMNS WE LOST

(St. Mary’s • Paluch • Not in Breaking Bread)

This is the tender part of the story.

These hymns were once the heartbeat of St. Mary’s — sung at Benediction, at First Fridays, at May Crownings, at parish missions, and at the quiet weekday Masses that shaped the devotional life of the community. They were the hymns that taught generations how to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, how to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and how to love the Mother of God with a childlike trust that marked the parish’s identity for decades.

From the Blessed Sacrament tradition came hymns like “O Sacrament Most Holy,” “O Saving Victim,” “Humbly Let Us Voice Our Homage,” “Jesus, Gentlest Savior,” “Down in Adoration Falling,” and “Lord, Who at Thy First Eucharist.” These were not merely Communion songs — they were acts of adoration, sung slowly and reverently before the tabernacle, forming the parish’s Eucharistic soul. The Sacred Heart hymns were equally central to St. Mary’s devotional life: “Heart of Jesus, We Are Thankful,” “Heart of Jesus, Hear,” “To Jesus’ Heart All Burning,” “O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine,” and “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fount of Love.” These hymns expressed a spirituality of trust, reparation, and intimacy with Christ that shaped the parish’s understanding of mercy long before the word became fashionable.

And then there were the Marian hymns — the crown jewels of St. Mary’s devotional tradition. “Mother Dear, O Pray for Me,” “Mother of Mercy, Day by Day,” “Mother Dearest, Mother Fairest,” “Mary! How Sweetly Falls the Word,” “Daughter of a Mighty Father,” “Holy Mary, Mother Mild,” “’Tis the Month of Our Mother,” and “Bring Flowers of the Rarest” were not seasonal novelties. They were the parish’s year‑round vocabulary of love for the Blessed Mother, sung with a tenderness that only a parish steeped in Marian devotion can understand.

These hymns were not simply selections in a hymnal. They were the parish’s devotional memory — the way St. Mary’s prayed, gathered, and understood itself as a Catholic community. Their disappearance did not merely change the music of the parish; it altered the spiritual atmosphere, the rhythm of parish life, and the way faith was handed down from one generation to the next.

In losing these hymns, St. Mary’s did not simply lose melodies — it lost a way of praying, and this loss sets the stage for understanding how the parish’s musical identity continued to change in the years that followed.

THE HYMNS THAT ARRIVED LATER

(Breaking Bread Only)

These hymns entered St. Mary’s not through tradition, not through the choir loft, not through the lived memory of the parish — but through the pages of a new hymnal. They brought with them a different tone, a different spirituality, and a different musical culture.

Where St. Mary’s once sang hymns of Eucharistic adoration, it now sang hymns of personal reassurance. Where the parish once sang Marian hymns rooted in centuries of devotion, it now sang contemporary refrains with a gentler, more sentimental tone. Where the parish once sang chant-influenced hymns of praise, it now sang folk-style songs with guitars and syncopation.

These hymns are not “bad.” They simply belong to a different spiritual world. They reflect a therapeutic spirituality, a communal focus, a shift toward social mission, and a musical style shaped by the 1970s and 1980s. They replaced the older repertoire not because they were better, but because they were what the hymnal offered once the tradition-bearer was gone.

This narrative helps the parish understand why the music feels different now, why older parishioners sense that something is missing, why younger parishioners never learned the older hymns, and why the parish’s devotional culture changed so quickly.

A PASTORAL NOTE ON TWO LENTEN HYMNS

Before turning to the research itself, it is helpful to pause and consider one concrete example that illustrates how these shifts in hymnody appear in parish life today.

Ashes and Ashes to Ashes in Light of Catholic Hymnody

Tom Conry’s Ashes and Dan Schutte’s Ashes to Ashes both use the imagery of dust and repentance, yet they approach the theme from very different theological angles. Conry’s text echoes the ancient myth of the phoenix — a creature that rises from its own ashes by its own inner power. Lines such as “we rise again from ashes” and “to create ourselves anew” suggest a kind of self‑renewal that mirrors the phoenix’s self‑resurrection rather than the Christian understanding of grace. The USCCB’s 2020 hymnody document specifically cautions against this kind of ambiguity, warning that texts implying self‑redemption or self‑creation do not express Catholic doctrine clearly. For this reason, Ashes does not meet the definition of a Catholic liturgical hymn.

Schutte’s Ashes to Ashes, by contrast, avoids phoenix‑like imagery entirely and remains rooted in the biblical call to repentance. Drawing directly from the prophet Joel, it invites the community to return to the Lord with fasting, weeping, and humility. In this hymn, renewal is not something we generate from within, but something God accomplishes in us. Its focus on divine mercy, conversion of heart, and the communal nature of repentance aligns with the Church’s sacramental worldview and expresses Catholic teaching with clarity.

Because of this, Ashes to Ashes fits the definition of a Catholic devotional hymn that may be used at Mass with pastoral discretion. Where Ashes leans toward the mythic pattern of self‑recreation, Ashes to Ashes remains firmly grounded in the truth that we rise not by our own power, but by God’s mercy. The contrast between the two hymns highlights the difference between a spirituality centered on human effort and one rooted in grace — a distinction at the heart of authentic Catholic hymnody.

Why Ashes Still Appears in Parishes

Many parishes continue to use Ashes simply because it has been part of the Lenten landscape for decades. Most musicians learned it long before the USCCB offered clearer guidance on hymn texts, and many pastors have never been trained to evaluate hymn lyrics through a doctrinal lens. This is not a failure of goodwill; it is a gap in formation. When a hymn becomes familiar, beloved, or “what we’ve always done,” it can remain in use long after the Church has raised concerns about its theological clarity.

Addressing this situation requires patient formation for both musicians and pastors. Musicians need support in learning how to evaluate hymn texts according to Catholic doctrine, not just musical beauty or emotional resonance. Pastors, likewise, benefit from practical tools that help them guide the parish’s sung prayer with confidence. When clergy and musicians learn together — not in a corrective spirit, but in a shared desire to serve the liturgy faithfully — decisions about hymn selection become clearer, more unified, and more deeply rooted in the Church’s teaching.

The goal is not to criticize past choices, but to grow together in understanding. As formation deepens, parishes naturally move toward hymns that express the fullness of the Church’s faith. In this way, the transition away from Ashes becomes not an act of rejection, but an act of renewal — a shared commitment to ensuring that what we sing truly reflects the mystery we celebrate.

Transition to the Research

This small window into two familiar Lenten hymns prepares us to look more closely at the wider picture. The research that follows shows how these same dynamics shaped the parish’s hymnody over time.

WHAT THE RESEARCH REVEALS

A Pastoral Interpretation of the Numbers

When the hymn lists from St. Mary’s, the Paluch missalettes, and Breaking Bread were placed side by side, a clear picture began to emerge — not just of musical selections, but of a parish’s spiritual identity over time. The numbers themselves tell a story, one that confirms what many parishioners felt long before they could articulate it. The research reveals three movements: continuity, loss, and replacement.

The first movement is continuity. Roughly a quarter of the hymns that St. Mary’s sang during its heritage years appeared in all three sources — the parish’s own list, the Paluch missalettes, and Breaking Bread. These were the hymns that formed the stable backbone of parish life: “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name,” “Panis Angelicus,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Silent Night,” “The First Noel,” and a handful of others. These hymns endured because they were woven into the parish’s memory. They were sung at Christmas, at funerals, at Benediction, and at major feast days. Their survival across all three sources shows that some parts of the parish’s musical identity remained intact.

The second movement is loss — and here the numbers speak with unmistakable clarity. Nearly half of the hymns that St. Mary’s once sang, especially those tied to Eucharistic devotion, the Sacred Heart, and Marian piety, disappeared entirely from Breaking Bread. These were not marginal hymns. They were the devotional core of the parish: “O Sacrament Most Holy,” “O Saving Victim,” “Humbly Let Us Voice Our Homage,” “Heart of Jesus, We Are Thankful,” “To Jesus’ Heart All Burning,” “Mother Dear, O Pray for Me,” “Mother of Mercy, Day by Day,” “’Tis the Month of Our Mother,” and many others.

The Paluch missalettes still carried these hymns in the early 1990s, confirming that they were part of the living tradition of the parish. Their absence in Breaking Bread marks a decisive shift — not only in music, but in the devotional life of St. Mary’s. The percentages show that the parish lost most of its Eucharistic hymnody, most of its Sacred Heart repertoire, and nearly all its traditional Marian hymns. The numbers quantify what parishioners felt: the devotional atmosphere of the parish changed.

The third movement is replacement. The research shows that Breaking Bread introduced a large body of hymns that had never been part of St. Mary’s tradition and did not appear in the Paluch missalettes. These include contemporary folk-style hymns, “voice of God” hymns, social-justice hymns, and modern Communion songs. While many of these hymns are pastorally useful, they reflect a different spirituality — one shaped by the 1970s and 1980s, emphasizing personal reassurance, communal identity, and social mission. The percentages reveal that a significant portion of Breaking Bread’s repertoire consists of hymns that were entirely new to the parish. In other words, the new hymnal did not simply update the parish’s tradition; it replaced much of it.

Taken together, the numbers reveal a parish whose musical identity shifted dramatically within a single generation. The continuity hymns show what remained. The lost hymns show what faded. The new hymns show what took their place. The research does not assign blame; it simply tells the truth. It shows that St. Mary’s once had a deeply Catholic musical identity — Eucharistic, Marian, devotional, and rooted in tradition — and that this identity gradually gave way to a new musical culture shaped by different theological and pastoral priorities.

The numbers confirm what the heart already knew: the music of St. Mary’s changed, and with it, the parish’s sense of itself. This study preserves that memory, not to lament the past, but to honor it — and to help future generations understand the beauty and depth of the tradition that once shaped the parish’s prayer.

A PASTORAL SUMMARY OF THE THREE HYMN SOURCES

Using the Four Doctrinal Categories

When the hymns of St. Mary’s Heritage List, the Paluch Seasonal Missalettes, and Breaking Bread were evaluated using the same four doctrinal categories, a striking pattern emerged. Each source reflects a different musical identity, a different theological emphasis, and a different understanding of what Catholic hymnody should be. The following narrative summarizes the percentages in a pastoral, readable way.

St. Mary’s Heritage List was overwhelmingly Catholic in character.
- A very high percentage of the hymns were Catholic Liturgical Hymns, rooted in the Mass, the liturgical year, and the Church’s sacramental life.
- An equally strong portion were Catholic Devotional Hymns, especially Marian, Sacred Heart, and Blessed Sacrament hymns.
- Only a small number were Protestant but doctrinally safe, typically well‑known classics like “Amazing Grace” or “How Great Thou Art,” used sparingly.
- Virtually none fell into the Not Suitable category.
St. Mary’s musical identity was therefore deeply Catholic, devotional, and liturgical — a repertoire shaped by tradition rather than by trends.

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The Paluch Seasonal Missalettes preserved this Catholic identity almost entirely.
- Their hymn selection strongly supported Catholic Liturgical Hymns, especially for Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.
- They also preserved a rich body of Catholic Devotional Hymns, including Benediction hymns, Marian hymns, and Sacred Heart hymns that St. Mary’s relied on.
- A modest number of Protestant but safe hymns appeared, mostly seasonal standards.
- Very few hymns were Not Suitable, and those that appeared were typically minor or optional.
The Paluch missalettes acted as a bridge between the parish’s lived tradition and the printed resources of the time.

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Breaking Bread presents a very different landscape.
- Only 18–20% of its hymns qualify as Catholic Liturgical Hymns, making this the smallest category in the hymnal.
- 22–25% are Catholic Devotional Hymns, but many traditional Marian, Sacred Heart, and Eucharistic hymns are absent.
- The largest category — 28–32% — consists of Protestant‑origin hymns that are doctrinally safe, reflecting a broader ecumenical repertoire.
- A significant 20–25% fall into the Not Suitable category, including “voice of God” hymns, therapeutic spirituality, ambiguous Eucharistic theology, and texts that do not reflect Catholic liturgical principles.
Breaking Bread’s musical identity is therefore mixed: part Catholic, part ecumenical, and part contemporary spiritual culture.

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When the three sources are compared side by side, the pattern becomes unmistakable.
- St. Mary’s Heritage List: 80–90% Catholic core (Liturgical + Devotional).
- Paluch Missalettes: 75–85% Catholic core, strongly aligned with St. Mary’s tradition.
- Breaking Bread: only 40–45% Catholic core, with the majority of hymns coming from Protestant or contemporary sources.
This shift explains why the parish’s musical identity changed so dramatically within a single generation.

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The research shows that the loss of devotional hymnody was the turning point.
- St. Mary’s once sang a rich body of Eucharistic, Marian, and Sacred Heart hymns.
- The Paluch missalettes preserved them.
- Breaking Bread did not.
Without these hymns, the parish’s devotional life — and its musical memory — began to fade.
The percentages confirm what parishioners experienced emotionally.
- The music “felt different.”
- The parish “didn’t sound like itself anymore.”
- The devotional atmosphere weakened.
- The sense of continuity with past generations diminished.
The numbers simply give language to what the heart already knew.

This narrative summary allows the reader to see, briefly, how each hymnal reflects a different theological and musical identity — and how those identities shaped the life of St. Mary’s across time.

WHAT ARE THE FOUR DOCTRINAL CATEGORIES?

To understand the musical identity of a parish, it is helpful to recognize that not all hymns serve the same purpose or express the same theological depth. For this study, every hymn from St. Mary’s Heritage List, the Paluch Seasonal Missalettes, and Breaking Bread was evaluated using four doctrinal categories. These categories reflect the Church’s own understanding of what belongs in the Sacred Liturgy and what belongs in devotional life.

C1 — Catholic Liturgical Hymns

These hymns express the Church’s faith in a way that is fully suitable for the Sacred Liturgy. Their texts are rooted in Scripture, the liturgical books, the Fathers of the Church, and the great doctrinal tradition. They proclaim the mysteries of salvation, the Eucharist, the Incarnation, the Trinity, and the Paschal Mystery. These hymns speak with the voice of the Church, not the voice of an individual. They are the “gold standard” of Catholic hymnody.

C2 — Catholic Devotional Hymns

These hymns are doctrinally sound and deeply loved in Catholic spirituality, but they were not originally written for the Mass. They express personal prayer, Marian devotion, trust in God, the Sacred Heart, Eucharistic adoration, and other forms of Catholic piety. They are ideal for devotions, Holy Hours, processions, and parish prayer services. While some may be used at Mass with pastoral discretion, they do not carry the same liturgical weight as Category 1 hymns.

C3 — Protestant-Origin Hymns That Are Doctrinally Safe

These hymns come from the broader Christian tradition. They are often scriptural, reverent, and theologically compatible with Catholic belief, but they do not express the fullness of Catholic sacramental and ecclesial theology. They emphasize personal faith, trust, or praise in a way that is compatible with Catholic teaching but not distinctly Catholic. Many have been used in Catholic parishes for decades and can be used at Mass with discernment.

