Salve Mater - a New Hymn to Mary the Mother of Perpetual Help

This is a hymn to the Mother of Perpetual Help.

The words were written by Irish Roman Catholic Redemptorist priest, Fr. Seamus Devitt C SsR,.   It was written to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the icon being placed in the care of to the Redemptorist order in 2016.

It is set to the melody of one of the oldest hymns to Mary, the ‘Salve Mater’, which is from the 16th century and attributed to an unnamed Carmelite.

After using the hymn with eight verses (currently all available on this website  and only three (page 30 of this booklet), in mid 2017, the author confirmed that the hymn now consists of five verses and a refrain, not all of which need to be sung.

He notes that:
The phrase in verse 5, ‘The Uncontainable you did contain’ comes from the Readings (in the Breviary) for the Feast of the Dedication of St Mary Major’s in Rome, and is from a sermon given by St. Cyril of Alexandria at the Council of Ephesus in 431AD.

The entire Verse 4 is almost a verbatim version of words by Luther: ‘In the title Mother of God, all honour is included: no one could say anything greater of her, or to her, even if he had as many tongues as there are blades of grass or stars in the sky or grains of sand in the sea. We must let our hearts reflect on what it means to be the Mother of God.’ From Luther’s ‘Magnificat’.

Permission for publication may be sought from Redemptorist Communications Ireland.


Picture of the Mother of Perpetual Help:   Salve Mater, The Mother of our Lord: Virgin Mary, the Mother of our God.  Eyes so tender that turn to all our cares,  Heart so ready to run to all our prayers. O Maria!
Mary, blessed one, To us you always run: We are to you As Christ, your only Son: Perpetual Help, You’re with us in our tears:  We place our hands In yours with all our fears.  O Maria!
Sister of all flesh, So human with us all, Disciples too, We’re gathered by our call; Perpetual Help You are to us indeed: We’ll watch with you For all who are in need. O Maria! 
Help Perpetual, An Icon of our race, With you we stand, All filled with God’s own grace:  Our Sister Earth, We’ll cherish, will not harm, And hold the world Of peoples in our arms: O Maria!


Downloads

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Examples

Small group unaccompanied:


Small group with light organ backing:



SATB choir with light organ:


Lyrics

Refrain:
Salve Mater, the mother of our Lord,
Virgin Mary, the mother of our God.
Eyes so tender,
That turn to all our cares.
Heart so ready
To run to all our prayers,
O Maria!

1  Mary, blessed one,
To us you always run:
We are to you
As Christ, your only Son:
Perpetual Help,
You’re with us in our tears:
We place our hands
In yours with all our fears.
O Maria!

2. Sister of all flesh,
So human with us all,
Disciples too,
We’re gathered by our call;
Perpetual Help
You are to us indeed:
We’ll watch with you
For all who are in need.
O Maria!

3. Help Perpetual,
An Icon of our race,
With you we stand,
All filled with God’s own grace:
Our Sister Earth,
We’ll cherish, will not harm,
And hold the world
Of peoples in our arms:
O Maria!

4. ‘Mother of our God’,
No honour could be more:
If we had words
As grains upon the shore,
If we had tongues
As there are blades of grass,
No higher praise
Would ever come to pass.
O Maria!

5. ‘Bearer of our God’
This title above all;
You said your Yes
In answer to the Call:
The Uncontainable
You did contain!
In every age
Your name we will proclaim.
O Maria!

See also



KEEP IN CASE ORIGINAL IS REMOVED, BUT DO NOT DISPLAY
Refrain:
Salve Mater, the mother of our Lord,
Virgin Mary, the mother of our God.
Eyes so tender,
That turn to all our cares.
Heart so ready
To run to all our prayers,
O Maria!

1  Mary, blessed one,
To us you always run:
We are to you
As Christ, your only Son:
Perpetual Help,
You’re with us in our tears:
We place our hands
In yours with all our fears.
O Maria!

2. Sister of all flesh,
So human with us all,
Disciples too,
We’re gathered by our call;
Perpetual Help
You are to us indeed:
We’ll watch with you
For all who are in need.
O Maria!

3. Help Perpetual,
An Icon of our race,
With you we stand,
All filled with God’s own grace:
Our Sister Earth,
We’ll cherish, will not harm,
And hold the world
Of peoples in our arms:
O Maria!

4. ‘Mother of our God’,
No honour could be more:
If we had words
As grains upon the shore,
If we had tongues
As there are blades of grass,
No higher praise
Would ever come to pass.
O Maria!

5. ‘Bearer of our God’
This title above all;
You said your Yes
In answer to the Call:
The Uncontainable
You did contain!
In every age
Your name we will proclaim.
O Maria!

1 comment:

  1. SATB version for verses 3 and 4, with soft organ accompaniment, may be found here:

    https://www.facebook.com/BSCNovena/videos/131788700811913/

    ReplyDelete