Hail Mary Mother of God - McCann

This Marian hymn is particularly suitable for the feast of the Annunciation.  It has the same title as a very well-known prayer - but the words of the hymn bring together a range of traditional titles for and images about Mary:  it is not a setting of the prayer.

It was written by Roman Catholic priest (or perhaps at that time seminarian) John McCann (b 1961), in 1999 for the Dublin Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes.   The hymn is written for processional use, with a cantor or choir singing the verses and the congregation responding with the chorus. 

The hymn is included in two books.  The first one  is still in print, and is likely the best source of sheet music for this hymn.  The books are:

It is set to an unnamed tune, also by McCann. This has a 3/4 time signature (becoming 2/4 for a few measures in the verse). In the key of C, the first few notes are ...G c G  cBA G_.


Downloads

This section may contain affiliate links: I earn from qualifying purchases on these. Free downloads are provided where possible (eg for public domain items).

No downloadable versions have been found, of either performances or the sheet music. If you know where to find one, please leave a message in the Comments box near the bottom of the page.

Examples

No on-line examples have been found. If you know where to find one, please leave a message in the Comments box near the bottom of the page.

Lyrics

Refrain:   
Hail Mary, Mother of God!
Hail Mary, servant of the Lord.

Daughter of God's love, highly favoured,
Welcoming God's word from the angel,
You gave new life to the world;
The son of God, the joy of our hearts.

Mother of kindness, faithful virgin,
Pondering deeply God's compassion,
You cared for Jesus your son,
The light of the world, the Lord of all.

Sorrowful mother, deeply grieving,
Shrine of the spirit, queen of glory,
You shared the joy of your son,
Who rose from the dead to life without end.

Mother of Christians, gate of heaven,
Mother of pilgrims, help your children:
Open our hearts to the love of
Jesus your son, the Holy One.

See more

KEEP IN CASE ORIGINAL IS REMOVED, BUT DO NOT DISPLAY Refrain:   
Hail Mary, Mother of God!
Hail Mary, servant of the Lord.

Daughter of God's love, highly favoured,
Welcoming God's word from the angel,
You gave new life to the world;
The son of God, the joy of our hearts.

Mother of kindness, faithful virgin,
Pondering deeply God's compassion,
You cared for Jesus your son,
The light of the world, the Lord of all.

Sorrowful mother, deeply grieving,
Shrine of the spirit, queen of glory,
You shared the joy of your son,
Who rose from the dead to life without end.

Mother of Christians, gate of heaven,
Mother of pilgrims, help your children:
Open our hearts to the love of
Jesus your son, the Holy One.

No comments:

Post a Comment