C4 — Hymns Not Suitable for Catholic Liturgy

These hymns contain theological, ecclesiological, or sacramental ambiguities that conflict with the Church’s teaching or the nature of the Sacred Liturgy. Some present a therapeutic or emotional spirituality rather than the proclamation of salvation. Others place words in the mouth of God that the Church does not authorize for liturgical use. Still others express an understanding of Eucharist, Church, or grace that does not align with Catholic doctrine. These hymns may be popular or musically appealing, but they are not appropriate for Mass.

These four categories provide a clear, pastoral framework for understanding how each hymnal reflects — or fails to reflect — the Church’s liturgical and devotional identity. They also allow us to see, with clarity and charity, how the musical life of St. Mary’s changed over time.

SAMPLE HYMN CLASSIFICATION

Using the Four Doctrinal Categories

C1 — CATHOLIC LITURGICAL HYMNS

(Hymns rooted in Scripture, doctrine, and the liturgical books)

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
At the Lamb’s High Feast, We Sing
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus

These hymns express the Church’s faith with clarity and are fully suitable for the Sacred Liturgy. They proclaim the mysteries of salvation, the Eucharist, and the Paschal Mystery in a way that reflects the Church’s own voice.

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C2 — CATHOLIC DEVOTIONAL HYMNS

(Hymns expressing Catholic piety: Marian, Eucharistic, Sacred Heart, etc.)

O Sacrament Most Holy
Humbly Let Us Voice Our Homage
Mother Dear, O Pray for Me
To Jesus’ Heart All Burning

These hymns shaped the devotional life of St. Mary’s for generations. They were sung at Benediction, First Fridays, May Crownings, and parish missions. While not originally written for Mass, they express the heart of Catholic spirituality.

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C3 — PROTESTANT-ORIGIN HYMNS THAT ARE DOCTRINALLY SAFE

(Hymns compatible with Catholic belief but not distinctly Catholic)

Amazing Grace
How Great Thou Art
What a Friend We Have in Jesus

These hymns are scriptural, reverent, and widely loved. They express personal faith and trust in God in a way that is compatible with Catholic teaching, though they do not reflect the fullness of Catholic sacramental theology.

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C4 — HYMNS NOT SUITABLE FOR CATHOLIC LITURGY

(Hymns with theological ambiguity, “voice of God” issues, or non-liturgical spirituality)

Be Not Afraid
You Are Mine
I Am the Bread of Life (1st-person divine speech concerns)

These hymns often contain therapeutic spirituality, ambiguous Eucharistic theology, or unauthorized divine speech. While pastorally meaningful in some contexts, they are not appropriate for the Sacred Liturgy.

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This sample set illustrates how the four doctrinal categories function in practice.

It also shows the contrast between St. Mary’s traditional repertoire and the mixed landscape of Breaking Bread.

CONCLUSION

A parish’s musical identity is not fixed. It lives, it grows, it changes — sometimes slowly, sometimes suddenly. At St. Mary’s, the transition from a traditional Catholic repertoire to a contemporary one happened quietly, almost imperceptibly, as the hymns that once defined the parish faded from use and new hymns took their place.

This study does not seek to turn back the clock. Its purpose is to remember — to honor the hymns that shaped the parish’s devotional life, to understand the forces that changed it, and to recognize the value of the musical heritage that once formed the faith of generations.

In remembering the past, we gain clarity for the present. And in understanding the present, we open the possibility of choosing wisely for the future.

In the summer of 2010, St. Mary’s was closed as part of a diocesan reconfiguration. For a parish whose musical identity was already fragile, this was the final blow. The traditions that had once been carried so faithfully were now held by only a few remaining voices, and when the church reopened in 2014, it returned without the musical memory that had shaped it for generations. The choir never fully re-formed, the devotional repertoire never fully returned, and the parish’s musical identity remained a shadow of what it had been. Today, as the last remaining member of the old St. Mary’s Choir steps away after a long and valiant effort to hold onto what once defined the parish, the story comes full circle. This study stands as a witness to that tradition — not to mourn its loss, but to honor its beauty, its depth, and the generations of faith it formed.

Is This Hymn Catholic?

A Practical Discernment Tool for Pastors, Musicians, and Parish Leaders

Pastoral Preface

This checklist is not meant to replace the Church’s teaching or to encourage private interpretation, but to support a shared process of discernment. Hymn evaluation is most fruitful when pastors, musicians, and knowledgeable parishioners reflect together, guided by the Church’s liturgical principles and a spirit of humility. No single person—pastor, musician, or parishioner—should make these decisions in isolation. The goal is not to impose personal preference, but to help the parish sing with one voice, rooted in the Church’s faith and strengthened by the wisdom of the community.

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1. Does the hymn express Catholic doctrine clearly?

Does it proclaim the mysteries of salvation (Incarnation, Cross, Resurrection, Eucharist)?
Does it reflect the Church’s sacramental worldview?
Does it avoid language of self‑redemption or self‑creation?
Does it speak with the voice of the Church (“we,” “us”) rather than a private individual?
Does it avoid vague spirituality or therapeutic language?

If the hymn obscures grace or implies self‑renewal, it is not suitable for the liturgy.

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2. Does the hymn reflect Catholic liturgical identity?

Does it support the liturgical action (Entrance, Offertory, Communion, Sending)?
Does it avoid “voice of God” texts the Church does not authorize?
Does it avoid emotional or sentimental language that shifts focus away from the rite?
Does it align with the liturgical season?

If the hymn does not serve the rite, it does not belong at Mass.

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3. Does the hymn reflect Catholic devotional tradition?

Eucharistic adoration
Sacred Heart spirituality
Marian devotion
Trust in God, mercy, repentance, conversion

These hymns are doctrinally sound but not originally written for Mass.

They may be used with pastoral discretion.

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4. Is the hymn Protestant in origin but doctrinally safe?

Is it scriptural, reverent, and compatible with Catholic belief?
Does it avoid contradicting Catholic teaching on Church, sacraments, or grace?
Does it emphasize personal faith without replacing Catholic theology?

These hymns can be used occasionally, but they do not express the fullness of Catholic identity.

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Does the hymn contain theological or liturgical problems?

Red flags include:

First‑person divine speech
Ambiguous Eucharistic theology
Self‑help or therapeutic spirituality
Sentimental or romantic language
Focus on personal feelings rather than the Paschal Mystery
Texts implying self‑salvation or self‑renewal

These hymns should not be used at Mass.

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6. Practical Parish Questions

Has anyone actually read the text carefully?
Does the hymn appear in a missalette without doctrinal vetting?
Is the hymn being used simply because it is familiar?
Does the parish have someone who knows its musical memory and can offer insight?
Have pastor and musician discussed the hymn together?

The goal is shared formation, not correction.

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7. Final Discernment Question

Does this hymn help the parish pray as the Catholic Church prays?

If the answer is yes, it belongs.

If the answer is no, it does not.

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Closing Paragraph

Ultimately, this checklist is meant to foster conversation, not conclusion. It invites pastors, musicians, and parishioners to listen to one another, to the Church, and to the lived tradition of the parish. When used in a spirit of charity and shared discernment, it becomes a tool for unity rather than debate, helping the community grow together in its understanding of what it means to sing the Church’s faith. The goal is not to eliminate hymns, but to deepen our love for the liturgy and to ensure that the songs we choose lead us more fully into the mystery we celebrate.

Download the PDF

A PASTORAL LOOK AT THE HYMNS WE SING: PAST & PRESENT – The Parish Hymnody Study— PDF

What is a Catholic Hymn?

A Doctrinally Grounded Definition for Parish Musicians

Introduction

As Catholic musicians, we are entrusted with shaping the Church’s sung prayer. The Catechism teaches that the sacred liturgy is the public worship of the Church, where Christ the Head and His Body offer praise to the Father¹. In an era when missalettes draw from both Catholic and Protestant hymn traditions, we are invited to ask a foundational question: what defines a Catholic hymn within the Church’s own understanding of liturgical prayer? The Catechism reminds us that liturgical music must express the faith of the Church, flow from her doctrine, and serve the dignity of the sacred rites². How well do we recognize the characteristics that distinguish Catholic hymnody, and can we identify those distinctions when selecting music for the liturgy we serve?

A Catholic hymn is more than a religious song. It is a sung expression of the Church’s faith, shaped by doctrine, rooted in tradition, and ordered toward the liturgical action of the Mass. This definition is grounded in three authoritative sources: the Catechism of the Catholic Church¹, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal², and the USCCB’s 2020 document Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church³.

In developing this definition, we also reviewed the major Church documents that guide the Church’s understanding of sacred music, including Sacrosanctum Concilium, Musicam Sacram, Tra le Sollecitudini, De Musica Sacra, the Roman Missal, and the Graduale Romanum. Each of these sources affirms the same core principles: hymns used in the liturgy must express Catholic doctrine clearly, serve the liturgical action of the Mass, participate in the Church’s sacred musical tradition, and be approved by ecclesial authority. The definition presented here is fully consistent with these documents and reflects the Church’s own understanding of authentic Catholic hymnody.

1. A Catholic Hymn Must Express the Truth of the Catholic Faith

Hymns used in the liturgy must faithfully express Catholic doctrine³, especially regarding the Trinity, the divinity and humanity of Christ, the Paschal Mystery, the Eucharist as sacrifice and real presence, the Church as sacramental and communal, and the life of grace¹. Hymns that obscure Christ’s identity, weaken Eucharistic doctrine, or reduce salvation to subjective experience are unsuitable for liturgical use³.

2. A Catholic Hymn Must Serve the Liturgical Action of the Mass

The GIRM teaches that sung texts are part of the liturgical action itself². For example, the Entrance Chant must open the celebration, foster unity, introduce the mystery of the season or feast, and accompany the procession². A hymn may be beautiful and doctrinally sound, but if it does not serve the ritual action, it is not functioning as Catholic hymnody².

3. A Catholic Hymn Participates in the Church’s Tradition of Sacred Music

Sacred music exists for the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful¹. A Catholic hymn reflects the Church’s sacramental worldview, draws from Scripture and tradition¹, maintains continuity with the Church’s musical heritage, and avoids styles or texts that prioritize performance or sentimentality³.

4. A Catholic Hymn Must Be Approved or Permitted for Liturgical Use

The GIRM requires that sung texts at the Entrance, Offertory, and Communion come from the Roman Gradual, the Simple Gradual, or another liturgical chant approved by the Conference of Bishops². This means hymn texts must undergo doctrinal review³, hymnals must be approved by ecclesial authority², and not every Christian hymn is suitable for Mass³.

5. A Catholic Hymn Reflects the Church’s Ecclesial and Sacramental Identity

The USCCB identifies recurring issues in contemporary hymnody³, including overemphasis on individual experience, ambiguous references to Christ, weak Eucharistic language, and reduction of salvation to emotion. A Catholic hymn must present Christ clearly³, express the Church’s communal identity¹, reflect sacramental realism¹, and support the faithful in entering the mysteries of the liturgy².

Authoritative Definition

A Catholic hymn is a sung text that faithfully expresses Catholic doctrine³, serves the liturgical action of the Mass as articulated in the GIRM², participates in the Church’s sacred musical tradition¹, and is approved for liturgical use by ecclesial authority².

6. Comparison Chart: Liturgical, Devotional, and Non‑Catholic Hymns

This chart summarizes the essential differences between the three major categories of hymn texts encountered in parish life. It is designed for quick reference by parish musicians, catechists, and liturgy planners.

Liturgical Hymns

Texts that belong to the liturgy itself (e.g., the Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, sequences, and the Liturgy of the Hours hymns).
Their wording is fixed by the Church and cannot be altered.
They express the Church’s prayer in an official, juridical sense.
They are universal: the same text is used throughout the world.
They are not optional “songs” but integral parts of the rite.

Devotional Hymns

Texts that arise from the Church’s devotional life rather than the liturgy.
They express approved Catholic devotions: Marian, Sacred Heart, angels, saints, Eucharistic adoration, etc.
They may be used at Mass when doctrinally sound and pastorally appropriate.
They support the faithful’s participation but are not part of the liturgical books.
They vary by region, culture, parish tradition, and religious communities.

Non‑Catholic Hymns

Texts originating outside Catholic tradition or expressing non‑Catholic theology.
May contain ambiguity, incomplete doctrine, or ideas inconsistent with Catholic teaching.
Require careful discernment before use in a Catholic liturgy.
Not automatically excluded but must be evaluated for doctrinal clarity.
Should never replace liturgical texts or obscure Catholic identity.

Key Principle

Liturgical hymns belong to the rite itself. Devotional hymns support the rite and express Catholic spirituality. Non‑Catholic hymns must be evaluated carefully and used only when they clearly express the Catholic faith.

7. The Historical Use of Devotional Hymns at Mass

Although the Church defines a liturgical hymn as a text belonging to the sacred rites themselves, the lived tradition of the Roman Rite reveals a broader musical practice. For centuries, Catholic parishes have incorporated devotional hymns into the celebration of Mass, not as liturgical texts, but as expressions of the Church’s devotional life that support the faithful’s participation. This practice developed especially from the 17th century onward and became a defining feature of parish life across the English-speaking Catholic world.

A. Why Devotional Hymns Were Used at Mass

The Church has always recognized the value of approved Catholic devotions such as Marian devotion, the Sacred Heart, the angels, St. Joseph, the saints, and Eucharistic adoration. Hymns expressing these devotions were permitted at Mass when they were doctrinally sound, expressed Catholic faith clearly, supported the people’s prayer, and harmonized with the liturgical season or feast. These hymns were not liturgical texts, but they were authentically Catholic and served as a bridge between the devotional life of the faithful and the liturgical action.

B. A Common Practice Across Catholic Countries

This was not a local or isolated custom. Hymnologists and researchers consistently report that the same patterns were found in the United States, England, Ireland, and Canada. In all these regions, devotional hymnody formed a shared Catholic culture. Parishioners learned the liturgical year, the saints, and the mysteries of the faith through the hymns they sang.

C. Pre-Mass Devotional Hymns: A Universal Parish Tradition

One of the most widespread expressions of Catholic devotional hymnody was the singing of devotional hymns before Mass. This musical prelude was not part of the liturgy itself, but it served an important pastoral and catechetical purpose: it prepared the faithful spiritually and connected them to the rhythm of the liturgical year.

This custom was practiced across the Catholic world, and your own parish, St. Mary’s in Akron, Ohio, embodied it beautifully. Before Mass, the choir regularly sang older Marian hymns from before the 1960s, hymns to the Guardian Angels, hymns to St. Joseph, and hymns to saints whose feasts were approaching. These hymns were intentionally chosen to announce upcoming feasts, honor the saint or mystery of the approaching day, foster recollection and devotion, and prepare the congregation for the sacred mysteries. This was not merely a musical prelude; it was catechesis through hymnody, forming the devotional imagination of the parish and strengthening Catholic identity.

Researchers and hymnologists consistently report that this same pattern was found throughout English-speaking Catholicism. St. Mary’s was participating in a shared, trans-Atlantic Catholic culture, where devotional hymnody supported the liturgical life of the parish without being part of the liturgical texts themselves.

