Catholic Action Hymn
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,014
    My parish DRE is looking for the Catholic Action Hymn "An Army of Youth" in any form available including sheet music. I've personally never heard of it, and It might not even be a "hymn". Thanks in advance.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,506
    An army of youth
    Flying the standards of truth,
    We're fighting for Christ, the Lord.
    Heads lifted high,
    Catholic Action our cry,
    And the Cross our only sword.
    On earth's battlefield
    Never a vantage we'll yield.
    As dauntlessly on we swing
    Comrades true, dare and do
    'Neath the Queen's white and blue,
    For our flag, for our faith,
    For Christ the King.
    Christ lifts His hands,
    The King commands; challenge, 'Come and follow me.'

    From ev'ry side,
    With eager stride,
    We form in the lines of victory.
    Let foemen lurk,
    And laggards shirk,
    We throw our fortunes to the Lord
    Mary's Son,
    Till the world is won,
    We have pledged you our loyal word.
    'An army of youth'

    [Daniel Lord, S.J. The Queens Work, St. Louis, MO, 1932]

    I actually was contacted by someone two days ago who has the score and is sending it to me...
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,506
    The music score is now available at: www.thecatholichymnal.com under Hymn Searches.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,090
    I found the page for that hymn, but no link to a PDF. Are you in the middle of working on it?
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,506
    Thanks, I thought I had clicked the UPLOAD button, but got distracted. It's up there. It, like Mother Beloved and We Stand For God, are a little...well, you'll see.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,090
    Oh, I've heard it sung before, on bus trips to the March for Life. Very appropriate!
  • St.Gregory
    Posts: 3
    my High School Prinicpal loved this hymn, we sang it at our school Masses anytime it fit with the occasion. :)
  • maganudo
    Posts: 1
    There is a popular novena at St. Andrew Parish in Johnstown, Pennsylvania which still uses this hymn. It is a novena to the Infant of Prague, and still (2011) attracts about 500 people a night. While I am sure most of the people do not understand this hymn, it is sung with great gusto. Contact them for the music.
  • corunum
    Posts: 1
    In our school, here in Montevideo, Uruguay, (one of the Sacred Heart Schools from St. Madeleine Sophie Barat) we used to sing it at benediction every afternoon before we left for home. We did not use "Catholic Action" our cry, but "Cor Unum" our cry. This beautiful song resounded through the halls as we marched out of the chapel. Its words lifted our spirits and strengthened our vows to committing our lives to serving those who need our attention, our care, our education, our skills... Sublime words and music!!! :-) :-) Ideal for Confirmation.
  • JenniferGM
    Posts: 59
    Seton School, in Manassas, uses this every year for the feast of Christ the King, and recorded it on their cd many years ago Non Nobis Domine.

    Just today I received another copy of the sheet music I ordered from etsy. It's a well-worn copy used by Sister Margaret Mary. I scanned my other sheet music before, the quality isn't as good, but I have all three versions on my blog now. If you are interested I could rescan the first two at a better quality if I could just locate my copies! I have temporarily put them in a safe place! For Christ the King.
  • JenniferGM
    Posts: 59
    Cor Unum, I love that tradition of replacing with "cor unum"! I'll have to pass that one along!
  • mwalsh
    Posts: 1
    A group of retired Sisters were going to have a visit from 12 4th graders from Mercy School. Since we had learned an Army of Youth in second grade and attended Ford. Un. Summer school in High School, we knew the tune but thanks to your column we have words for our visit. Reminded me of WYD in Brazil.
    M.W.
  • AgnusDei1989
    Posts: 50
    "For Christ the King" is a great mix of a hymn and a fight song, in the tradition of such things as "We Stand for God" (possibly my favorite!)* I sang For Christ the King in Eucharistic Crusade as a little girl and never forgot it. What was my delight to find a copy of the first edition score in the Jesuit museum in St Louis on a school field trip, and thus discover who the composer was! It made it much easier to find the PDF score years later when I wanted to teach it (and my music classes fell in love as I had!) Here's that PDF - years late for the OP, I know, but hopefully useful to someone in future.

    *Mother Beloved is a whole other matter .... so saccharine I can't believe it's by the same author. Fashions of the day, I suppose, but I'll happily claim the good (like the two above-mentioned) and give the third a broad miss!
    ForChristtheKing.pdf
    1M
    Thanked by 1Don9of11
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,090
    A few years ago a small group directed by @olbash recorded "For Christ The King", along with a few other hymns, as part of the "Catholic Devotional Hymns" recording project sponsored by Forum member @oldhymns :
    https://www.catholicdevotionalhymns.com/recordings/2016-hymns-from-st-john-the-guardian-church/
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen AgnusDei1989 Don9of11
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 803
    With regards to Father Daniel Lord, S.J., there was an article that appeared in the Catholic Historical Society of Pennsylvania's "Gathered Fragments" Fall 2019 publication and the Catholic Acition movement which might be of interest to some of you.

    https://dsc.duq.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1255&context=gf

    Thanked by 1oldhymns
Add a Comment