Wanted - St. Francis Hymnal (1925), Graymoor, Atonement Sisters
  • Chrism
    Posts: 868
    Does anyone have a copy or scan? Hymnary has the table of contents but not the text or music.

    I believe this is out of copyright in the USA or will be next year.
  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 220
    I have a copy of St. Francis Hymnal, but it is too large to scan the whole thing. Is there a particular hymn or two you would want? You might try the archivist at the sisters' motherhouse in Garrison, NY. Also, they have (or had) a convent near the National Shrine in Washington where a copy could be located.
  • Chrism
    Posts: 868
    Yes, I would love to see Come, ye [you] thankful people, come. Thanks in advance!
  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 220
    I am attaching the two pages of the hymn from the St. Francis Hymnal. It is captioned, "Thanksgiving Day," and appears at the very end of the hymnal in an appendix labeled "Patriotic." I hope you find it useful.
    Thanked by 2Don9of11 Chrism
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,371
    I can see that in the USA Thanksgiving Day has patriotic connotations but this hymn has none. hymnary.org
    This hymn was written in rural England in the mid-nineteenth century, when the life of the village during the winter depended on the bounty of the autumn harvest. While the first stanza of this hymn rejoices over the harvest, the last three stanzas expound on the reminder this image gives of the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds in Matthew 13. The hymn concludes with a prayer that the final harvest at His Second Coming would happen soon.
  • Carol
    Posts: 848
    I hadn't thought of it in years, but I sang "Come Ye Thankful People Come" as a solo at age 8 in a public school assembly wearing a Pilgrim hat made of white construction paper. Times sure have changed!
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen oldhymns
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 684
    We sang this hymn at mass this morning. It's in the Ignatius Pew Missal that we use.
    Thanked by 1oldhymns
  • Chrism
    Posts: 868
    This is as far as I know the first example of "Come Ye Thankful People Come" in a Catholic hymnal, and it is exciting to see that the text and tune have no significant alterations.

    The hymnal's TOC is full of promise, I can hardly wait for someone to put it online!
    Thanked by 1ServiamScores
  • Liam
    Posts: 4,942
    "I can see that in the USA Thanksgiving Day has patriotic connotations but this hymn has none."

    Except that, in the era that hymnal was gathered, "Thanksgiving" in its holiday incarnation also partook of a decidedly patriotic/national/particularist character, and thus hymns of thanksgiving for bountiful harvest likewise shared that character. Just as Britain long considered itself heir to being the New Israel, all the more so in the USofA in turn.
  • I looked at the St. Francis Hymnal, got it through ILL. Nearly all of the hymns are from the Episcopal Hymnal of 1916 and 1896. Almost nothing from the English Hymnal. A few from the OLD Westminster Hymnal. The quality of the texts is adequate, the music, less so. I don't believe there were any original contributions. Everything derived from elsewhere.
    Thanked by 2ServiamScores Chrism
  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 220
    It's no wonder that a number of hymns are from Episcopalian sources because the founders of the Graymoor Community (two orders [priests and sisters] but one community), Father James Paul Wattson and Mother Lurana Mary White, were converts from the Episcopal faith. They were very active proponents of the Christian Unity Movement--"that all may be one"--in the first half of the 20th century.

    In the preface of the St. Francis Hymnal, the compiler gives acknowledgment to four Catholic hymnals that were widely used at the time as well as to a non-Catholic source, the Church Hymnal, edited by Rev. Charles L. Hutchins. As I went through the book, I came across many hymns that originally appeared in May Chimes, Wreath of Mary, St. Basil's, and other popular American Catholic hymnals. There are 34 hymns to Our Lady and 12 different saints, all in English. The Latin hymns are in a separate section. A great number of traditional Catholic Hymns such as Sweet Sacrament Divine; Bring Flowers of the Rarest; O Sacred Heart, O Love Divine; Mother Dear, O Pray for me; Mother of Christ and many others appear in this fine collection, some with different melodies. Instead of having a TOC that is strictly alphabetical, a different approach was used in this hymn book: the hymns are categorized finely by usage (e.g., 8 different categories for Mary), then in alphabetical order.

    If you are ever traveling on Route 9, between New York City and Albany, plan some time to visit the wonderful Graymoor Community. On its grounds, you will find many shrines, grottoes, chapels, and a very welcoming community of priests, nuns, brothers, and lay people.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Don9of11