D. Examples of Devotional Hymns Historically Used at Mass

Sacred Heart hymns (“O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine”)
Marian hymns (“Mother Dear, O Pray for Me”)
Eucharistic devotional hymns (“Veni Jesu, Amor Mi”)
Hymns to the angels (“Beautiful Angel from Heaven So Bright”)
Hymns to the saints (“Dear Guardian of Mary”)
Mission and parish hymns (“O Holy Name of Majesty and Power,” hymn of the Holy Name Society)
Hymns from religious orders — especially those whose sisters staffed Catholic schools and shaped parish devotional life:
- Sisters of Notre Dame
- Sisters of St. Joseph
- Sisters of Mercy

These communities produced some of the most beloved devotional hymns sung in American parishes, and their influence was especially strong in places like St. Mary’s in Akron, Ohio, where their hymnody formed generations of Catholic children and shaped the parish’s devotional imagination.

E. The Key Principle

Devotional hymns may be used at Mass when they are doctrinally Catholic, express the Church’s faith, and support the people’s participation, even though they are not liturgical hymns by definition. This historical reality helps parish musicians today understand the full landscape of Catholic hymnody: liturgical hymns, devotional hymns used in liturgical contexts, and non-Catholic hymns.

F. Discernment of Parish Musical Traditions

Every parish carries a musical story — hymns that have been sung for generations, melodies that shaped childhood faith, and devotional songs that became part of the parish’s spiritual “family history.” These traditions deserve genuine respect. They often reflect the devotion of the people, the influence of teaching sisters, and the lived Catholicism that formed so many of us.

At the same time, the Church invites us to look at these traditions with loving discernment. Not every hymn that is familiar is necessarily suitable for Mass, and not every cherished song expresses the fullness of Catholic faith. Discernment does not mean rejecting our past; it means honoring what is good and gently refining what needs clarity.

When evaluating parish musical traditions, we look for hymns that express Catholic teaching clearly and beautifully, draw the faithful toward prayer rather than sentimentality, reflect the mysteries of the liturgical year, strengthen Catholic identity, and help the whole community pray with one heart.

This kind of discernment allows a parish to treasure its musical heritage while ensuring that everything sung at Mass truly serves the sacred liturgy. In this way, tradition and liturgical integrity work together — preserving what has nourished the faithful and passing on what is best to the next generation.

Companion Document

For a fuller pastoral reflection on how these principles shape parish life and musical choices, see the companion document, A Pastoral Look at the Hymns We Sing: The Parish Hymnody Study.

Pastoral FAQs for Parish Musicians

1. Why can’t we just sing any hymn we like at Mass?

Because the Mass has its own texts and prayers given by the Church. Hymns can support the liturgy, but they cannot replace the liturgy’s own words. Our goal is to choose music that helps the whole parish pray with the mind of the Church.

2. What makes a hymn “Catholic”?

A hymn is Catholic when its text expresses the Church’s faith clearly and fully. This includes devotion to Mary, the saints, the angels, the Sacred Heart, the Eucharist, and the mysteries of Christ. Catholic hymnody is rooted in Scripture, doctrine, and the Church’s devotional life.

3. Are devotional hymns allowed at Mass?

Yes. Devotional hymns have been used at Mass for centuries, especially before Mass and at certain points where the Church permits a suitable hymn. They are not liturgical texts, but they can support the people’s prayer when they express Catholic faith clearly.

4. Why did we sing certain hymns before Mass when I was growing up?

Many parishes, including St. Mary’s in Akron, had strong devotional traditions shaped by teaching sisters and parish missions. These hymns prepared the faithful for Mass, taught the mysteries of the faith, and connected the parish to the liturgical year.

5. What about hymns from other Christian traditions?

Some may be usable, but they must be evaluated carefully. If a hymn expresses incomplete or non‑Catholic theology, it may not be appropriate for Mass. Our goal is always to strengthen Catholic identity and clarity of faith.

6. How do we balance parish tradition with liturgical integrity?

We honor what has nourished the parish while also ensuring that every hymn used at Mass expresses Catholic faith clearly and supports the liturgy. This means preserving what is good, refining what needs clarity, and helping the parish pray with one heart.

For a fuller explanation of how the Church understands different kinds of hymns and how parish traditions fit into this, see Sections 6 and 7 of this handout.

ENDNOTES (Quick‑Reference Version)

1. Catechism of the Catholic Church — core teachings for hymn selection:

CCC 1066–1075 — What the liturgy is; Christ the Head and His Body offering worship.
CCC 1124–1125 — Lex orandi, lex credendi: liturgy must express the Church’s faith.
CCC 1156–1158 — Sacred music as integral to liturgy; must express doctrine.
CCC 1674–1676 — Popular piety and devotions in harmony with the liturgy.

2. General Instruction of the Roman Missal — norms governing sung texts:

GIRM 39–41 — Purpose of sacred music in the Mass.
GIRM 47–48 — Entrance Chant: purpose and function.
GIRM 74 — Offertory Chant: unity and ritual action.
GIRM 86–87 — Communion Chant: expressing unity and joy.

3. USCCB, Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church (2020) — doctrinal criteria:

Christological clarity — hymns must clearly confess Christ.
Eucharistic realism — hymns must reflect sacrifice and real presence.
Ecclesial identity — hymns must express the Church as communal and sacramental.
Doctrinal review — hymns must be evaluated for theological accuracy.

Download the PDF

What is a Catholic Hymn?— PDF

Catechism of the Catholic Church Catholic hymnody Catholic hymns Catholic liturgical music GIRM hymn selection parish music ministry USCCB hymn guidelines

I Am A Faithful Catholic

I was listening to a new collection of hymns recordings in November of 2021 on The Devotional Hymns Project website produced by Peter Meggison when I heard the hymn I am a Faithful Catholic for the very first time to a melody composed by W. A. Mozart and I knew then that I wanted to include it in my collection of devotional hymns.

The earliest appearance of this hymn is found in EASY HYMNS AND SACRED SONGS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, published in London by Burns & Lambert in 1853. This collection of children’s hymns was compiled by Father Henry Formby (1816-1884). This hymnal appeared in a period which produced many hymns for children. (Click on any image to enlarge)

Henry Formby was born in 1816, the son of Henry Grenehalgh Formby, second son of Richard Formby, of Formby Hall, county Lancaster, Esg. He was educated at Clitheroe Grammar School, and from there to the Charterhouse School, and ultimately was admitted into Brasenose College, Oxford. He received a Master of Arts and took Orders in the Church of England. He was appointed vicar of Ruardean, county, Gloucester. He petitioned to have his parish divided but was opposed by his bishop. This was during the Tractarian Movement or Oxford Movement, which Mr. Formby followed with keen interest.

The Oxford Movement was a 19th‑century reform effort in the Church of England that aimed to revive its Catholic heritage. It stressed apostolic succession, the importance of the sacraments, and more elaborate, beautiful liturgical worship. One of the most prominent figures of this movement was John Henry Newman, now St. John Henry Newman.

As a result, Mr. Formby was received into the Catholic Church, at St. Mary’s College, Oscott, January 24, 1846. After passing through a course of theology at Oscott, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Wareing (1791-1865) the first Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Northampton, on September 18, 1847. For several years, Father Formby served at St. Chads, Birmingham, and at Wednesbury, but for the last 18 or 20 years of his life he resided at the Dominican Priory of St. Peter, Hinckley, county Leicester, during which time he assisted in preparing the novices for priesthood.

Father Formby died while on a visit to Colonel Worswick at Normanton Hall, county Leicester, on March 12, 1884, at the age of 67. He is buried at St. Joseph’s College, Mill Hill. He spent much of his life dedicated to bringing about knowledge of the Scriptures and the Catholic faith by publishing more than forty volumes of Catholic catechetical material beautifully illustrated with instructive pictures.

In the preface to EASY HYMNS AND SACRED SONGS, the editor provides attribution for the material included and offers particular thanks to three communities of nuns, acknowledging their contributions and assistance.

To the Convent of the Holy Child, St. Leonard’s-on-the-Sea, Hastings.
The Sisters of Mercy, those from the Convent of Kinsale and
The Convent of Charleville, County Cork, Ireland.

Although the hymns contributed by the Sisters of the Holy Child and the Kinsale community are not individually attributed, the Sisters of Mercy in Charleville are specifically acknowledged by name.

Sister M. J., now identified as Sr. Mary Joseph Croke (1825-1888) who wrote the hymn Kind Guardian Angel, Thanks To Thee.
Sister Agnes, now identified as Sister Agnes McSweeny (1823-1905) who wrote Hail, Glorious St. Patrick.
Sister M. B., her contributions include I am a Little Catholic, Sing A Joyous Carol, Jesus Teach Me How To Pray, and Heart of the Holy Child.

I contacted the archivist for the Sisters of Mercy in County Cork, Ireland to identify Sister M.B. However, because the archives were closed during COVID‑19 restrictions, the archivist could provide only limited information. As a result, Sister M.B.’s identity remains unknown at present. Click the link to learn more about the Sisters of Mercy in Charleville.

Melodies

The hymn originally appeared under the title I Am a Little Catholic, with an opening verse affirming the singer’s Catholic identity and belief in the Church’s continuity. In the 1864 hymnal CROWN OF JESUS MUSIC, published in London by Thomas Ricardson & Son, set to a melody attributed to Mozart, it was retitled I Am a Faithful Catholic and its first verse was revised to emphasize fidelity and steadfastness to the Church. This revised version became the standard text and continued to be printed in both American and English Catholic hymnals until the 1920s. (Click on any image to enlarge)

In addition to the melody attributed to Mozart, five other tunes for the hymn were identified.

CATHOLIC HYMNS AND CANTICLES (1863) and THE COMPLETE SODALITY MANUAL (1863), both compiled by Father Alfred Young, C.S.P. (1831–1900) of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in New York, preserve the hymn in its original form, I am a little Catholic. Father Young composed and arranged the tunes for more than forty hymns.

CANTICA SACRA or Hymns for the Children of Catholic Schools (1880) contains two melodies. This new edition of CANTICA SACRA was published because many priests and school leaders asked for it. It includes new litanies to the Blessed Virgin Mary and a Requiem Mass arranged so children can sing it.

The publishers also thanked the clergy, the Sisters of Notre Dame, and J. Frank Donahoe from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston for their help. The melodies were likely composed or arranged by the organist J. Frank Donahoe. The first edition was published in 1865, a second edition in 1871, and a third edition in 1880.

The PAROCHIAL HYMN BOOK (1883, 1897) credits the melody to W. A. Lockay, yet no trace of him appears in any musical or hymnological records. The 1883 edition identifies the tune as a French melody, making it likely that Lockay was not the composer but a local parish musician who arranged or adapted an existing French devotional air.

The 1883 edition was published by Burns & Oates in London, and the 1897 edition was published in Dublin, London and New York. The compiler of both hymn books was Father Anatole Police, S.M. (1834 – 1896) who was an accomplished musician and widely known in Boston for his devotion to the ministry of confessions.

THE NOTRE DAME HYMN TUNE BOOK (1905) credits its melody to Moir Brown, who helped compile the hymn book with Frank N. Birtchnell. Brown wrote more than twenty original tunes for the collection. The book was published in Liverpool by Rockliff Brothers and was created to provide complete musical settings for the hymns used by the Sisters of Notre Dame. Traditional melodies were kept, and many hymns received musical settings for the first time.

The MANUAL OF SELECT CATHOLIC HYMNS AND DEVOTIONS (1885, 1925) reprints the No. 1 tune found in the Cantica Sacra. This collection of hymns for the use of schools, colleges, academies, and congregations was compiled and arranged by Father Philip Mary Colonel, C.SS.R. (1843-1925).

Father Philip Mary Colonel was a Bavarian‑born Redemptorist priest whose life was marked by steady, devoted service. Born in 1843 and professed at a young age, he spent twenty‑five influential years at St. Mary’s Church in Buffalo, where he ministered to German‑Catholic immigrants and published a well‑used hymnal in 1885. His brother Joseph was also a Redemptorist, serving in the St. Louis Province. Father Colonel spent his final years in the Baltimore community of St. Michael the Archangel, where he died in 1925.

Reflection

The verses of this hymn present a series of affirmations of Catholic belief, each one pointing to a cherished element of the Church’s life and tradition. The hymn invokes my Holy Faith, the Holy Church, His Altar, Mother Mary, the Saints, the Cross, and the Beads—a clear reference to the Rosary. Together, these form a tapestry of sacramentals and devotions that have long served as visible signs of Catholic identity.

The text also hints at the contrast between believers and those who do not share the faith, captured in the line Let foolish men rail as they will. This gentle but firm acknowledgment of opposition underscores the steadfastness of the believer’s commitment.

Although originally written for children, the hymn carries a simplicity and sincerity that speak to all ages. Its clear expression of faith makes it especially suitable for school religion classes, Youth Ministries, or as a joyful entrance or recessional hymn at Mass.

What part of those verses stays with you the most—the celebration side, or the truth claim underneath it? Take a moment to reflect on the verses and I think you’ll agree that its message is timeless: a confident, heartfelt celebration of the beauty and truth of the Catholic Faith.

A special thank you to Peter Meggison producer of The Devotional Hymns Project for allowing me to link to a recording of I Am A Faithful Catholic as sung by The Ensemble Cor et Vox at St. John Cantius Church in Chicago.

In addition, piano arrangements of the melodies mentioned above are included below. These sound files are computer‑generated. While the tempos are approximate, they should give listeners a clear sense of how each hymn is intended to sound. All selections are in the public domain. Music directors who choose to use any of these hymns in their Sunday or weekly programs and create a recording are invited to contact the author; selected recordings may be featured in the What’s New section of the website.

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Silent Night

This beautiful devotional Catholic Christmas hymn was written by Father Joseph Mohr, a Catholic priest of the parish of St. Nicholas, in the small village of Oberndorf, Austria, for Mid-night Mass, December 24, 1818. The inspiration for the lyrics of this hymn is shrouded in several charming stories that have been passed down over the years. One such story places Father Mohr on an emergency call late one night to take the last rites to a dying member of his parish who lived high up beyond the village limits.

On the way home from his sad mission, he looked down upon the candle lights beaming from the windows in the homes nestled in the village and then turned his gaze upward to the starry heavens gleaming above the mountains. The wind, which normally is restless in its shifting among the mountain tops, was quite still. Soon his thoughts took him to the coming Advent, and a sacred vision entered his mind that the Christ Child must have been born in Bethlehem on such a night. He saw the shepherds watching their flocks by night and the angel’s song Gloria in Excelsis echoing above the valley floor. Being extremely late at night, he hurried home and to his study and with a feathered quill sat at his desk to write the message of Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.

In the early morning hours, he set out with his manuscript in hand to show it to the old church organist, Franz Gruber. Upon reading the words and in what must have been a divinely inspired moment, a melody flooded his mind, and he began to softly sing the words to his wife and Father Mohr. Over time the hymn became known to all the people in the village and by 1831 was sung by the Strasser sisters at the Leipzig Fair. From there its popularity continued to grow. What a charming story indeed!

