Category: HYMNS

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, DOCTORS of the Church, HYMNS, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES

Our Morning Offering – 15 February – O Mother Blest By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 15 February – Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners

O Mother Blest
By St Alphonsus Maira Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
Trans. Fr Edmund Vaughn C.SS.R. (1827 – 1908 )

O Mother blest, whom God bestows
On sinners and on just,
What joy, what hope thou givest those
Who in thy mercy trust.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste,
Mary thou art fair,
Of all mothers, sweetest best,
none with thee compare.

O heavenly Mother, mistress sweet!
it never yet was told
that suppliant sinner left thy feet,
unpitied, unconsoloed.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste, …

O Mother, pitiful and mild,
Cease not to pray for me;
For I do love thee as a child,
And sigh for love of thee.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …

Most powerful Mother, all men know
Thy Son denies thee nought;
Thou askest, wishest it, and lo!
His power thy will hath wrought.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …

O Mother blest, for me obtain,
Ungrateful though I be,
To love that God who first could deign
To show such love for me.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste,
Mary, thou art fair.
Of all mothers, sweetest, best,
None with thee compare.

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HOPE, The HOLY GHOST, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 12 February – Patris et Filii Concordia By St Bede

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Our Morning Offering – 12 February – “The Month of the Most Holy and Blessed Trinity”

Patris et Filii Concordia
Come Holy Ghost,
Love of Father and Son.
By St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O COME to me, my only Hope,
O Lord my God.
Come to me, true Light,
Father, Almighty God.
Come, Light from Light,
both Word and Son of God,
God Almighty.
Come Holy Ghost, Love of Father and Son,
One God Almighty.
Come One Almighty God,
Father and Son and Holy Ghost.

Teach faith, stir up hope, pour out love.
Thy will is present with me
(yet not from me but from Thee)
to leave the world and the earth
and to seek the Heavens.
But this will is a feeble feather, without Thy help.
Give wings of faith
that I might fly on high to Thee.
Amen

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, DOGMA, FATHERS of the Church, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN QUOTES, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Quote/s of the Day – 11 February – “I am the Immaculate Conception”

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 February – Apparition of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes

“I am the Immaculate Conception”

Our Lady to St Bernadette
at Lourdes on 25 March 1858

(On Friday, 8 December 1854, Pope Pius IX (or Pio Nono as he was called) solemnly proclaimed the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary to be a Dogma of the Catholic Faith. Around 4 years later, Our Lady confirmed this Dogma by her words to St Bernadette.)

“Gracious Lady,
thou art a Mother and Virgin,
thou art the Mother
of the body and soul
of our Head and Redeemer,
thou art too, truly Mother
of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body.
For through thy love,
thou hast co-operated
in the begetting of the faithful in the Church.
Unique among women,
thou art Mother and Virgin,
Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ.
Thou art the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin.
Thou art, forever, the image of the holy Church.
Through a woman came death,
through a woman came Life,
yes, through thee, O Mother of God.“

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

“You have guarded the integrity
of the temple [of your body];
you have kept your tabernacle free from all sin,
so that the Father becomes your guest,
the Holy Ghost overshadows you
and the Only-begotten Son Incarnate
is born of you.”

St Hesychius of Jerusalem (Died c450)
Priest, Exegete, Father

NVIOLATA!
INVIOLATE!
Unknown Author
(11th Century)

Thou art inviolate, undefiled
and chaste, O Mary.
Thou has become the resplendent
Gate of Heaven,
O loving and dearest Mother of Christ,
Accept our devout acclamations
in praise of thee.
That our minds and bodies
may be pure,
Devoted hearts and lips
now implore thee.
Through thy sweet sounding prayers,
Gain us pardon forever.
O kind one, who alone
didst remain inviolate.
Amen

The Hymn Inviolata has been claimed by the Carmelite Order, as a Traditional Hymn originating within their ranks. The Hymn is also used by Dominican Friars in the chanting of Compline. Its origins trace to the 11th Century. It appears in Hymnals from 1860 to 1920.

