This is extremely cool. Thank you!

1) Very cool and interesting, thanks!

2) I am reminded that some 19th Century Anglicans, with an axe to grind, criticized Catholic organists for approaching the instrument as if it were a giant banjo. :-D

Thanks, Don9of11, for this important and interesting contribution to the history of American Catholic Hymnody. I’m glad that Father Theodore Metcalf is finally being recognized for at least two of his fine talents: authoring the words for hymns and composing hymns. So few are so gifted. His 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. My father used to watch it when we would return from Sunday morning Mass in the early 60s.

Father Metcalf’s hymn for the League of the Sacred Heart, “Form your ranks, oh! all ye Leaguers” is much more obscure than “O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine” or “Heart of Jesus, We Are Grateful.” Obviously, it was intended for a limited audience—the “league” members of the Apostleship of Prayer. It appears in the early editions of St. Basil’s Hymnal and also in the Crown Hymnal (not to be confused with Crown of Jesus Music/Hymnal), which was compiled by Rev. Leslie Kavanagh and James M. McLaughlin in 1912. This is the McLaughlin who was a partner in the well-known “McLaughlin & Reilly Co.” of Boston, from which he departed in 1906. McLaughlin was organist at St. Mary’s Church, Charlestown (Boston), at the time, so he probably had some connections with Father Metcalf because attribution for this hymn is given as “Adapted by Rev. T. A. Metcalf,” this being the only place in any of the hymnals where Father Metcalf is mentioned. As Don9of11 mentions, Father Metcalf was pastor at St. Mary's in the 1880s.

Don9of11 also mentions that “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editions of “The Catholic Chapel Hymnal,” a publication of McLaughlin & Reilly Co. There are no new hymns (previously unpublished) contained in this volume; the hymns included are the result of an extensive survey compiled by McLaughlin & Reilly of military chaplains in World War II.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 what hymns elicit spontaneous singing by the servicemen participating in chapel services. “The Catholic Chapel Hymnal” is the outcome of that survey.

“O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine” and “Heart of Jesus, We Are Grateful” honor Jesus in both his humanity and divinity in simple, prayerful ways. Unfortunately, we do not hear much about Sacred Heart devotions today; and Sacred Heart hymns are seldom, if ever, sung. Would that we could hear these two fine hymns once again—possibly hearing them could spark a flame of devotion to the Heart of Our Saviour once again.

Fr. Krisman hates to think of the heart of Jesus on fire with love for us. I've never been sure why.

Darts? I had to look up the lyric to get that reference. Fr. Metcalf mentions "darts" of sin in the fourth stanza of the song and calls them "cruel". I don't think I get what Fr. Krisman is disagreeing with, in regard to the line.

It's a spin on a fairly common metaphor from the era, the late 1800s, isn't it? Hearts "pierced" by love, symbolized by arrows or daggers, aimed by Cupid or a lover, were a long-standing trope in sentimental poetry.
https://emotionsblog.history.qmul.ac.uk/2011/12/love-darts-and-broken-hearts/

And the image of a pierced heart is not foreign to the Roman liturgical tradition, as the gospel and the office hymn Cor arca legem continens confirm:

Te vulneratum caritas
Ictu patenti voluit
Amoris invisibilis
Ut veneremur vulnera.

Charity willed you (to be) wounded
by the opening spear
that we may venerate the wounds
of an invisible love.

So Metcalf shifts the image from a heart wounded by love, to a heart wounded by sin but still loving. The image -- no, rather, the language is out of style now, granted, but I don't think we should be narrow-minded about it.

Thanks for providing the summary of his life; it was particularly interesting, given his local connections.

It is wonderful to know that Father Theodore Metcalf has finally received recognition for his wonderful hymn, O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine, a hymn that was known to millions of American Catholics at one time. His other popular hymn, Heart of Jesus, We Are Grateful,is another beautiful devotional piece. Perhaps this hymn could resurrected by choirs once the pandemic is over!

Fr Metcalf died in 1920, bound to be public domain in Canada.
https://www.godsongs.net/2017/11/o-sacred-heart-o-love-divine-heart-of-jesus-hear.html

@ALL4YouLord, All the hymns by Father Metcalf including "O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine" are in the public domain. Be sure to download my write-up on Father Metcalf at the top of this forum post. You can also visit my website to read more about the hymn and Father Metcalf https://www.motherofmercycatholichymns.com/o-sacred-heart-o-love-divine/