Translations

In my research, I discovered that there have been at least 7 different translations. In 1858, the hymn was translated into English by a hymn writer under her pseudonym E. S. Elliot or Emily Elizabeth Steele Elliot (1836-1897), and privately printed for St. Mark’s Church, Brighton. This translation, Stilly Night, Holy Night! Silent stars shed their light appeared in only a few European publications. The hymn was popularized in the United States by the Renner family of singers touring America in 1827. The first printed edition in the United States was around 1840 but was not widely distributed. A second translation was done by Episcopal priest John Freeman Young (1820-1885). His translation appeared in his Carols for Christmas, 1859. This translation has become the common text for the hymn today, Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright, and is sometimes referred to as the Protestant version. To learn more about the various translations of this Christmas hymn visit The Hymns and Carols for Christmas website.

Hymnals

The hymns first appearance in Catholic hymnals was in the LAUDIS CORONA, 1880 and a translation, Silent Night, sacred night, Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light, by an unknown author is considered the Catholic version. (click on any image to enlarge)

Next appearance:

Sunday School Hymn Book, 1887, 1905 & 1935 – Sisters of Notre Dame (SND)
Holy Family Hymn Book, 1904 – Francis Buttler
The New Catholic Hymn Book, 1906 – Louis Berge
The Crown Hymnal, 1912 – Father Kavanagh & James McLaughlin
De La Salle Hymnal, 1913 – Brothers of the Christian Schools
Manual of Catholic Hymns, 1916 – Father B. Dieringer & Father Jos. J. Pierron
Father Finn’s Carol Book, 1917 – Father Finn conductor of Paulist Choristers
Holy Cross Church Hymnal, 1919 – text only, Bp. John J. Cantwell, Los Angelus
Catholic Hymnal, 1920 – Father John G. Hacker, S.J., Canisius College, N.Y.
Hymns Used by the Pupils of the Sisters of Notre Dame, 1920, 1948, & 1951 – text only
The St. Gregory Hymnal, 1920 & 1940 – The St. Gregory Guild, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
The American Catholic Hymnal, 1921 – The Marist Brothers of N.Y. (not in the 1913 ed.)
The Standard Catholic Hymnal, 1921 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Mary’s Hymnal, 1924, 1944-1950 – Catholic Book Publishing Co., N.Y.
Young People’s Catholic Hymn Book, 1924 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Louis Berge
Basil’s Hymnal, 1925, 1935 & 1953 – The Basilian Fathers – 31^st ed. is first appearance
Sursum Corda, 1925 – Sisters of St. Francis, Stella Niagara, N. Y.
The Catholic School Hymnal, 1930 – J. P. Donnelly, Emil Ascher Inc., New York
Selected Hymns, 1930 – Sisters of St. Joseph, Boston – text only
Joseph’s Hymnal, 1930 – Sisters of St. Joseph, Nazareth, Michigan (3^rd and 6^th ed.)
A Daily Hymn Book, 1930 – Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., London
The Gloria Hymnal, 1933 – The Basilian Press, Detroit, Michigan
Easy Hymnal Notation, 1934 – Saint Anthony Guild Press, New Jersey – text only
Manual of Hymns for Parochial Schools, 1935 – The Public Press, Philadelphia – text only
The Ave Maria Hymnal, 1936 – Fr. Joseph J. Pierron, The Bruce Publishing Co., Milwaukee
The Saint Rose Hymnal, 1940 – Sisters of St. Francis, La Crosse, Wisconsin
Laudate Choir Manual, 1942 – Fr. Joseph Hohe; Ed. by Fr. Koch, Ph. D., & Fr. Green, O.S.B.
Prayers and Hymns for Children, 1943 – Propagation of the Faith Press, Boston – text only
The Saint Andrew Hymnal, 1945 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Sing to the Lord, 1946 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Manual of Hymns for Catholic Schools, 1948 – The Voshardt Press, New Jersey – text only
Parochial Hymnal, 1936, 1951 – J. Fischer & Bro., New York
The Westminster Hymnal, 1939, 1952 – Ronald Knox & Bp. David Mathew
The Pius X Hymnal, 1953 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Alverno Hymnal Book 1, 1954 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Parish Hymnal, 1954 – Saint Francis Church Cleveland, Ohio – text only
The St. Cecilia Hymnal, 1955 – Frederick Pustet Co., Inc.,
Mediator Dei Hymnal, 1955 – Gregorian Institute of America (Cyr De Brant)
The People’s Hymnal, 1955 – World Library of Sacred Music, Cincinnati, Ohio
The New Saint Basil Hymnal, 1958 – Ralph Jusko Publications, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio
The Catholic Chapel Hymnal, 1944 thru 1968 – McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, MA.
Cantate Omnes, 1958 – Cantate Omnes Publications, Buffalo, NY.
The BVM Hymnal, 1961 – Gregorian Institute of America, Toledo, Ohio
Cantus Populi, 1963 and 1964 – Theodore Marier, McLaughlin and Reilly Co., Boston, MA.

Because there are so many hymnals with variations on the text of Silent Night, I decided to group the hymnals based on the verses.

Hymnals with – Silent Night, Sacred Night, Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light (LAUDIS CORONA)
Hymnals with – Silent Night, Holy Night, Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light (ST. GREGORY)
Hymnals with – Silent Night, plus variations on the text (Various hymnals)

I thought this approach would offer a better understanding of the hymn text as it appeared during the late 19th to the mid-20^th century period. Even with this approach this article is quite lengthy.

My research is limited to my personal collection of 158 Catholic hymnals dating from 1840 thru 1974, and the Caecilia Magazine Archives which begins in 1926 thru the 1960s as well as The Catholic Choirmaster Archives which begin in 1915 thru 1930.

I also have some modern hymnals like Adoremus, Gather, Glory & Praise, Ignatius Pew Missal, The St. Paul Hymnal, and few Protestant hymnals including:

Junior Hymns & Songs, 1927 – Bethany Edition, Presbyterian Committee of Publication.
The Excelsior Hymnal, 1919 – Tullar & Merideth Co., New York City
Songs and Service Book for Ships & Field, 1927 – Army & Navy ed.
The Hymnal 1940 Companion, 1949 -1951 – Protestant Episcopal Church, New York

I did not include these modern hymnals because the text of Silent Night is the common text we know today.

Text Review of Catholic Hymn Books

The text of the hymn found in the LAUDIS CORONA above appeared in several Catholic hymn books until the mid-1940s.

Sunday School Hymn Book, 1887, 1905 & 1935
Holy Family Hymn Book, 1904
The Crown Hymnal, 1912
De La Salle Hymnal, 1913
Manual of Catholic Hymns, 1916
Holy Cross Church Hymnal, 1919
Hymns used by the Pupils of the SND, 1920, 1948-1951*
The American Catholic Hymnal, 1921**
The Standard Catholic Hymnal, 1921
The Catholic School Hymnal, 1930
Selected Hymns, 1930
A Daily Hymn Book, 1930
The Ave Maria Hymnal, 1936
The Saint Rose Hymnal, 1945
The Saint Andrew Hymnal, 1945

* Hymns used by the Pupils of the Sisters of Notre Dame modified the text Floats around the holy pair to Floats around the holy place otherwise the text is the same. This modification only appears in this hymn book.

** The hymn did not appear in the 1913 edition.

The text found in the ST. GREGORY HYMNAL AND CHOIR BOOK published in 1920 and 1940 was compiled by Nicola Montani. It was used in the following hymn books listed below. This is likely a result of the influence by the Society of St. Gregory America. This musical committee was founded by Nicola Montani in 1918 and was responsible for sweeping changes by severely criticizing existing and widely used Catholic hymn books like the St. Basil’s Hymnal, by the creation of a Black List of disapproved music and a White List of approved music.

St. Basil’s Hymnal, 1925 – 1953
St. Joseph’s Hymnal, 1930
The Gloria Hymnal, 1933
Manual of Hymns for Parochial Schools, 1935
Prayers and Hymns for Children, 1943
Manual of Hymns for Catholic Schools, 1948
The Parochial Hymnal, 1936 & 1951
The St. Cecilia Hymnal, 1955

Note: The only difference in the text from Laudis Corona of 1880 and the St. Gregory hymnals is the substitution of holy night vs sacred night, otherwise the text is the same.

The first hymnal to have text different from the LAUDIS CORONA was found in THE NEW CATHOLIC HYMN BOOK, published in 1906 as well as the YOUNG PEOPLE’S CATHOLIC HYMN BOOK published in 1909. The hymn books were compiled by Louis Berge (1840-1914). (click on any image to enlarge)

Louis Arthur Berge (1840-1914) was born in Darmstadt, Germany and came to the United States around 1850 where he took up residence in New York. He became one of the first published organists and composer of the country.

By 1860, his musical compositions included marches, waltzes, and polka’s. In 1866, Louis Berge & Company was established at 97 Bleecker Street in New York where he manufactured Grand, Square and Upright piano-fortes. He sold new and second-hand pianos and organs as well as an assortment of other musical instruments including guitars, violins, flutes, and banjos for rent or hire.

Around 1896, The Berge Music Company was established and in 1904, Louis published his first Catholic hymn book: BERGE’S BOOK OF GEMS for the use of Catholic Schools and Choirs. With the success of his first hymn book and at the request of many of the religious entrusted with the education of Sunday School and Parish Schools, Louis published THE NEW CATHOLIC HYMN BOOK, 1906;

In 1909, he published the YOUNG PEOPLE’S CATHOLIC HYMN BOOK which received several letters of attribution from the clergy including Archbishop Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore and New York Archbishop John M. Farley, D.D., who granted the Imprimatur, The hymn books featured compositions by both Louis Berge and his son William E. Berge, as well as other composers. In 1911, Louis Berge published the ROSARY, a selection of Sacred Songs consisting chiefly of his own compositions. Louis Berge died on March 31, 1914, in New York and is buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Manhattan.

In 1924, McLaughlin and Reilly Music Company acquired the rights to the hymn books and republished them. The McLaughlin and Reilly Music Company of Boston was one of the most successful music publishers of the 20th century.

The next variation on the text appears in FATHER FINN’S CAROL BOOK published in 1917.

Father Williman J Finn, C.S.P. (1881-1961), was best known as the Conductor of the Paulist Choristers, a famous Catholic group of singers who performed weekly on national radio both in Chicago (1904-1918), and New York (1918-1940s). Catholic radio programs were extremely popular before the age of television and included an audience of tens of millions of Americans every week. One interesting fact about Father Finn is that he is the nephew of Sister Paulina Finn who was also a prolific hymn writer who’s pen name was M.S. Pine.

Father Finn was born in Boston, Mass., on September 7^th, 1881. He was a pupil of Boston Latin School, graduated St. Charles’ College, Ellicott City, Maryland in 1900. He was ordained a priest in the Paulist Community in 1906, from St. Thomas’ College, Catholic University of America. He studied music at New England Conservatory of Music. He specialized in Ecclesiastical Music in London, Paris and Boston.

In the late 1930s, Father Finn began to lose his hearing and suffered a stroke in 1940. It was necessary for him to retire from choral work. He spent three years at Old Saint Mary’s parish in Chicago during the early 1940s. He returned to New York where he remained for the rest of his life.

He was severely burned in a fire while residing at his apartment in Yonkers with his niece. Her quick actions in smothering the flames saved his life initially, but his injuries proved fatal. He died on March 20, 1961, at the age of 79. Father Finn spent 54 years as a Paulist priest.

For more information about Father Finn and the Paulist Choristers, you can read a wonderful article devoted to Father Finn and the Paulist Choristers at the Caecilia Archives August 1934 Volume 60 edition of the Caecilia Magazine.

Variations of the hymn text continued to appear throughout the 1920s.

The Catholic Hymnal, 1920 compiled by Father John. G. Hacker, S.J.
The St. Mary’s Hymnal, 1924, 1944-1950) compiled by Christian A. Zittel
Sursum Corda, 1925 compiled by the Sisters of St. Francis, Stella Niagara, N.Y.

Father Hacker was born in Buffalo, N. Y., on August 21, 1877. He received his early education at St. Louis’ Parochial School, Canisius High School and Canisius College in that city. He entered the Society of Jesus on August 21, 1895, at the age of 18 in what was known as the Buffalo Mission of the German Province of that order. He completed is preliminary training in the order and in 1906 was sent to Valkenburg, Holland, for his course in theology.

After spending a year in his studies in Valkenburg, Father Hacker made an extensive tour through France and Spain and returned to the United States where he completed his theological training at Woodstock College in Maryland. While he was there, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1909, by Cardinal Gibbons. He served two years as a teacher at Canisius High School in Buffalo.

He took his final vows in the Society of Jesus on February 2, 1914, at Canisius College in Buffalo where he taught Latin, Greek, English and German for the next eight years. In 1921, he was transferred to the Jesuit House of Retreats at South Norwalk, Connecticut, where he completed the revision of his organ score to the Catholic Hymnal. He was Professor of Latin and Greek and assistant librarian at Boston College from 1923 to 1926.

From there he was assigned to Loyola College in Baltimore where he served as Professor of German and Prefect of Music until the time of his death. Father Hacker died on September 11, 1946, after a short illness. Not only was Father Hacker a linguist and classicist of note, but he was also the author of numerous musical compositions. (from the Loyola Notre Dame Library Necrology Report)

The St. Mary’s Hymnal published in 1924 and compiled by Christian A. Zittel, is probably one of the best German-American collections published in America for its day. Christian Zitell was the organist for more than fifty years at St. Mary’s, Toledo, Ohio and a very talented pupil of John Singenberger (1848-1924). The hymnal is divided into two sections, first are the devotional hymns and then second, the Ecclesiastical hymns for a total of 234 hymns.

The hymnal serves as an anthology of traditional German-American hymnody with numerous melodies from German gesangbuchs of the late nineteenth century including the Cologne, Trier, and St. Gall gesangbuchs. About a dozen of the melodies are from collections by Joseph Mohr and other English sources such as the Roman Hymnal.

The Sursum Corda was published in 1925 and was compiled by the Sisters of St. Francis of Stella Niagara, New York for the use of Catholic Schools. The organ accompaniment was provided by Father Florian Zettel, O.F.M., (1879-1947) from the Church of the Ascension Portland, Oregon. There is only one verse.

The organ book for Sursum Corda was prepared at the request of the Ven. Mother Gerard Zimmermann, Provincial Superior at Stella Niagara, N. Y., and was intended to meet the requirements of the new edition of the prayer book Sursum Corda. From the Introductory Remarks of the organ edition there is evidence that a previous edition existed and that the 1925 revision was not made with the idea of discarding all the music of the former Sursum Corda but retaining whatever was considered suitable in the old and adding or supplanting wherever a change was found desirable.

During the late 1940s, the ALVERNO HYMNAL AND CHOIR BOOK compiled and edited by Sister Mary Cherubim Schafer, O.S.F., was a high-point in the German-American tradition. It was originally printed in 1948 and enlarged in 1954. It was published by McLaughlin & Reilly Music., Co., The text of the hymn was a variant of the Laudis Corona text, substituting Holiest Night for Sacred Night and other edits. (click on any image to enlarge)

The ALVERNO HYMNAL appeared in three books.