O Purest of Creatures,
Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid
By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat. (1814-1863)

O Purest of creatures, sweet Mother, sweet maid,
The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid!
Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! and we
Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world,
And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled;
And the tempest-tossed Church,—
all her eyes are on thee;
They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

He gazed on thy soul, it was spotless and fair,
For the empire of sin—it had never been there;
None ever had owned thee, dear Mother but He.
And He blest thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Earth gave Him one lodging; t’was deep in thy breast,
And God found a home where the sinner finds rest;
His home and His hiding-place, both were in thee,
He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 6 February – O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith

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Our Morning Offering – 6 February –“The Month of the Blessed Trinity” – St Titus (Died c96) Bishop, Confessor

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith

O Fathers of our ancient faith,
With all the heav’n, we sing your fame
Whose sound went forth in all the earth
To tell of Christ and bless His Name.

You took the Gospel to the poor,
The Word of God alight in you,
Which in our day is told again,
That timeless Word, forever new.

You told of God, Who died for us
And out of death triumphant rose,
Who gave the Truth which made us free
and changeless through the ages goes.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Whose gift is faith that never dies,
A light in darkness now, until
The Day-Star in our hearts arise.

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office it is sung at Morning Prayer in the Common of Apostles. It is set to the anonymous tune associated with the 7th Century Latin Hymn, Creator Alme Siderum.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 3 February – O Gloriosa Virginum

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Our Morning Offering – 3 February – Resumed Mass of Sunday

O Gloriosa Virginum
By St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609)

O Glorious Virgin, ever blest,
Sublime above the starry sky,
Who nurture from thy spotless breast
To thy Creator didst supply.

What we had lost through hapless Eve,
The Blossom sprung from these restores,
And, granting bliss to souls that grieve,
Unbars the everlasting doors.

O Gate, through which hath passed the King.
O Hall, whence Light shone through the gloom;
The ransomed nations, praise and sing
Life given from the Virgin womb.

All honour, laud and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Amen

O Gloriosa Domina is the second half of the Hymn: Quem Terra, Pontus, Aethera. It was composed by St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609) the Bishop of Poitiers.
In 1632, in accordance with revisions made to the hymns of the Divine Office by Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644), it was altered and changed to O Gloriósa Vírginum.
It is sung in the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Roman Breviary.
It is said that St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) was always singing this Hymn. His mother sang it to him as a baby and even on his death bed, after receiving Extreme Unction, he intoned the Hymn.

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, POETRY

Quote/s of the Day – 2 February – Candlemas

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 February – The Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, Candlemas

Candlemas
By John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
The Oratory, 1849.

The Angel-lights of Christmas morn,
Which shot across the sky,
Away they pass at Candlemas,
They sparkle and they die.

Comfort of earth is brief at best,
Although it be divine;
Like funeral lights for Christmas gone,
Old Simeon’ s tapers shine.

And then for eight long weeks and more,
We wait in twilight grey,
Till the High Candle sheds a beam
On Holy Saturday.

We wait along the penance-tide
Of solemn fast and prayer,
Whilst song is hushed and lights grow dim,
In the sin-laden air.

And while the sword in Mary’s soul
Is driven home, we hide
In our own hearts and count, the wounds
Of passion and of pride.

And still, though Candlemas be spent
And alleluias o’er,
Mary is music in our need.
And Jesus, Light in store.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 30 January – Hear Thou with Joy, O Rome, Martina’s Name

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Our Morning Offering – 30 January – Feast of St Martina (Died c228) Virgin and Martyr, Patron of Rome

Hear Thou with Joy, O Rome,
Martina’s Name
Breviary Hymn for Matins
By Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644) (Attrib)
Papal Reign from 1623-1644

Hear thou with joy, O Rome, Martina’s name,
Her praises celebrate with glad accord Martina,
high in merit, virgin blest
and martyr of the Lord.

Beauty and youth, the joys of happy home,
Ancestral palaces and noble birth;
All these were hers, all these for Jesu’s sake,
She counted nothing worth.

Her wealth she shared among the poor of Christ,
Content with seeking better wealth above:
Herself she gave to her immortal King,
too happy in His love.

The agonising hooks, the rending scourge,
Shook not the dauntless spirit in her breast;
With torments rack’d, Angels her fainting flesh
Recruit with heavenly feast.

In vain they cast her to the ravening beasts;
Calm at her feet the lion crouches down,
Till smitten by the sword at length she goes
To her immortal crown.

Now with the Saints Martina reigns in bliss
And. where Idolatry sate throned of yore,
From her victorious altar, praise and prayer
With odorous incense soar.

