The author and original composer are unknown.
The St Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book, Philadelphia 1920, says that the text is from the Franciscan Manual, and sets it to a tune "from a Slovak Hymnal" arranged by the editor, Nicholas Montani. The sheet music for this is below.
It was included, unattributed, in a book of mission hymns published by the Franciscian order in 1907. Based on this, it is assumed that the song is now public domain.
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Examples
Instrumental - auto-generated electronic organ. This is the only on-line example found so far. If you know of a better one, please leave a message in the Comments box at the bottom of the page.
Lyrics
Traditional language
Blessed Francis, holy father,Now our hearts to thee we raise,
As we gather round thine altar,
Pouring forth our hymn of praise.
Bless thy children, holy Francis,
Who thy mighty help implore,
For in heaven thou remain-est
Still the father of the poor.
By thy love so deep and burning
For thy Savior crucified;
By the tokens which He gave thee
On thy hands, and feet and side:
Bless thy children, holy Francis,
With those wounded hands of thine,
From thy glorious throne in heaven,
Where resplendestly they shrine.
Humble follower of Jesus,
Likened to Him in thy birth,
In thy way through life despising,
For His sake, the goods of earth:
Make us love the priceless virtue
By our hidden God esteemed,
Make it valued, holy Francis;
By the souls of the redeemed.
Teach us also, dear Saint Francis,
How to mourn for ev'ry sin;
May we walk in thy dear footsteps
Till the crown of life we win.
Bless thy children, holy Francis,
With those wonderful hands of thine,
From the glorious throne in heaven,
Where resplendently they shine.
Modern language
Blessed Francis, holy father,Now our hearts to you we raise,
As we gather round your altar,
Pouring forth our hymn of praise.
Bless your children, holy Francis,
Who your mighty help, implore,
For in heaven you remain
Still the father of the poor.
By your love so deep and burning
For your Savior crucified;
By the tokens which He gave you
On your hands, and feet and side:
Bless your children, holy Francis,
With those wounded hands of yours,
From your glorious throne in heaven,
Where resplendently they shrine.
Humble follower of Jesus,
Likened to Him in your birth,
In you way through life despising,
For His sake, the goods of earth:
Make us love the priceless virtue
By our hidden God esteemed,
Make it valued, holy Francis;
By the souls of the redeemed.
Teach us also, dear Saint Francis,
How to mourn for ev'ry sin;
May we walk in your dear footsteps
Till the crown of life, we win.
Bless your children, holy Francis,
With those wonderful hands of yours,
From the glorious throne in heaven,
Where resplendently they shine.
Can I have some new hymns on st. Francis of assisi
ReplyDeleteI heard this song on EWTN as the opening song on 10-4-20 Sunday Mass on the Feast of St. Francis - the EWTN choir did an exceptionally beautiful performance of this amazing song. I wish I could get a recording of that - but the replay of the mass only shows the readings and homily. If you could somehow get a copy of the EWTN performance, that would be a great version of this wonderful song.
ReplyDeleteThere is a typo in traditional and modern language verse 4: "With those wonderful hands" should be "With those wounded hands" just as in verse 2.
ReplyDelete