1948 ALVERNO HYMNAL BOOK 1 – Advent, Christmas, Holy Name, Epiphany, Holy Family
1950 ALVERNO HYMNAL BOOK 2 – Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, The Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, Christ the King, and All Saints.
1953 ALVERNO HYMNAL BOOK 3 – Hymns for Low Mass, to Our Lord, the Holy Eucharist, the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Guardian Angles, Holy Souls and SS Joseph, Francis of Assisi, Patrick, Anthony and Cecilia.

Sister Cherubim’s musical accomplishments are extensive. She was the organist at St Lawrence Church, Milwaukee and director of music at St Joseph Convent. She established the St Joseph Convent Conservatory of Music, and later St Joseph Convent College of Music, published and edited the Liturgical Choir Book, the Organist’s Companion. She composed fort-five mass settings, hymns, motets and numerous works for the organ. She was a regular contributor to the Caecilia Magazine in the late 1930s.

Reflection

The usage of Silent Night in Catholic Christmas concerts or in Christmas programs appeared as early as 1915. In some parish Christmas programs the hymn was being used as the Processional and in other parishes, it was being Introduced. This programing continued into the 1930s. Below are a couple of examples.

By 1935, hymns such as Lo How a Rose and Bring a torch Jeanett Isabella, were gradually being replaced with Adeste Fideles and Silent Night, which had become a standard favorite in Christmas Carol programs.

From my review of the Caecilia Magazines, I learned of a Latin version of Silent Night – Silet Nox with Latin words arranged by DOM Gregory Hugle, O.S.B., which appeared in the July-August 1932 issue, Vol. 59 No. 7.

The music below was provided by The Devotional Hymns Project. There are three voice settings:

Children’s Voices
Mixed Voices
TTBB Voices

(Click on any image to enlarge)

A question by a concerned reader about Catholic text appeared in the March-April 1948 issue of the magazine in a question Is there such a thing as Catholic text. (click on the image below)

I transcribed the question from the March-April edition of the Caecilia Magazine and present it here in case it is not legible to some.

Q. Is there such a thing as a “Catholic” text for the annually sung hymn Silent Night, as distinct from a “Protestant” text? I find that some of our Catholic hymnals, like the St. Gregory Hymnal, use a set of words different from the common “All is calm, all is bright.” Why the difference?

A. The beautiful Christmas song, Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht, was composed in 1818 at Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria. Young Father Josef Mohr, vicar of the tiny Church of St. Nicholas wrote the poem, and its musical setting was the work of a friend, the schoolmaster-organist, Franz Gruber. It was heard by the villagers for the first time on Christmas of that year to the accompaniment of a guitar, for the organ had broken down.

I have not been able to ascertain who wrote the commonly-accepted English translation. But his was a worthy work, holding close to the Volkslied simplicity of the original German. The version found in the St. Gregory Hymnal appears also in the American Catholic Hymnal compiled by the Marist Brothers. No mention is made of the translator. This rendering is more coherent, perhaps, than the other, but it is also freer, less true to the German of Father Mohr. I see no reason against adopting either version; both are translations of a good Catholic song. (I might add that the German, too, there is to be found a version more labored and artificial than the naive work of the priest; some people, it seems, do not sense the beauty inherent in the modest original, a beauty so akin to the childlike spirit of the medieval carol.)

Answered by Fr. Francis A. Brunner, C.Ss.R. (translator of the 1949 History of the Catholic Church)

The modern or common text of Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright that we sing today began to appear in Catholic hymnals as early as 1944. This is evidenced by The CATHOLIC CHAPEL HYMNAL. In 1943, McLaughin & Reilly Music Co., sent out a questionnaire to Catholic Chaplains of the Armed Forces during WWII. In response, 118 Catholic Chaplains furnished the title of hymns best known to service men and women as indicated by spontaneous congregational participation during chapel services.

During the 1950s, vernacular hymns were being introduced into the Low Mass and by the 1960s, the liturgy was also changing from Latin to English. This period saw the removal of over 90% of devotional hymns from Catholic hymnals. It also fostered an ecumenical movement and hymns from Protestant sources soon became the standard in the new repertoire, according to J. Vincent Higginson (Cyr De Brant), author of Handbook for American Catholic Hymnals. The Catholic Chapel Hymnal was published by McLaughlin & Reilly from 1944 thru 1968.

Also, with permission from Peter Meggison, producer of The Devotional Hymns Project, a recording of this beautiful Catholic hymn by The Ensemble Altera Singers who sang a number of selections including Silent Night to the Catholic text that originally appeared in the LAUDIS CORONA. The recording was performed at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Providence, Rhode Island.

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Mother of Mercy, Day by Day

Father Frederick William Faber (1814-1863) wrote the text of this hymn. He was a convert to Catholicism and was received into the Catholic Church on November 18, 1845, by Bishop Wareing, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Northampton. He made his first communion and in confirmation he took the name of his patron St. Wilfrid. He began writing hymns in 1848 and wrote his first two hymns while on a retreat in Yorkshire in the small sea-side town of Scarborough. These were Mother of Mercy, Day by Day and Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All.

These first hymns and the few that followed where published in his JESUS AND MARY hymnal of which there were more than 1,000 copies sold by 1849. Father Faber wrote more than ninety hymns, some of them we still sing today including Faith of our fathers, living still; Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All; Dear Angel Ever at my Side; Dear Guardian of Mary; Like the Dawning; O Come and Mourn With Me Awhile, and There’s a wideness in God’s Mercy. He authored several books including All For Jesus; The Precious Blood; The Blessed Sacrament, and Growth In Holiness.

There is so much that I could write about Father Faber and his journey from Calvinism to Anglicanism and finally to Catholicism, but this would be a lengthy endeavor and is beyond the scope of this short write-up. However, it is worth mentioning a little something, call it a summary, of his journey to the Catholic Church.

As a young man Frederick Faber showed a natural prowess of poetry. This poetical element was developed during his boyhood and in the countryside of his youth (Westmoreland, Yorkshire, and Ambleside. Ambleside is a town that sits on the east side of the northern headwater of Windermere, England’s largest natural lake.) and where he spent much of his school days (the Grammar School of Bishop Auckland, Kirkby Stephen in Westmoreland until 1825, Shrewsbury School and then Harrow School) until he graduated to Oxford. He enrolled at Oxford University beginning in 1832 and was accepted to Balliol College one of the constituent colleges of Oxford and took up residence in the Lent Term of 1833 which was during the great Oxford Movement.

By his second year at the university his religious views began to undergo a change. Suffice is to say he rejected the teachings of Arminianism and all Calvinism (that God predestines people by choosing who will accept his salvation and that Christ suffered only for the elect of God, the chosen) and became a zealous advocate of Anglican principles. There are expressions found in his letters to his brother, friends and colleagues that indicate he had some misgivings concerning the Anglican beliefs. Certain doctrinal questions that were brought forward as a result of the Oxford Movement began to stir in him including the Catholic teaching on transubstantiation. He didn’t know it then, but these inner murmurings and doubts would in time lead him to the Catholic Church. It is also here that he became an enthusiastic admirer of Rev. John Henry Newman, vicar of St. Mary’s, although at this time he was not personally acquainted with him.

In 1835, Frederick Faber was chosen as a scholar of University College another of the constituent colleges of Oxford University. He desired earnestly to devote himself to the service of God and looked forward to a time when he could receive ordination as a minister in the Church of England. His election to fellowship at Oxford gave him a secure position and he set to work busying and preparing himself for orders. In August of 1837 he received deacon’s orders in the Church of England and was assigned to St. Wilfrid’s Cathedral of Ripon. In 1839 on the 26th of May he received priest’s orders and the Rectory of Elton, in Huntingdonshire, was offered to him by his college.

Shortly after accepting his duties as Rector of Elton he took a trip to the continent by way of France and then to Italy. He visited various cities in France and Italy when finally he arrived in Rome on May 9^th, 1843. It is here that he acquired his devotion to St. Phillip Neri (1515-1595), the founder of the Oratorians. While in Rome he attended Ascension Thursday Mass in St. John Lateran’s church, the Pope’s cathedral. He was quite moved by the whole experience especially when Pope Gregory XVI descended from his throne and knelt before the foot of the altar. Mr. Faber left Rome on St. Alban’s Day (June 17) and traveled to Albano to spend a few quite days in the woods. Albano is about a twelve-hour ride from Rome in a horse drawn carriage.

Very ealry the next morning he received a letter that he was being summoned for an audience with the Pope at the Vatican Library at 5 P.M. that very day. He hurriedly set off to Rome in full dress and arrived at the Vatican Library and waited until the Pope arrived. Through an interpreter Frederick Faber and the Pope had a lengthy conversation which encompassed a few church matters but mostly his desires to join the Catholic Church.

The Pope said to him, You must not mislead yourself in wishing for unity, yet waiting for your Church to move. Think of the salvation of your own soul. He then laid his hands on Mr. Faber’s shoulders and blessed him with this prayer, May the grace of God correspond to your good wishes, and deliver you from the nets of Anglicanism, and bring you to the Holy Church. Frederick Faber left Rome greatly affected by the affectionate demeanor of this old Pope, his blessing, and his prayer. It was a day he would always remember.

He returned to his parish of Elton and the nearly one thousand parishioners, every day growing more and more Roman. For the next two years every expression of Catholic life answered a doubt or dispelled some fear and the words of the Holy Father to save his own soul weighed heavily upon him. By now many of his friends had already joined the Catholic Church and on November 16^th, 1845, he officiated for the last time as Rector of Elton. Two days later he was received into the Catholic Church.

This brief account can hardly elucidate every happening, trial, and inward struggle of Father Faber’s conversion journey. You can learn more about this wonderful Catholic priest and his journey to Catholicism by reading his biography in The Life and Letters of William Frederick Faber, Priest of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, published in 1869.

The Melodies:

The melodies that have been composed are attributed to several musicians including two melodies by Henri F. Hemy (1818-1888) found in the CROWN OF JESUS MUSIC published in 1864, of these two melodies one would become traditional to the hymn; a melody by Meyer Lutz (1829-1903) found in THE POPULAR HYMN AND TUNE BOOK published in 1868; a melody by W. C. Peters (1805-1866) found in PETERS’ CATHOLIC HARP published in 1895; a melody by John Richardson (1816-1879) found in Tozer’s CATHOLIC HYMNS published in 1898; a melody by Henry Baker (1835-1910) and a melody by Sir Alfred Scott Gatty (1847-1918) found in the ARUNDEL HYMNAL published in 1905; a melody by Sir Richard R. Terry (1865-1938) found in the WESTMINSTER HYMNAL published in 1912; a melody by a Marist Brother known only as B. M. J., found in the AMERICAN CATHOLIC HYMNAL published in 1913; a melody by Father Simon M. Yenn (1863-1938) found in the ST. GREGORY HYMNAL published in 1920; and a melody from Melchior Vulpius’s Gesangbuch of 1609 found in the WESTMINSTER HYMNAL published in 1939.

Henri (Henry) F. Hemy was born in 1818 Newcastle, England. He was the organist at St. Andrew’s Church in Newcastle and later professor of music at St. Cuthbert’s College now Ushaw College in Durham. He sang baritone and painted artwork. He composed more than seventy different works of music including waltzes, polkas, hymns and set most of Longfellow’s works to music. He compiled two hymn collections including EASY HYMNS AND SONGS, 1851 and CROWN OF JESUS MUSIC, 1864.

Meyer Lutz (Wilhelm Meyer Lutz) was a German born English organist. He was a composer and conductor known for his work touring with theater companies. He composed several operas and was the musical director of the Gaiety Theater in London’s West End. He was also the church organist in Birmingham, Leeds, and London. His father was Joseph Lutz (1801-1879), a music professor who introduced music to his son in the 1830s.

William Cummings Peter was born in England and he came to Texas in 1820. During the years 1826-1828 he gave piano lessons in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1829, he opened a music store in Louisville, Kentucky and another in Cincinnati, Ohio. Peters’ Catholic Harp was first published in 1863. Hymnals and other musical publications by the firm Peters’ in Cincinnati were extremely popular in the 1880s.

John Richardson grew up a choir boy at St. Mary’s Church, Liverpool, and later organist for St. Nicholas Church for twenty years. He taught music at St. Edward’s College and Upshaw and retired to Preston. He was admired by Cardinal Newman and honored by Pope Pius IX. He composed the melodies for the following hymns including By the Blood that flowed from Thee; Jesus, ever loving Savior; Come Holy Ghost, Creator Come; Sweet Mother, turn those gentle eyes; Look down, O Mother Mary; Hail, bright Star of Ocean, God’s own Mother; Mother of Mercy, Day by Day; and several others.

Henry Baker composed the first tune found in the Arundel Hymnal of 1905. Henry Baker was a civil engineer building railroads in India. He was however musically inclined and completed a music degree at Exeter College, Oxford in 1867. He composed this tune known as Hesperus, Quebec, and Elim while a student at Exeter College.

Sir Alfred Scott-Gatty composed the second tune found in the Arundel Hymnal. He was a composer of children’s music and a few operettas. His collection of Little Songs for Little Voices was published in three volumes. He also was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London and was knighted for his services in 1911.

Sir Richard R. Terry composed the melody found in the Westminster Hymnal of 1912. He was educated at King’s College, Cambridge and joined the Catholic Church in 1896. He was choirmaster and organist at the Westminster Catholic Cathedral from 1901-1924, and the editor of the Westminster Hymnal published in 1912. He was knighted in 1922.

Little was known about the Marist Brother B. M. J., except that he composed more than fifty of the hymns found in the AMERICAN CATHOLIC HYMNAL. Recently, the archivist for the Marist Brothers revealed to me that B. M. J. was a pseudonym for Brother Zephiriny. It was a customary practice in those days that an individual Brother’s name could not be used in a publication or in a musical composition without the expressed permission of the Brother Provincial. The Marist Brothers of the Schools of New York compiled the hymnal, and it consisted of Hymns, Latin Chants, and Sacred Songs for Church, School, and Home. There were two editions of the hymnal published by P. J. Kenedy & Sons of New York. The first was published in 1913 and the second edition was published 1921. Brother Zephiriny was one of the outstanding leaders of the U.S. province from 1892 until his death in 1928.

Father Simon Yenn served on the Music Committee for the Society of St. Gregory and was the Diocesan Director of Sacred Music for Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He composed the melodies for three hymns found in the ST. GREGORY HYMNAL published in 1920. Why art thou sorrowful? Mother of Mercy, and Hail Virgin, dearest Mary (Queen of May). He was a contributor to the Catholic Choirmaster magazine from 1915 till 1923 and wrote a series of articles on Church Music Reform.

Melchior Vulpius was a German composer and schoolmaster. He was a prolific composer and during his lifetime one of the most important contributors of Lutheran hymn tunes in Germany. He has two hundred motets and some four hundred hymns to his credit. He compiled several hymn collections and published several Sacred Vocal works both in Latin and German. The music was arranged by DOM Gregory Murray, O.S.B., a student of Sir Richard Terry.