Expel false worldly joys and fill us, Lord,
With Thine enlightening beam Divine;
Who with Thy suffering Martyrs present art,
The Godhead, One and Trine.
Amen

Images omits Stanzas 4 and 6

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on MARTYRDOM

Our Morning Offering – 26 January – Deus, Tuorum Militum, O God of Those Who Fought Thy Fight

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Our Morning Offering – 26 January – St Polycarp (69-155) Martyr, Bishop of Smyrna (Asia Minor), Apostolic Father

Deus, Tuorum Militum
O God of Those Who Fought Thy Fight
Unknown Author
(6th Century)

O God, of those who fought Thy fight,
Portion and Prize and Crown of Light,
Break every bond of sin and shame
As now we praise Thy Martyr’s name.

He recked not of the world’s allure
But sin and pomp of sin forswore:
Knew all their gall and passed them by
And reached the throne prepared on high.

Bravely the course of pain he ran
And bore his torments, as a man,
For love of Thee his blood outpoured
And thus obtained the great reward.

With humble voice and suppliant word
We pray Thee, therefore, Holy Lord,
While we Thy Martyr’s Feast-day keep,
Forgive Thy loved and erring sheep.

All honour, laud and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee,
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Amen

An Ambrosian Hymn historically assigned for Matins and Vespers for the Common of a Martyr in the Roman Breviary. It dates probably from the s6th Century and is attributed to the unknown Author of Rex gGoriose Martyrum and Jesu, Redemptor Omnium.
The Hymn exists in a longer version of eight strophes and a shorter one, of four, which is probably earlier.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 24 January – O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith

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Our Morning Offering – 24 January – Feast of Saint Timothy, Bishop and Martyr

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith

O Fathers of our ancient faith,
With all the heav’n, we sing your fame
Whose sound went forth in all the earth
To tell of Christ and bless His Name.

You took the Gospel to the poor,
The Word of God alight in you,
Which in our day is told again,
That timeless Word, forever new.

You told of God, Who died for us
And out of death triumphant rose,
Who gave the Truth which made us free
and changeless through the ages goes.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Whose gift is faith that never dies,
A light in darkness now, until
The Day-Star in our hearts arise.

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office it is sung at Morning Prayer in the Common of Apostles. It is set to the anonymous tune associated with the 7th century Latin hymn, Creator Alme Siderum.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, St PETER!

Our Morning Offering – 18 January – O Peter, Who was Named by Christ!

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Our Morning Offering – 18 January – Feast of the Chair of the Apostle, St Peter at Rome

O Peter, Who was Named by Christ!
By Stanbrook Abbey
For the Feast of the Chair of St Peter

O Peter who was named by Christ!
The guardian-shepherd of His flock,
Protect the Church He built on thee
To stand unyielding, firm on rock.

Thy weakness, Christ exchanged for strength,
Thou faltered but He made thee true.
He knew the greatness of thy love
And gave the keys of heav’n to thee.

Unseen, eternal Trinity,
We give Thee glory, praise Thy Name,
Thy love keeps faith, with faithless men,
Through change and stress, Thou art the same.
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, THE EPIPHANY of the LORD, The EPIPHANY Prayers

Our Morning Offering – 13 January – Jesus, Light of All the Nations By St Hilary

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Our Morning Offering – 13 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – The Eighth Day, The Octave of the Epiphany

Jesus Refulsit Omnium
Jesus, Light of All the Nations
By St Hilary (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Divinity of Christ

Jesus, the merciful Redeemer of all nations,
shone forth on this day;
let the faithful of every race
celebrate Him in their songs of praise.

A Star, shining in the heavens,
announces His Birth;
it leads the way
and guides them to His Crib.

Prostrating, they adore the Infant
wrapped in swaddling clothes;
they confess Him to be the true God,
offering Him their mystic gifts.

Thirty years of His life had passed
and He, the infinitely pure God,
seeks the laver of baptism.

John, the favoured Baptist
trembles as he bends the head of Jesus
beneath the waters–that Jesus whose Blood
was to purify the whole earth from its sins.

The Divine Voice of the Father is heard from Heaven,
bearing testimony to His Son
and the Holy Ghost, too, is present,
the Giver of holy grace.

