Family Hymn

The Holy Family

Reason

I was inspired to write this hymn/poem after reading Dear Newlyweds: Pope Pius XII Speaks to Married Couples and studying the work of Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey and the Enthronement to the Sacred Heart in the home. We finally did the Enthronement of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts on Laetare Sunday during the pandemic shutdown in 2020.

The hymn is meant to be sung to the tune Rustington by Charles H. Parry (1897). The text is now copyrighted through the Library of Congress.

Hymn Text

1.  Joyfully to celebrate we
Come, Lord, singing unto Thee,
Asking Thee to bless our fam’ly
Through Thy holy Wisdom’s Seat.*
Unto Thee we come for healing,
Unto Thee we come for love,
Unto Thee we come for blessing
From Thy holy Throne above.

2.  And we come with supplication
For our humble fam’ly life:
Save us from all vain contention,
Save us from all selfish strife.
May our arms embrace each other,
May our lips speak kindliness;
May our labor and our leisure
Be in Thee true godliness.

3.  Sacred Heart, Thou King of our home,
Keep us all in harmony,
As the organ and the voices
Blend together beauteously.
Make our home a place of bounty
And of understanding love;
May our hearts trust in each other
And in Thine unending love.

4.  Mother Mary, Queen of our home,
Reigning here, show forth thy pow’r!
Graciously dispense all graces
To these hearts and souls of ours!
Be thou here, who art our Mother,
Keep us in thy folded arms,
Grant us joy and banish anguish,
Be our refuge from all harm.

5.  May we imitate the goodness
Of the Holy Family,
Where Saint Joseph ruled with meekness
Jesus and His Mother sweet.
Good Saint Joseph, faithful guardian;
Mother Mary, purest Maid;
Little Jesus, Who, obedient,
Grew in wisdom and in age.

6.  Praise we sing to God the Father,
And His Sole-begotten Son,
And to God the Holy Spirit,
Everlasting Three-in-One!
May we ever sing Thy goodness,
May we ever bless Thy Name,
And in one unceasing chorus
All Thy glorious wonders claim. Amen.

 

* This line may be replaced by any of these lines:

     Christmas and its Octave: On this merry Christmas Feast.

     Epiphany and its Octave: At Thy great Epiphany.

     Feast of the Holy Family: On this Holy Fam’ly Feast.

     Eastertide: At Thy Resurrection Feast.

     Ascensiontide: At Thy great Ascension Feast.

     Pentecost and its Octave: At descent of Paraclete.

     Sacred Heart of Jesus: Through the Heart of Christ the King!

     Christ the King: On this Feast of Christ the King.

     American Thanksgiving: On this grateful harvest feast.

     Wedding Day: At our joyful wedding feast!

     Wedding Anniversary: On our anniversary.

     Other family feasts: On this day of special feast.

© 2021 David Varella