Reflection

The arrangement I learned to sing in St. Mary’s Choir (1977-2010) which is the traditional melody comes from the ST. BASIL’S HYMNAL, 1918. The choir would sing this hymn before Mass on many occasions as a prelude and especially for the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy, September 24. At St. Mary’s we had a custom of singing a hymn the weekend before to remind parishioners that a feast day was fast approaching. Every so often the feast day would fall on Sunday which makes singing the hymn ever more appropriate.

The first verse of the hymn is quite moving and expresses the love many Catholics have toward Our Lady. The words, Thy gifts are strewn upon my way, Like sands upon the great seashore, are constant reminders to me of the many gifts we have received from Our Lady in our struggle against the wily snares of Satan. These include the Rosary, the Miraculous Medal, the Brown Scapular, the many invocations, prayers, and Church dogmas. What gifts of Our Lady have you found along your way that have helped you?

The last verse touches me deeply. Father Faber writes, Jesus, when His three hours were run, Bequeath’d thee from the cross to me, reflecting on John’s gospel (Jn. 19:26-27) where Jesus says to his mother from the cross, Woman, behold your son and to John, behold your mother. This hymn is by far one of my most favorite Catholic hymns and one that often times will spontaneously surface in my memories. I sing along with my friends of St. Mary’s Choir who precede ahead of me to that heavenly glory.

I want to thank Peter Meggison, producer of The Devotional Hymns Project for granting permission to link to a newly commissioned recording by the St. John Cantius Church, Chicago. Click on the link to hear this beautiful recording which includes all the verses from Father Faber’s 1849 hymn Mother of Mercy, Day by Day.

Below is a selection of the melodies listed above which have been composed for the hymn. These are computer generated sound files. The tempo is approximate but should provide the listener a good sense of what the hymn sounds like. All the hymns are in the public domain. Church musicians, if you use any of these selections in your Sunday or weekly music programs and you make a recording and you are willing to share, contact the author and I will feature it in the What’s New section of my website.

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O Jesus Christ, Remember

Father Edward Caswall a Roman Catholic priest wrote the text of this hymn. The earliest occurrence of the hymn that could be found is in his MASQUE OF MARY AND OTHER POEMS, published by Burns and Lambert of London in 1858. (Click on an image to enlarge)

Edward was a convert to Catholicism and was received into the Catholic Church on January 18, 1847, by Cardinal Charles Acton (1803-1847) at the Venerable English College in Rome. In attendance was Father John Henry Newman, Father Thomas Grant the Rector of the College, along with several others who had come with Edward that day. At this time Edward was married to Louisa Mary Stuart Walker who was also received into the Church of Rome a week later January 25, 1846.

During the summer of 1849, England was in the grips of a vicious cholera epidemic which persisted even into the autumn season. Edward and Louisa had gone to stay at Torquay, a sea side resort. On September 14, early in the morning, Edward left for Mass and on his return from church he found Louisa and the landlady of the lodge where they were staying deathly ill with the cholera and by 11 o’clock that night Louisa Caswall was dead.

Edward was devastated and grief stricken as one could only imagine. He at once sent word to Father Newman, and they arranged that Louisa’s Requiem Mass and burial would take place at St. Wilfrid’s in Cotton, Staffordshire. The pastor of St. Wilfrid’s was Father Frederick William Faber, a fellow convert and student at Oxford University. It is unclear if Edward or Father Faber knew each other before this time but certainly, they became acquainted at this Mass. Father Newman celebrated the Mass and Father Henry Formby a longtime friend whom Edward knew from their days at Brasenose College, Oxford, a fellow convert, and priest at the Oratory, sang the Dies Irae.

In the following year around February 1850, the Birmingham Oratory was set up at its present address on Hagley Road in Edgbaston. It is also at this time that Edward was admitted as a novice to the Oratory and three days later he received the tonsure and was admitted to Minor Orders. Then on December 21, 1850, the anniversary of his wedding to Louisa, he was ordained as a subdeacon and a year later almost to the day on December 20, 1851, he was ordained a deacon. By April 1852, the building in Edgbaston had been completed and all the Oratorians moved into the new location. On September 18, 1852, Deacon Edward along with Deacon Henry Bittleston were ordained as priest.

Throughout his life, Father Caswall was a prolific writer. During his time at Brasenose College, a constituent college of Oxford University he published several literary works including The Oxonian – a series of papers on University life written with a humorist point of view. This was followed by his Pluck Examination Papers which he later published in a book The Art of Pluck – the caricature of these works was to enlighten the undergraduate on how to fail his examinations and in the lingo of the University to get plucked. The ability to write in satire and at the same time convey a moral point was a gift that Father Caswall had. These and several other publications were enormously successful and provided him with a steady income which he would receive help from during his college days and in the future.

During his conversion journey to Rome, Father Caswall kept a journal that was still unpublished, and its existence known only to a handful of people. He was a man of meticulous detail and observation and his eyewitness accounts of Roman Catholicism during his visit to Ireland in the summer of 1846 proved to be a turning point in his life. On one occasion in 1846, on a summer evening, he saw a small group of poor worshipers praying in a Catholic chapel in Ireland. He saw that one person said the Lord’s Prayer as far as, as it is in heaven, and the others began at, give us this day our daily bread. Then the same person began another prayer, and the others began Holy Mary, and everything was in English. It was the first time he had heard of any devotion to Our Blessed Mother and before the evening was over, he was kneeling with them. Any Anglican preconceptions of idolatry left him, and he was consumed with the expression of love and humility of these poor men and women. From that point onward, he became devoted to the Rosary.

Almost two years after he joined the Catholic Church, Father Caswall published his first collection of hymns in 1849, the LYRA CATHOLICA, having translations of all Breviary and Missal hymns of the Roman Breviary. Father Caswall was always working for the education of the poor and especially the children even during his curacy at Stratford-sub-Castle near Salisbury. A question that plagued him during his conversion journey was how the Latin liturgy could have any meaning for the average Catholic let alone the poor and uneducated.

During the summer of 1846 while in Ireland he attended a Requiem Mass for Pope Gregory XVI who had recently died. He was concerned and frustrated because he could not follow the liturgy. How is it that the poor and uneducated understand the Latin liturgy and an Oxford graduate in the classics is lost? This was the underlying reason for his translations of the Roman Breviary – to publish in the English language for anyone who could read or to pray in private the Divine Office.

Father Caswall remained at the Birmingham Oratory until his death on January 2, 1878. Father Edward Caswall was named, along with Father Joseph Gordon and Father Ambrose St John, as one of the three Oratorians whom Newman considered his greatest friends and most loyal and devoted laborers in St Philip’s vineyard.

There is so much more that could be written about Father Caswall but that is beyond the scope of this short write-up. Most of his original poems and hymns were written during his time at the Birmingham Oratory and his contributions to Catholic hymnody include such favorites as A Carol of Good Tidings; All You Who Seek A Comfort Sure; At The Cross Her Station Keeping; Come Holy Ghost Creator Blest; Earth Has Many Noble Cities; Glory Be To Jesus; Jesus the very thought of Thee; Joseph Our Certain Hope in Life; Joseph Pure Spouse; Sing My Tongue the Savior’s Glory; Ye Sons and Daughters of the Lord; Hark an Awful Voice is Sounding; Dear Maker of the Starry Skies; O Jesus Christ Remember; O Saving Victim Opening Wide; Soul of My Savior; The Dawn Was Purpling O’re the Sky; See Amid the Winter Snow; To Christ the Prince of Peace; When Morning Guilds the Skies; What a Sea of Tears and Sorrows; Wondrous Gift; This is the Image of Our Queen; and many more hymns. He published several hymn books including LYRA CATHOLICA, 1849; the MASQUE OF MARY AND OTHER POEMS, 1858; and HYMNS AND POEMS, 1873.

Some of the details above were used with permission and were taken from EDWARD CASWALL: NEWMAN’S BROTHER AND FRIEND written by Nancy Marie de Flon and published by Gracewing in 2005. Nancy’s book is a wonderful biography of Father Caswall’s life and journey to Catholicism. An earlier biography of Edward Caswall was written by Edward Bellasis (1800-1873) an English lawyer and convert to Catholicism in the new edition of HYMNS AND POEMS published in 1908.

The Melodies

I have found more than eighteen different melodies for this hymn, and so, I have selected four of the melodies which I hope will highlight the musical richness and heritage without becoming overwhelming. The melody that I am most familiar with, and is the most common to the hymn, first appeared in the LAUDIS CORONA published in 1880, No. 116. There is no sign of the composer’s name, however, in the Preface of the hymn book it says:

The tunes in this collection were selected by a lady in Baltimore. They have been arranged for the press by Prof. Francis A. Harkins, M.A., of Boston College. The object has been to give Sunday Schools and Sodalities of youth something that all can sing. To this end, the Christmas Carols and the May Hymns will prove particularly useful.

Thanks are returned to the Sisters of Notre Dame for their kindness in granting the use of May Chimes, to Mr. Fred Eversmann, Jr., of Baltimore, to Mr. Harry Sanders, of the same city; and to Mr. RoSewig, Music Publisher, of Philadelphia.

Boston:

Feast of the Sacred Heart,

June 4, 1880.

The hymn appeared in St. Basil’s Hymnal from 1888 thru 1918. It’s removal from later editions maybe tied to the hymnal’s condemnation by the Society of St. Gregory of America in October 1918. The Black List as it became known was an attempt by the Society to condemn as many of the popular Catholic hymnals of the day in favor of its own St. Gregory and Choir Book. Since the St. Basil’s Hymnal was by far the most dominant hymnal across the United States, it received the harshest criticism and was deemed objectionable, so far as its liturgical, literary and artistic value is concerned, should not be tolerated in any school or church. (The Catholic Choir Master, Vol. 4. No. 4. October 1918, pg.96) The hymn and melody also appeared in the Crown Hymnal published in 1913.

Some of you may recognize this melody as it is also commonly used for the hymn O Lord, I am not Worthy that thou shouldst come to me.

The next most common melody for the hymn O Jesus Christ Remember, was composed by Samuel S. Wesley (1810-1876), a tune also known as AURELIA. Samuel Wesley was the grandson of Charles Wesley who along with his brother John, formed the Methodist Church. The earliest appearance that I could find was in the WESTMINSTER HYMNAL published in 1939, No. 82.

The same arrangement appears in the 1952 edition of the WESTMINSTER HYMNAL; the ST. ANDREW HYMNAL published in 1964 in Scotland; and the CATHOLIC HYMNAL AND SERVICE BOOK published by the Benzinger Brothers in 1966. Interestingly, this is not the same melody that appears in the 1912 edition of WESTMINSTER HYMNAL edited by Richard R. Terry, that melody was composed by Robert Pearsall, which I will cover later. The tune AURELIA is commonly associated with the hymn of The Church’s One Foundation.

Another melody appeared early on and can be found in Augustus Tozer’s CATHOLIC HYMNS, published in London in 1898. This collection of hymns is a musical edition of the ST. DOMINIC’S HYMN BOOK. The composer was G. F. Bruce. He was appointed organist and choirmaster at the Beddington Parish Church, Wallington, Surrey on December 8, 1894. He composed a melody for another hymn Now Let the Earth with Joy Resound, both compositions appear in THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HYMNAL published in 1905 and edited by Tozer.

Augustus Edmonds Tozer (1857-1910) was a convert to Catholicism and received his Doctorate from Oxford University and was named a Knight of St. Sylvester for his work in the reform movement in England. His CATHOLIC CHURCH HYMNAL published later was helpful in church music reform in both England and America.

This melody also appeared in the A TREASURY OF CATHOLIC SONG published in 1915 and edited by Father Sidney S. Hurlbut (1858-1920), who was at the time of publication pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Hagerstown, Maryland. The hymn book is a collection comprising some two-hundred hymns from Catholic sources old and new.

Father Hurlbut was a native of Wisconsin, born in 1858 of New England Protestant parents, and was engaged in secular activity until a period of very discreet man-hood, in the city of Chicago, except for two years, 1885-86, when he held a position in the Treasury Department. His studies for the priesthood were had among the Passionists in the Balkan countries, and ordination was received in Bucharest, Rumania, in 1898.

Continuing his theological studies for one year in Rome, he returned to America in poor health, and after a year or more of convalescence in Washington, the time being spent at the University and at the St. Paul’s Church on V Street, he was adopted into the Baltimore Archdiocese and given pastoral work in Rockville, Md., in 1900, Clarksville, Md., 1900-1911, and from 1911 till his death at St. Mary’s in Hagerstown, Md. He died on June 9, 1920.

The information about Fr. Hurlbut was taken from the History of Sacred Music in the District of Columbia by Frank Metcalf and published in 1926.

Robert L. Pearsall (1795-1856) composed a melody that was widely used and appeared in both American, English, German, and Scottish hymnals. The earliest appearance I could find for the melody was in the KATHOLISCHES GESANGBUCH of St. Gallen published in 1863 for the Sanctus. No composer’s name is given but in the Preface of the book it indicates: The four-part harmonization of approximately half of the chants in this book is the work of our teacher and fatherly friend, Baron von Pearsall. (Click on any image to enlarge)

The earliest use of the melody for the hymn that I could find was in the WESTMINSTER HYMNAL published in 1912 by R & T. Washbourne Ltd., London and edited by Richard R. Terry.

The same melody also appeared in the BOOK OF HYMNS WITH TUNES published in 1913 by Cary & Co., London and edited by Father Samuel G. Ould, O.S.B., and William Sewell. This collection of hymns was also published in New York by Edward Schuberth & Co.

The melody also appeared in the PAROCHIAL HYMNAL published in 1951 and edited by Father Carlo Rossini. Father Rossini chose to alter the text of the hymn from O Jesus Christ Remember to O Jesus Christ Redeemer. The motive behind this change by Rossini is unclear. Perhaps he was aiming to place more emphasis on the redemptive role of Jesus Christ rather than merely his remembrance.

The hymn O Jesus Christ, Remember appears in numerous hymnals beyond those previously mentioned, as evidenced by a survey of my own collection of 160 hymnals spanning from the 1840s to today. They include: Cantica Sacra or Hymns for the Children of the Catholic Church, published in 1880; The Roman Hymnal, published in 1884, by Fr. J. B. Young, S.J.; The Catholic Hymnal published in 1888 by Fr. Alfred Young; Hymns with Tunes published in 1889 by Edmund G. Hurley; The Sunday School Manual or Youth’s Manual for Church and School, published in 1908 by Thomas J. Flynn & Co.; St. Mary’s Manual, published in 1924 by Christian A. Zittel; Manual of Select Catholic Hymns and Devotions, published in 188 and 1925 by P. M. Colonel, C.SS.R; Sursum Corda – A collection of hymns for the use of Catholic Schools, published in 1925 by Fr. Florian Zettel, O.F.M.; The Ordinary of the Mass and a Complete Manual of Hymns, published in 1935 by the Public Press; The Ave Maria Hymnal, published in 1936 by Fr. Joseph J. Pierron; Cantate Omnes, published in 1958 by Cantate Omnes Publications; Cantus Populi, published in 1964 by Theodore Marier; The Catholic Hymnal and Service Book, published in 1966 by Benzinger Ed., Inc.; the Adoremus Hymnal, published in 2011 by Ignatius Press; and A Catholic Book of Hymns, published in 2020 by Sacred Music Library.