We beseech Thee in humble supplication,
O Jesus! protect Thy people;
we ask it of Thee by the power Thou didst show
when Thou didst command
the water to be changed into wine.

May praise, honour and all power
be to the Trinity forever and forever.
Amen

(Verses 4-6 omitted on the image).
I could not find the name of the Translator of this version of this Hymn, often referred to as “the oldest” Christmas Hymn.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, CHRISTMASTIDE!, Holy Family PRAYERS, HYMNS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE

Our Morning Offering – 12 January – O House of Nazareth The Blest

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Our Morning Offering – 12 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” and the Feast of the Holy Family

O Gente Felix
O House of Nazareth The Blest
Prayer In Honour of the Holy Family
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)

O house of Nazareth the blest,
Fair hostess of the Lord,
The Church was nurtured at thy breast
And shared thy scanty hoard.

In all the spreading lands of earth.
The wandering sun may see
No dearer spot, no ampler worth
Than erst was found in thee!

We know thy humble tenement
Was heaven’s hermitage:
Celestial heralds came and went
In endless embassage.

There, whatsoever Joseph asks
Christ hastens to fulfil;
While Mary loves the household tasks
That wait her joyous will.

There, Joseph toileth at her side
Her joys and griefs to share,
With thousand ties knit to his bride,
Of love and work and prayer.

Yet how their bosoms constant burn
And deeper ardours prove
In love of Christ, whose eyes return
Tokens of mutual love.

O then, in all the homes of earth,
Be Love the bond of life:
May it enthrone at every hearth
The peace that husheth strife.

All praise to thee, O Jesus,
Who parents dost obey;
Praise to the sovereign Father
And Paraclete for aye.
Amen.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The SECOND COMING

Our Morning Offering – 24 December – Magnis Prophetæ Vocibus, With Mighty Voice the Prophets Cry

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Our Morning Offering – 24 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Magnis Prophetæ Vocibus
With Mighty Voice the Prophets Cry
Unknown Author

With mighty voice the prophets cry
that Christ the Lord is drawing nigh;
rejoicing, they foresee the grace
by which He saves us and redeems.

And so our morning sun shines forth,
our hearts ablaze with radiant joy;
we hear the faithful voice resound,
precursor of God’s glorious gift.

At that first Advent, Christ our God
came forth not to condemn the world,
but came to cleanse our gaping wound,
to seek and save what had been lost.

Christ’s Second Coming warns us all
that He is standing at the gates,
to give to saints their glorious crowns
and open wide the heav’nly realm.

Eternal light is now foretold,
the saving star is shining forth,
its radiant splendour summons us
and calls us to the heav’nly court.

Christ Jesus, Thou alone we seek
to see Thee face-to-face as God;
may this unending vision be
an everlasting hymn of praise.
Amen.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on FEAR, The LAMB of GOD, The SECOND COMING

Our Morning Offering – 23 December – Hark, a Herald Voice Is Sounding

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Our Morning Offering – 23 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Hark, a Herald Voice Is Sounding
Vox Clare
Unknown Author – 5th or 6th Century
Trans: Fr Edward Caswall C.Orat. (1814-1878)

Hark! A herald voice is sounding!
“Christ is near,” we hear it say.
Cast away the works of darkness,
all you children of the day!”

2 See, the Lamb, so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from Heav’n.
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
one and all, to be forgiv’n.

3 So, when next He Comes in glory
and the world is wrapped in fear,
He will shield us with His mercy
and with words of love draw near.

4 Honour, glory, might, dominion
to the Father and the Son
with the everlasting Spirit
while eternal ages run!
Amen

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to the DIVINE INFANT JESUS, The DIVINE INFANT

Our Morning Offering – 22 December – Saviour of the Nations, Come!

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Our Morning Offering – 22 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Veni Redemptor Gentium
Saviour of the Nations, Come!
St Ambrose’s (340-397)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Saviour of the nations, come!
Virgin’s Son, here make Thy home!
Marvel now, O Heaven and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.

Not by human flesh and blood;
By the Spirit of our God
Was the Word of God made flesh,
Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.

Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child
Of the Virgin undefiled!
Though by all the world disowned,
Still to be in Heaven enthroned.

From the Father forth He came
And returneth to the same,
Captive leading death and hell
High the song of triumph swell!