Reflection

I learned this hymn while singing in St. Mary’s Choir many years ago. We used the St. Basil’s hymnal which uses the first melody I discussed. The verses are a plea to Jesus Christ to remember us, when he comes again, because we took time to honor Him in the Blessed Sacrament.

Many years ago, a monthly Catholic magazine Messenger of the Sacred Heart, featured a short article by Father Matthew Russel, S.J., who captured quite eloquently the essence of Father Caswall’s hymn. The article was a letter addressed to the Irish Central Director. Father Russel was a Jesuit priest serving the needs of American Indians. Here is an excerpt of that letter.

…Editors and others shrink from having too many quotations; else I should last month have added Father Caswell’s expression of the feeling on which we dwelt a little—that feeling which makes us say before the Tabernacle, This is He Who will judge me! The following simple lines may be found useful by some in their visits to the Blessed Sacrament—

O Jesus Christ, remember, When Thou shalt come again,

Upon the clouds of Heaven, With all Thy shining train;

When every eye shall see Thee in Deity reveal’d,

Who now upon this altar, In silence art conceal’d:

Remember then, O Savior, I supplicate of Thee,

That here I bowed before Thee, Upon my bended knee;

That here I own’d Thy Presence, And did not Thee deny,

And glorified Thy greatness, Though hid from human eye.

The substance of these lines may very naturally occur to us when kneeling before the altar and may increase our sense of the happy security of our faith. Such a plea will surely avail with Him Who has promised to confess before His Heavenly Father all who confess Him before men. He will not disown us, but recognize us as His special friends, if we on earth recognize Him under every disguise of His love, and pursue Him untiringly with the faithful worship of our love. ~ Fr. Mathew Russell, S.J., May 10, 1885.

The scripture-based songs we sing today like We Remember how you loved us; or Jesus, Remember Me; or We Remember One who loved us well, can’t compare to this hymn. O Jesus Christ, Remember would make an excellent hymn to sing when kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament. I think too, this would make a wonderful Offertory or Communion hymn!

Below is a choice of the melodies listed above which have been composed for the hymn. These are computer generated sound files. The tempo is approximate but should provide the listener with a good sense of what the hymn sounds like.

I would also like to thank Peter Meggison who produces The Devotional Hymns Project for allowing me to share a recording by the choral scholars from St. Peter’s Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

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O Face Divine!

The hymn O Face Divine! was written by Miss Eliza Allen Starr and first appeared in her collection of poem Songs of a Life-Time, published in 1887 when Miss Starr resided at St. Joseph’s Cottage in Chicago.

Eliza was a prolific poet, art teacher, and lecturer. She grew up in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and studied art in Boston. She taught art in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Natchez, Mississippi, and under the auspices of Archbishop Peter R. Kenrick (1806-1896), she joined the Church of Rome in 1854 at the old Holy Cross Cathedral in Boston.

In 1856, Eliza moved to Chicago where she remained for the rest of her life devoting her time to authoring poems, teaching art, and giving art lectures and courses at schools and academies throughout Chicago. In 1876, her career as an artist took her to Italy, France, and England; and in 1885, Notre Dame University conferred upon her the Laetare Medal, she was the first woman ever to receive this prestigious award. In 1893, she received a gold medal from the World’s Columbian Exposition also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, as an art teacher. Pope Leo XIII honored Eliza in 1900 with a cameo medallion as a mark of his approbation of her literary labors.

Eliza was the author of Patron Saints, Pilgrims and Shrines, Songs of a Life-Time, Isabella of Castile, Christian Art in Our Own Age, Christmas-Tide, The Seven Dolors of the Virgin Mary, and Three Archangels and the Guardian Angels in Art. A short biographical sketch of her life was published in the 1893 Woman of the Century – Leading American Women by Frances Willard and Mary Livermore. Also, in the Who’s Who in America, 1901/1902 by John Leonard. Eliza was a well-respected author and art critic known throughout America and Europe.

Eliza never married and later in life she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic. She died at the age of seventy-seven after a short illness while visiting her brother in Durand, Illinois. She was buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Chicago wearing the Dominican habit.

The music was composed by Sister Mary Alexis Donnelly of the Sisters of Mercy at St. Xavier’s Convent, Providence, Rhode Island. Sr. Mary Alexis Donnelly was one of the major contributors to American Catholic music in the late 19th and early 20th century period. Her contributions to Catholic music, however, have largely been forgotten by all except a few vintage organists and hymnologists.

Sister Mary Alexis was born Julia Donnelly in Yorkshire, England during the month of March 1857. When she was a young girl, she came to the United States and settled in the small town of Harrisville, Rhode Island. On November 1, 1877, she entered the Sisters of Mercy at St. Xavier’s Convent, in Providence, Rhode Island. She was recognized by her superiors as a gifted musician and began her first teaching assignment at St. Patrick’s School, Providence.

At the urging and solicitation of friends, she compiled her first hymnal with all original music and dedicated it to the Holy Face of our Lord to whom she had a deep devotion. The HOLY FACE HYMNAL was published by J. Fisher & Bro., of New York in 1891.

The Holy Face Hymnal received several letters from convents, various parishes, and cathedrals in appreciation and praising the hymnal for its easy melodies and its suitability for children’s voices. It’s very interesting to read through these letters and see how well the hymn book was received.

Sister Mary Alexis, who would later become Mother Alexis, had a great devotion to the Holy Face. The first three hymns in this collection are devoted to the Holy Face.

In 1904, The Catholic Music Publishing Company was founded by James M. McLaughlin and James A. Reilly. Soon afterwards, the company became known as McLaughlin & Reilly Company and was one of the most successful Catholic music publishing companies in America. Sister Mary Alexis had close associations with the company’s president, James A. Reilly, who was a benefactor of the Sisters of Mercy.

Some of the first musical selections to appear in the company’s catalog were those by the Sisters of Mercy. These appeared in a series of hymn booklets or hymn pamphlets. The hymn pamphlets were approximately eight pages each and were comprised of various hymns suitable for specific occasions or general use. These hymn pamphlets were extensively sold throughout McLaughlin and Reilly’s existence. (Click on any image to enlarge)

Due to the success of her first hymnal, Sister Mary Alexis compiled two additional hymn books. OUR LADY OF MERCY was published in 1899, and OUR LADY OF MERCY VOL. 2, was published in 1927.

In 1910, Sister Mary Alexis was elected Reverend Mother of the Providence Community of the Sisters of Mercy and served in this capacity for six years. Mother Alexis was a natural concerning business and community affairs and was gifted with foresight and was almost prophetic in many of her duties as Reverend Mother.

The health of her sisters was of paramount importance to her, so she conceived of a place in the country for rest and relaxation. During her role as Reverend Mother, she acquired the Fiske Estate which was to become the Mount St. Rita property in Cumberland, Rhode Island. For many years Mount St. Rita served as a retreat and convalescing home for the sisters. Eventually, the Sisters gave up this wonderful facility to a large health care system and it became known as Mount Saint Rita Health Center.

Sister Mary Alexis taught music for more than twenty years in many of the schools of the Providence Diocese and continued to write hymns, many of which appeared in sheet music form. Some of these were privately published by the Sisters of Mercy, some by the Oliver Ditson Co., a music publisher with offices in Boston, Chicago, and other major cities throughout United States, and by McLaughlin & Reilly. She composed at least three Ave Maria’s and several choral pieces. If you would like to listen to some of her compositions, new recordings can be found at The Devotional Hymns Project website produced by Peter Meggison.

In 1935, she asked to go to St. Xavier’s to prepare for her meeting with her beloved Father. Sister Mary Alexis Donnelly died on July 4, 1936, at St. Xavier’s Convent, Providence, Rhode Island. Many of Sister Mary Alexis’ compositions were dear to her and one was her favorite, Jesus, Keep Me Close to Thee, which was played and sung at her funeral Mass.

As a member of the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Mary Alexis gave up the right to have her name added to her compositions. In keeping with the custom of the time, attribution was given to the Community rather than the individual. Now, since Vatican II, those in religious life are treated as individuals and receive credit for their work. These musical compositions are a testament to the technique, harmonization, and beauty of expression of this outstanding Catholic musician and Sister of Mercy.

Reflection

In her book of poems Songs of a Life-Time, there is a page of Dedication to Miss Starr’s Father and Mother that is dated Feast of the Purification, 1867. There are individual poems that date earlier than 1867 and the earliest poem that I could find was dated 1848. This poem O Face Divine! appears in a section captioned Later Poems and these date from 1867 thru 1885. Although, there is no date given on the poems page, it falls among poems written between 1873 to 1874 and so I conclude that O Face Divine! to have been written during that period.

Miss Starr’s poem O Face Divine! was captioned The Sacred Face and the verses reflect a woman who was meditating on the face of the Lord while He was nailed to the cross. She takes us to the foot of the cross and there in poetic imagery reveals to us that even though our Lord’s face was in grief and pain, it was still beautiful, so beauteous still in grief.

In the second verse, she looks upon his sacred eyes and captures the anguish He must have been enduring but more to the point, the anguish that was visible in his eyes from the many hearts that have denied him.

O Sacred eyes,

On which the weight of dreaded anguish lies,

That look must break the heart which Christ denies.

One of my grandmother’s possessions was a framed post card of Jesus crowned with thorns. I don’t remember anymore how it came to be in my possession, but I would like to think that Miss Starr had a similar image to gaze upon when she wrote her poem. Take a moment to reflect on the verses and learn from Miss Starr how easy it is to meditate on that Face Divine! If anyone knows the name of this image or the artist, please let me know.

I would like to thank Peter Meggison, who is the producer of The Devotional Hymns Project website for granting permission to use a recording made at the Church of the Advent, located in Boston’s Beacon Hill section. I have also included a computer-generated sound file, the tempo is approximate but should give the listeners a good sense of what the hymn sounds like.

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O Dearest Love Divine

This hymn is a translation of the Latin Ad Cor Jesu (To the Heart of Jesus) by Monsignor Hugh Thomas Henry, Litt. D., (1862-1946) which can be found in his EUCHARISTICA – Verse and Prose in Honor of the Hidden God, published in 1912 by The Dolphin Press, while he was at the Overbrook Seminary in Philadelphia. (Click on any image to enlarge)

However, the Latin hymn may be much older. The hymn can be found in the HYMNOLOGICUS THESAURUS VOL. 2, 1855 by Hermann Adalbert Daniel (1812-1871), pg. 370, captioned Ad Iesum (To Jesus) in three parts. This is a two-volume collection of hymns, song sequences, and antiphons from around the year 1500.

Hugh Thomas Henry was born in Philadelphia in 1862 and attended La Salle College and the University of Pennsylvania. He attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and was ordained in 1889. He was appointed to the chair of physical science at the Seminary after his ordination and was also named professor of ecclesiastical music at the Seminary.

For more than a decade he served as the rector at Roman Catholic High School. While at Catholic High he wrote the Founder’s Day hymn in 1908 which was sung by over 50,000 pupils in parochial schools in observance upon his death. He was raised to the rank of Domestic Prelate by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XV in 1915. Monsignor Henry was also the author of The Purple and the Gold, the official school hymn of Roman Catholic High.

The University of Pennsylvania awarded him the degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of his achievements in English literature, especially for his translation of many Latin and French hymns. He was also a former professor of homiletics at the Catholic University of America in Washington. He lectured for six years at Catholic Summer School, Cliff Haven, New York, and was editor of Church Music, from 1905 – 1909. As a lecturer, Monsignor Henry spoke at many colleges and universities throughout the nation.

Monsignor Henry was former president of the Catholic Historical Society and a frequent contributor to various magazines including the QUARTERLY REVIEW, the AMERICAN ECCLESIASTICAL REVIEW, and the CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA, submitting original works of verse, translations of Latin hymns and numerous other articles.

Many of his translations from his EUCHARISTICA, including O Dearest Love Divine, appear in American hymnals like the AMERICAN CATHOLIC HYMNAL, 1913, perhaps the first hymnal to use any of his translations along with THE TREASURY OF CATHOLIC SONG, 1915, the ST. GREGORY HYMNAL, 1920.

He is probably best known for his original hymn Long Live the Pope which he wrote for the fiftieth anniversary of the ordination of Pope Pius X in 1908. For more than half a century this hymn had universal use and was published in more than a dozen languages including that of the American Indians. Father Ganss, the composer of the tune, was greatly interested in the welfare of the Indians. His hymn appeared in several Catholic hymnals of the period including: the De La Salle Hymnal published in 1913, the St. Gregory Hymnal published in 1920, the Catholic Hymnal compiled by Father John G. Hacker, S.J., published in 1920, the St. Mary’s Manual compiled by Christian Zittel and published in 1924, the Manual of Select Catholic Hymns compiled by Father P. M. Colonel, C.SS.R., in 1925, St. Basil’s Hymnal from 1908 thru 1953, and the Parochial Hymnal compiled by Father Carlo Rossini in 1936.

Monsignor Henry was also a hymnologist, he wrote an article for the July 1915 issue of the CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW entitled A Forgotten American Hymnodist, an in-depth review of a the hymn book Songs for Catholic Schools and The Catechism in Rhyme which was compiled by Fr. Jeremiah Cummings, Pastor of St. Stephen’s Church in New York in 1862. He correctly established that Father Cummings was the author of all the hymns save one and pointed out the ignorance of various editors of Catholic hymnals who failed to identify Father Cummings as the author, when such evidence was clearly available.

Monsignor Henry lived to be 83 years old.

The music presented here was composed by Nicola A. Montani. Nicola was born in 1880 and by his teens became choirmaster at St. Anthony’s in Indianapolis. In addition to playing piano and organ he played the coronet. He studied chant and music composition in Rome and when he returned to America, he eventually founded the St. Gregory Society of America. He was an accomplished musician, composer, conductor, editor, hymnist, and publisher.

Reflection

The hymn abounds in personal appeals to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This beautiful devotional hymn could easily find a place in any Eucharist Adoration, Benediction or among groups devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I think this would also make an excellent prelude hymn before Mass which would help remind us of the Love that the Sacred Heart of Jesus holds for all of us.

I would also like to thank Nancy Scimone for permission to use her recording of O Dearest Love Divine. I fell in love with this recording and the violin treatments that she chose to include which is a testament that devotional hymns which have long been forgotten can once again find their place in our Catholic liturgy.

Her recording appears on her CD Ora Pro Nobis, a 2 CD collection of her Best of Sacred Music. Please take a moment to visit Nancy’s website Nancy Scimone Music and enjoy her many other hymns and psalm recordings.

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O Sacred Heart! O Love Divine!

The author and composer of this hymn is Father Theodore A. Metcalf and for a long time, little was known or written about Father Metcalf and his contributions to Catholic Music for most of the 20th Century. In February 2020, while I was researching this beautiful hymn, I came across an old Catholic periodical from 1888 known by its subscribers as the Little Messenger of the Sacred Heart or The Pilgrim of Our Lady of Martyrs.