Thou, the Father’s only Son,
Hast over sin the victory won.
Boundless shall Thy kingdom be;
When shall we its glories see?

Brightly doth Thy manger shine,
Glorious is its Light Divine.
Let not sin o’ercloud this Light;
Ever be our faith thus bright.

Praise to God the Father sing,
Praise to God the Son, our King,
Praise to God the Spirit be
Ever and eternally.
Amen!

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 21 December – Exsultet Orbis! Let the World Rejoice! – The Feast of St Thomas, Apostle

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Our Morning Offering – 21 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of St Thomas, Apostle

Exsultet Orbis!
Let the World Rejoice!
Unknown Author

Now let the earth with joy resound,
And Heaven the chant re-echo round;
Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise
The great Apostles’ glorious praise.

O ye who, throned in glory dread,
Shall judge the living and the dead,
Lights of the world forever more!
To you the suppliant prayer we pour.

Ye close the Sacred Gates on high.
At your command apart they fly.
O loose for us the guilty chain
We strive to break and strive in vain.

Sickness and health your voice obey,
At your command they go or stay.
From sin’s disease our souls restore;
In good confirm us more and more.

So when the world is at its end.
And Christ to Judgment shall descend,
May we be called, those joys to see
Prepared from all eternity.

Praise to the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One;
As ever was in ages past
And so shall be while ages last.
Amen

(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles)
An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the tenth century in a hymnal of Moissac Abbey.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, The DIVINE INFANT, The SECOND COMING

Our Morning Offering – 20 December – “Christ is Near!”

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Our Morning Offering – 20 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

“Christ is Near!”
Vox clara ecce intonas
Hear the Herald Voice Resounding
Unknown Sixth Century
Trans. Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)

Hear the herald voice resounding:
“Christ is near!” it seems to say,
“Cast away the dreams of darkness,
Welcome Christ, the Light of day!”

Wakened by this solemn warning,
Let the earthbound soul arise;
Christ her Sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.

See the Lamb so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from Heav’n;
Hasten now, with tears of sorrow,
One and all to be forgiv’n.

So when next He comes with glory,
Shrouding all the earth in fear,
May He then as our Defender
On the clouds of heav’n appear.

Honour, glory, virtue, merit,
To the Father and the Son,
With the co-eternal Spirit,
While eternal ages run.
Amen!

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 19 December – Creator Alme Siderum, Creator of the Starry Frame

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Our Morning Offering – 19 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Creator Alme Siderum
Creator of the Starry Frame
7th Century Advent Hymn

Creator of the starry frame;
Eternal Light of all who live;
Jesu, Redeemer of mankind,
An ear to Thy poor suppliants give.

When man was sunk in sin and death,
Lost in the depth of Satan’s snare,
Love brought Thee down to cure our ills,
By taking of those ills a share.

Thou for the sake of guilty men,
Causing Thine own pure blood to flow,
Didst issue from Thy Virgin-shrine,
And to the Cross a Victim go.

So great the glory of Thy might,
If we but chance Thy Name to sound,
At once all Heaven and Hell unite
In bending low with awe profound.

Great Judge of all, in that last day,
When friends shall fail and foes combine,
Be present then with us, we pray,
To guard us with Thy arm divine.

To God the Father and the Son,
All praise and power and glory be,
With Thee, O holy Comforter,
Henceforth through all eternity.

Also known as Advent Hymn, this translation of the Latin hymn Creator Alme Siderum (Pope Urban VIII’s 1632 revision of the 7th Century Hymn Conditor alme siderum) was first published in Fr Edward Caswall’s Lyra Catholica,

Posted in IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on PURITY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 15 December – O Purest of Creatures, Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid

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Our Morning Offering – 15 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Octave Day of the Immaculate Conception

O Purest of Creatures,
Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid
By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat. (1814-1863)

O Purest of creatures, sweet Mother, sweet maid,
The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid!
Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! and we
Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world,
And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled;
And the tempest-tossed Church,—
all her eyes are on thee;
They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

He gazed on thy soul, it was spotless and fair,
For the empire of sin—it had never been there;
None ever had owned thee, dear Mother but He.
And He blest thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Earth gave Him one lodging; t’was deep in thy breast,
And God found a home where the sinner finds rest;
His home and His hiding-place, both were in thee,
He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, FATHERS of the Church, GATE of HEAVEN, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 14 December – O Gloriosa Virginum By St Venantius Fortunatus

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Our Morning Offering – 14 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception – Today is also the Feast day of dear St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609) Bishop, Poet, Hymnist, Writer. Another “Golden Words”:

O Gloriosa Virginum
By St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609)

O Glorious Virgin, ever blest,
Sublime above the starry sky,
Who nurture from thy spotless breast
To thy Creator didst supply.

What we had lost through hapless Eve,
The Blossom sprung from these restores,
And, granting bliss to souls that grieve,
Unbars the everlasting doors.

O Gate, through which hath passed the King.
O Hall, whence Light shone through the gloom;
The ransomed nations, praise and sing
Life given from the Virgin womb.

All honour, laud and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Amen

O Gloriosa Domina is the second half of the Hymn: Quem Terra, Pontus, Aethera. It was composed by St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609) the Bishop of Poitiers.
In 1632, in accordance with revisions made to the Hymns of the Divine Office by Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644), it was altered and changed to O Gloriósa Vírginum.
It is sung in the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Roman Breviary.
It is said that St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) was always singing this Hymn. His mother sang it to him as a baby,and even on his death bed after receiving Extreme Unction, he intoned the Hymn.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOGMA, FATHERS of the Church, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 12 December – O Gloriosa Femina, O Glorious Maid, Exalted Far

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Our Morning Offering – 12 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Within the Octave

O Gloriosa Femina
O Glorious Maid, Exalted Far
By St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609)
Bishop, Father o the Church

O Glorious Maid, exalted far
Beyond the light of burning star,
From Him who made thee, thou hast won
Grace to be Mother of His Son.

That which was lost in hapless Eve
Thy holy Scion did retrieve:
The tear-worn sons of Adam’s race
Through thee have seen the heavenly place.

Thou wast the gate of Heaven’s high Lord,
The door through which the Light hath poured.
Christians rejoice, for through a Maid
To all mankind is life conveyed!

All honour, laud and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Amen.

This Hymn was used for Lauds in the Sarum Breviary for the Feasts of the Immaculate Conception, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation, the Assumption and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The above is the original text of this Hymn as it appears in The English Hymnal (1906), where it is listed as a Morning Office Hymn for Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
Chant Tone: “O Gloriosa Domina” Gregorian Chant, Mode II, traditional.

Posted in CARMELITES, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOMINICAN OP, GATE of HEAVEN, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on PURITY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 10 December – INVIOLATA!

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Our Morning Offering – 10 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Within the Octave

INVIOLATA!
INVIOLATE!
Unknown Author
(11th Century)

Thou art inviolate, undefiled
and chaste, O Mary.
Thou has become the resplendent
Gate of Heaven,
O loving and dearest Mother of Christ,
Accept our devout acclamations
in praise of thee.
That our minds and bodies
may be pure,
Devoted hearts and lips
now implore thee.
Through thy sweet sounding prayers,
Gain us pardon forever.
O kind one, who alone
didst remain inviolate.
Amen

The Hymn Inviolata has been claimed by the Carmelite Order, as a Traditional Hymn originating within their ranks. The Hymn is also used by Dominican Friars in the chanting of Compline. Its origins trace to the 11th Century. It appears in Hymnals from 1860 to 1920.

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 9 December – Creator Alme Siderum – Creator of the Starry Frame

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Our Morning Offering – 9 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Resumed Mass of Sunday

Creator Alme Siderum
Creator of the Starry Frame
7th Century Advent Hymn

Creator of the starry frame;
Eternal Light of all who live;
Jesu, Redeemer of mankind,
An ear to Thy poor suppliants give.

When man was sunk in sin and death,
Lost in the depth of Satan’s snare,
Love brought Thee down to cure our ills,
By taking of those ills a share.

Thou for the sake of guilty men,
Causing Thine own pure blood to flow,
Didst issue from Thy Virgin-shrine,
And to the Cross a Victim go.

So great the glory of Thy might,
If we but chance Thy Name to sound,
At once all Heaven and Hell unite
In bending low with awe profound.

Great Judge of all, in that last day,
When friends shall fail and foes combine,
Be present then with us, we pray,
To guard us with Thy arm divine.

To God the Father and the Son,
All praise and power and glory be,
With Thee, O holy Comforter,
Henceforth through all eternity.