The Messenger of the Sacred Heart periodical was first published in France by Jesuits of the Apostleship of Prayer (Society of Jesus) around 1861; and it spread to other countries including United States, Australia, Canada, England, and Ireland. It was one of the most widely read Catholic periodicals, and by the mid-twentieth century there were over seventy Messengers published in more than forty languages. It is still published today as The Sacred Heart Messenger.

Theodore A. Metcalf was the grandson of Theron Metcalf, a member of the Massachusetts Judicial Court. Theron Metcalf was a high Anglican and encouraged family members to become Catholic, even though he did not convert himself. Two of his grandsons did become Catholic, including Father Metcalf.

Father Metcalf was baptized in the chapel of Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass., when he was a boy by Bishop Fitzpatrick on Oct. 2, 1851. Father Metcalf was ordained in May 1869 in the new Cathedral Chapel of the Holy Cross, Boston. He studied at the American College in Rome and later served as the college’s vice president, and he had the honor of attending the first Vatican Council acting in the role as a transcriber.

He returned to the Boston Archdiocese and was appointed pastor of St. Mary’s Church, Charlestown in 1874, succeeding Father William Byrne. He was Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Boston, 1874-1879, under Archbishop John J. Williams, and lived at the Cathedral parish during this time. He conducted some of the most important ceremonies the church had witnessed such as the dedication, the conferring of the pallium on the Right Rev. John J. Williams, and the solemn requiem for Pope Pius IX.

Father Metcalf was the master of ceremonies at the dedication of St. Mary’s Church, Dedham, Massachusetts, October 1880.

In 1881, Father Metcalf was appointed as the third pastor to Our Lady Star of the Sea in Marblehead, Mass., from 1882 to 1886. While he was there the Young Men’s Catholic Temperance Society was formed. In 1886 he was appointed pastor to the Gate of Heaven Church in South Boston where he served for four years. During his pastorate at Gate of Heaven Church, he defended the church publicly regarding its teachings on indulgences during an incident involving a faculty member at English High School who was critical of church teachings.

During his years at Gate of Heaven parish, he established and encouraged Sacred Heart devotions and was affiliated with the League of the Sacred Heart of the Apostleship of Prayer. At this time, he composed several hymns to the Sacred Heart, among others.

Hymn for the League of the Sacred Heart (Form your ranks, oh! all ye Leaguers of the Heart Divine)
May Hymn (Welcome dearest, Mother, this beautiful Mayday)
Hymn to the Sacred Heart (O Sacred Heart! O Love Divine!)
Ave Maris Stella (Hail, thou star of ocean! Portal of the sky!)
Hymn of Thanksgiving to the Sacred Heart (Heart of Jesus, We Are Grateful)
O Cor Jesu (Cordis Jesu dulcis, Amor sacratissime!)

All the hymns listed above can be found in the monthly editions of the Little Messenger of the Sacred Heart, periodicals (publ. 1888-1894). Father Metcalf’s Hymn to the Sacred Heart, more commonly known through its opening lines, O Sacred Heart! O Love Divine! became traditional among American Catholics. It appeared in the ST. BASIL’S HYMNAL, 1888, published by the Basilian Fathers of St. Michael’s College in Toronto, Canada. Successive editions of this hymnal, which was to become the most popular of all American Catholic hymnals for most of the 20th Century, included this hymn. In 1890, Father Metcalf retired from the Gate of Heaven Church because of poor health. During his lifetime Father Metcalf gained a reputation as an effective preacher drawing many from all parts of the city to listen to his sermons. Father Metcalf died July 29, 1920.

The hymn, O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine, was the most popular of all hymns to the Sacred Heart in pre-Vatican II days. It is contained on a DOT record 33 LP Album, circa 1961, Best-Loved Catholic Hymns. The hymns are sung by the Lennon Sisters and directed by Lawrence Welk. Some may recall, too, that it was used as an introduction to the Sacred Heart Hour, a radio program in the 1940s that converted to a TV program in the 1950s and even into the early 1960s.

O Sacred Heart! O Love Divine! and Heart of Jesus, We Are Grateful appeared in the 1944, 1954, 1958, and 1968 editions of The Catholic Chapel Hymnal, a publication of McLaughlin & Reilly Co. There are no new hymns (previously unpublished) contained in this volume; the hymns included are the result of an extensive survey compiled by McLaughlin & Reilly of military chaplains in World War II. The 118 Catholic chaplains were asked which hymns elicit spontaneous singing by the servicemembers participating in chapel services. The Catholic Chapel Hymnal is the outcome of that survey.

Unfortunately, no attribution is given to Father Metcalf in any of the major hymnals in which his works appear. These hymnals include the ST. BASIL’S HYMNAL (1888 thru 1925); THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY HYMNAL, 1898; the AVE MARIA HYMNAL, 1936; HYMNS USED BY THE PUPILS OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME, (1920 and 1948), and ST. JOSEPH’S HYMNAL, 1930. This may have been the way Father Metcalf intended it to be. Yet, on the other hand, his O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine was the most popular and widely used of all hymns to the Sacred Heart in American Catholic life through the entire 20th century. It was used at Sacred Heart novenas, devotions, First Friday Masses, and by Catholic school children at various exercises honoring the Heart of Jesus.

After Pope Leo XIII consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart in 1898, there was a great demand for Sacred Heart hymns as this devotion was flourishing. Thus, the hymns mentioned, and many other others, became an important part of Catholic devotional life.

Reflection

The hymn is a collection of invocations to the Sacred Heart to hear our prayers and will for some of you be very new as you are not accustomed to singing to the Sacred Heart in this way. In the first verse we ask the Sacred Heart to keep us near and to make our love like His.

O Sacred Heart! O Love Divine! Do keep us near to Thee.
And make our love so like to Thine, that we may holy be.

In the second verse you might ask what is the Temple pure or House of Gold? What can be our heaven here below? When you are in church what do you see that resembles a temple or a house of gold? From which our delights and wealth ever flow, can you see it?

I have a particular fondness for the last verse because all of us have at one time or another been ungrateful or forgetful of the Sacred Heart.

Ungrateful hearts, forgetful hearts, the hearts of men have been.
To wound Thy side with cruel darts, Which they have made by sin.

In the gospel we read that a soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a lance (John 19:34). Father Metcalf uses this imagery but switches the lance to darts made from sin. How often have you wounded His Sacred Heart with the cruel darts you have made from your sins?

This was an extremely popular hymn to sing when I was in the choir at St. Mary’s, especially during the month of June which the Catholic Church dedicates to the Sacred Heart. We would sing this hymn sometimes before Mass, at Offertory, during Communion and for Benediction services. We used the arrangement found in the ST. BASIL’S HYMNAL, 1918. May the hearts of many known only to God be drawn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and may this hymn become the favorite in the repertoire of Catholic choirs again.

Below is a recording from a cassette tape of St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Concert that was held in June 1982 featuring O Sacred Heart! O Love Divine! and Heart of Jesus, We Are Grateful. It’s so good to hear my friends in the choir again.

A special thank you to Peter Meggison producer of the Devotional Hymns Project for allowing me to link to the Hymn Fest for the Sacred Heart which was performed by the choirs of St. Adelaide Church, Peabody, MA, on June 28, 2019.

Also, a special thank you to Noel Jones, AAGO in granting permission to link to A Catholic Book of Hymns with nearly 300 time-honored traditional Catholic hymns, including O Sacred Heart! O Love Divine! and Heart of Jesus, We Are Grateful.

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Mother All Beautiful

This hymn was written by M.S. Pine, a pseudonym for Sister Mary Paulina Finn, VHM (1842-1935), from the Georgetown Visitation Convent in Washington, D.C. Sister Paulina was born from a prominent Catholic family who lived in Boston. Soon after the Civil War, in 1868, she entered the Visitation Convent. She is credited with having assisted Agnes Repplier embark on her literary career. Agnes was illiterate until the age of ten when she received mentoring from Sister Paulina. Agnes would later go on to become one of America’s leading discursive essayists.

Sister Paulina was head of the English Department at the Convent for over half a century and had a great influence in the education of her pupils. Among her students who would become well-known influential literary figures after their years at Visitation were Eleanor Mercein Kelly and Harriet Monroe. Eleanor published several novels and numerous short stories, some of which appeared in films and on Broadway. Harriet became the founder of Poetry: A Magazine of Verse, which remains in publication today as Poetry.

Sister Paulina was also the Aunt to Father William J. Finn, C.S.P., who was the director of the Paulist Choristers, a famous Catholic group of singers who performed weekly on national radio. Catholic radio programs were extremely popular before the age of television and included an audience of tens of millions of Americans every week.

Sister Paulina was a distinguished writer and under her pseudonym M.S. Pine published various writings including Sacred Poems; Alma Mater and Other Dramas; the Venerable John Bosco, Apostle of Youth; A Glory of Maryland, John Banister Tabb – The Priest Poet, and others. From the Georgetown Visitation Monastery Archives in Washington, D.C., I was provided with copies from the first bound copy of her Sacred Poems, published in 1924, with an inscription from the printer Mr. Thomsen of the Thomsen-Ellis Company. (Click on any image to enlarge)

Sister Paulina is known to have written the lyrics to at least ten different hymns most of which appear in the AMERICAN CATHOLIC HYMNAL compiled by The Marist Brothers and published by P. J. Kenedy & Sons, in 1913 and 1921. Her hymns include:

#26 Soul of Jesus, Guest For Me
#107 Only Thee, My Jesus
#141 Mother All Beautiful (Communion Hymn)
#177 O Jesus, Mary, Joseph! (The Holy Family)
#208 O Jesus, Jesus Throned On High (Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament)
#262 My Soul, What Can I Render The Lord?
#269 God of Peace and Love
#280 Hail, Ever-Blessed Day! (Consecration to the Blessed Virgin)
#295 We Leave Thy Shrine, O Mother Cherished
#297 With Jesus, Mary’s Name (‘Tis holy Joseph’s name)

In addition, the hymn Mother All Beautiful also appeared in the following Catholic hymnals: The DIOCESAN HYMNAL Part Two compiled by Cleveland, Ohio Bishop Joseph Schrembs, D.D.; the 1918 ST. BASIL’S HYMNAL REVISED EDITION, and the 1935 edition of THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS AND A COMPLETE MANUAL OF HYMNS FOR PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS.

The DIOCESAN HYMNAL Part Two was published by J. Fisher & Bro., of New York in 1928. Bishop Schrembs compiled three hymnals including, The Diocesan Hymnal Part 1 which was published in 1926 consisting of Communion and Confirmation Hymns. Part 2 consisting of Devotional Hymns, and a third, The Eucharistic Hymnal published in 1935, embodied hymns taken from Part 1 & Part 2.

He was elevated to the office of Archbishop in 1935 and was the Promoter of the Seventh National Eucharistic Congress and Protector of the Priests’ Eucharistic League in the United States. He was himself a musician and composed several hymns and was instrumental in producing manuals of Gregorian Chant and Catholic editions of music text books for elementary schools. He is also considered one of the pioneers of Catholic radio. He spoke frequently on local radio stations giving sermons and catechetical instructions often followed by the singing of hymns for which he composed the tunes. He was instrumental in persuading the National Council of Catholic Men (NCCM) to sponsor the Catholic Hour that began broadcasting in 1930. This weekly radio program reached a large national audience.

The music for the hymn was composed by Bishop Schrembs and harmonized by Alfred Kalnins.

The ST. BASIL’S HYMNAL was the most widely used Catholic hymnal during the first half of the 20^th century period. The first edition was published in 1888 and contained Daily Prayers, Prayers at Mass, Litanies, Vespers for All the Sundays and Festivals of the Year, a Selection of over Two Hundred Hymns, Office and Rules for Sodalities of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Preparation for and Prayers after Confession and Holy Communion.

The hymnal was compiled and edited by Father Lawrence Brennan, C.S.B., (1847-1904). Father Brennan was appointed as the first full-time pastor of St. Basil’s Church of Toronto. The St. Basil’s hymnbook spread quickly across Canada and the United States and became a standard hymnal in many parishes. In 1904, all the plates, manuscripts, and partially finished editions were destroyed in a disastrous fire, and shortly after this fire, the pastor of St. Basil’s Church of Toronto, Father Lawrence Brennan died.

A cursory look at the history of St. Basil’s hymnal and it’s various editions would suggest that there were 41 different printings. However, this is not the case, the Fifth edition printed in 1896 was the last edition before the great fire and we don’t see another edition until the Tenth which was printed in 1906. The next major revision of the St. Basil’s Hymnal occurred in 1918. This revised edition is highly sought after by collectors and hymn researchers. It is also the only edition where we find the hymn Mother All Beautiful, which was reprinted by permission from The American Catholic Hymnal.

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS AND A COMPLETE MANUAL OF HYMNS FOR PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS, was published by The Public Press of Philadelphia in 1935. My copy is a word-only collection measuring about 4 inches wide and approximately 6 inches tall and contains 527 pages with Approbation approval by the Censor Librorum and Archbishop of Philadelphia, Pa. (Click on any image to enlarge)

Sister Paulina died at the Georgetown Visitation Convent toward the end of February in 1935 at the venerable age of ninety-two. She had given nearly sixty-eight years of her life to the convent. Her nephew, Father William Finn conducted the funeral rites in the Convent Chapel.

My research found a few articles with obituaries about Sister Paulina. One source is The Catholic Educational Review, an American Journal of Catholic Education published by the Catholic University of America from 1911 to 1969. The second is an article from The Catholic World, a general literature and science magazine published monthly by the Paulist Fathers. It ran from 1870 to 1996.

Also, an obituary article from The Washington Post dated March 2, 1935. And lastly, an obituary from the Alumni Publication in 1935 with a special anecdote from one of her many students. (Click on any image to enlarge)

Reflection

It is evident from these sources that Sister Paulina’s life and contributions were deeply valued by her community, leaving a lasting impact that continued to be recognized posthumously. Her devotion to faith and education is reflected in the hymns she composed, which continue to inspire and comfort believers. The hymn I selected, penned by Sister Paulina and musically composed by Father William J. Finn, O.S.P., encapsulates this enduring legacy. I am particularly drawn to the third verse which reminds me that she, Mary, is His mother, but also our mother. Thou art His Mother, He gave us to thee, a reference to the gospel of John 19:26-27.

Today, some musicians use missalette guides for hymn choices, while others aim to revive Gregorian chant, both neglecting the educational value of traditional Catholic hymns. There was a time when Communion hymns of this quality were consistently part of the choir and parish repertoire.

This hymn contains verses that are both beautiful and prayerful, which remain relevant even today, and can resonate with individuals of all ages. Please take a moment to reflect on the verses. Do you see any that reach out to you? Do you see any that teach you or remind you of your Catechism or the teachings of the Catholic Church? If you do, I think you will agree that Sister Paulina is still teaching us today, just as she did those many years ago.

A special thank you to Peter Meggison, producer of The Devotional Hymns Project, for granting permission to use a recording of Mother All Beautiful performed by the Cor et Vox Singers of St. John Cantius Church, Chicago. Also, I have included a computer-generated sound file of the melody composed by Bishop Schrembs.

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