Also known as Advent Hymn, this translation of the Latin hymn Creator Alme Siderum (Pope Urban VIII’s 1632 revision of the 7th Century Hymn Conditor alme siderum) was first published in Fr Edward Caswall’s Lyra Catholica,

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 8 December – Immaculate! Immaculate!

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Our Morning Offering – 8 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Immaculate! Immaculate!
By Fr Frederick William Faber CO (1814-1863)

O Mother! I could weep for mirth,
Joy fills my heart so fast;
My soul today is Heaven on earth,
O could the transport last!
I think of thee and what thou art,
Thy majesty, thy state
And I keep singing, in my heart,
Immaculate! Immaculate!

When Jesus looks upon thy face,
His Heart with rapture glows
And in the Church, by His sweet Grace,
Thy blessed worship grows.
I think of thee and what thou art,
Thy majesty, thy state
And I keep singing, in my heart,—
Immaculate! Immaculate!

The Angels answer with their songs,
Bright choirs in gleaming rows
And Saints flock round thy feet in throngs
And Heaven with bliss o’erflows.
I think of thee and what thou art,
Thy majesty, thy state
And I keep singing, in my heart,
Immaculate! Immaculate!

This Hymn comes from Hymns By Frederick Faber, (1871 edition) and is under the title “Immaculate! Immaculate!”
It is a Hymn for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December.

Posted in ADVENT, ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, PRAYERS to the DIVINE INFANT JESUS, The DIVINE INFANT, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 7 December – A Great and Mighty Wonder

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Our Morning Offering – 7 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Vigil of the Immaculate Conception

A Great and Mighty Wonder
By St Germanus (c640-c 733)
Father of the Church

A great and mighty wonder,
a glorious mystery,
a Virgin bears an Infant
who veils His Deity.
Refrain:
Proclaim the Saviour’s birth,
“To God on high be glory
and peace to all the earth!”
The Word becomes incarnate
and yet remains on high,
and Cherubim sing anthems
to shepherds from the sky. … [Refrain]
While thus they sing your monarch,
those bright angelic bands,
rejoice, O vales and mountains
and oceans, clap your hands. [Refrain]
Since all, He comes to ransom,
by all, be He adored,
the Infant born in Bethl’em,
the Saviour and the Lord. [Refrain]
All idols then shall perish
and Satan’s lying cease,
and Christ shall raise His sceptre,
decreeing endless peace. [Refrain]

St Germanus was one of the Greek hymnwriters and one of the grandest among the defenders of the Icons. He was born at Constantinople of a patrician family, was Ordained there and became subsequently, Bishop of Cyzicus. He was present at the Synod of Constantinople in 712, which restored the Monothelite heresy but, in after years, he condemned it.
He was made Archbishop of Constantinople in 715. In 730 he was driven from the See, not without blows, for refusing to yield to the Iconoclastic Emperor, Leo the Isaurian. He died shortly afterwards in exile at a good old age.
His Life below:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/05/12/saint-of-the-day-12-may-saint-germanus-of-constantinople-c-640-733/

Posted in ADVENT, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS to the DIVINE INFANT JESUS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 5 December – I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary

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Our Morning Offering – 5 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary
By Father John Wyse (1825-1898)
Irish Priest and Hymn writer

I’ll sing a hymn to Mary,
The Mother of my God,
The Virgin of all virgins,
Of David’s royal blood.
O teach me, Holy Mary,
A loving song to frame,
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
To love and bless thy name.

O Lily of the Valley,
O Mystic Rose, what tree,
Or flower, e’en the fairest,
Is half so fair as thee?
O let me, tho’ so lowly
Recite my Mother’s fame.
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

O noble Tower of David,
Of gold and ivory.
The ark of God’s own promise,
The gate of Heav’n to me.
To live and not to love thee
Would fill my soul with shame.
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

When troubles dark afflict me
In sorrow and in care,
Thy light doth ever guide me
O beauteous Morning Star.
Lo, I’ll be ever ready
Thy goodly help to claim,
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
To love and bless thy name.

The Saints are high in glory,
With golden crowns so bright;
But brighter far is Mary,
Upon her throne of light.
Oh that which God did give thee,
Let mortal ne’er disclaim;
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

But in the crown of Mary,
There lies a wonderous gem,
As Queen of all the Angels,
Which Mary shares with them;
No sin hath e’er defiled thee,
So doth our faith proclaim;
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

And now O Virgin Mary
My mother and my Queen,
I’ve sung thy praise so bless me,
And keep my heart from sin.
When others jeer and mock thee,
I’ll often think how I
To shield my Mother, Mary,
Would lay me down and die.

Verses 4, 5 and 6 omitted on image.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 4 December – Dear Saviour, Haste! Venez divin Messie

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Our Morning Offering – 4 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Dear Saviour, Haste!
Venez divin Messie
By Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin (1663-1745)

Dear Saviour, haste!
Come, come to earth.
Dispel the night
and show Thy Face
And bid us hail
the Dawn of grace.
O come, Divine Messias,
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph,
And sadness flee away.
Amen

This is the Refrain from a beautiful Advent Hymn by Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, a French Cluniac Monk, Poet, Composer and Playwright.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMAS Prayers & Hymns, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 1 December – O Come, O come, Emmanuel

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Our Morning Offering – 1 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The First Sunday of Advent

O Come, O come, Emmanuel

O Come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, Thou Wisdom, from on high
And order all things far and nigh,
To us the path of knowledge show
And teach us in her ways to go.
Refrain

O come, o come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times did give the law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem,
From ev’ry foe deliver them
That trust Thy mighty power to save
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home,
Make safe the way that leads on high,
That we no more have cause to sigh.
Refrain

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid every strife and quarrel cease
And fill the world with heaven’s peace.
Refrain

The favourite O Come, O Come Emmanuel carol was originally written in Latin text in the 12th Century. The author of the words and composer to the music of O Come, O Come Emmanuel is unknown. It is, however, believed that the melody was of French origin and added to the text a hundred years later. The Latin was translated into English by John Mason Neale in 1851.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 30 November – St Andrew Apostle – Exsultet Orbis! Let the World Rejoice!

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Our Morning Offering – 30 November – Feast of St Andrew Apostle and Martyr

Exsultet Orbis!
Let the World Rejoice!
Unknown Author

Now let the earth with joy resound,
And Heaven the chant re-echo round;
Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise
The great Apostles’ glorious praise.

O ye who, throned in glory dread,
Shall judge the living and the dead,
Lights of the world forever more!
To you the suppliant prayer we pour.

Ye close the Sacred Gates on high.
At your command apart they fly.
O loose for us the guilty chain
We strive to break and strive in vain.

Sickness and health your voice obey,
At your command they go or stay.
From sin’s disease our souls restore;
In good confirm us more and more.

So when the world is at its end.
And Christ to Judgment shall descend,
May we be called, those joys to see
Prepared from all eternity.

Praise to the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One;
As ever was in ages past
And so shall be while ages last.
Amen

(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles)
An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the tenth century in a hymnal of Moissac Abbey.

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, BREVIARY Prayers, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), GOD ALONE!, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD

Our Morning Offering – 24 November – Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

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Our Morning Offering – 24 November – The Last Sunday after Pentecost

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
By Fr Ignaz Franz Poland (1719-1790) (Attri)
Archbishop of Schlawa, Germany

Holy God, we praise Thy Name.
Lord of all, we bow before Thee.
All on earth Thy sceptre claim;
all in heav’n above adore Thee.
Infinite Thy vast domain,
everlasting is Thy reign.

Hark, the loud celestial hymn,
Angel choirs above are raising.
Cherubim and seraphim,
in unceasing chorus praising,
fill the heav’ns with sweet accord:
Holy, holy, holy Lord.

Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Ghost, three we name Thee
While in essence only One,
Undivided God, we claim Thee
and adoring, bend the knee,
while we own the Mystery.

Spare Thy people Lord, we pray,
By a thousand snares surrounded.
Keep us without sin today,
Never let us be confounded.
Lo, I put my trust in Thee,
Never Lord, abandon me.

Fr Ignaz Franz Poland (1719-1790)
Archbishop of Schlawa, Germany, Hymnist, Musician
He also functioned as the Assessor for Theological Affairs at the Apostolic Vicariate. He wrote hymn lyrics and compiled religious music.
Trans. by Fr Clarence A Walworth (1820-1900)
Convert, writer. He was one of the Founders
of the Order of the Paulists in the U.S.A.