O Mary of Graces

Last updated
"O Mary of Graces"
Mary of Graces album cover.png
Cover of the 1998 Daughters of Mary, Mother of Our Savior album "Mary of Garces," named after the hymn, and included as the first track
Hymn
LanguageEnglish
Songwriter(s)
  • Douglas Hyde
  • J. Rafferty

O Mary of Graces is a traditionally Catholic Marian hymn based on an ancient Irish prayer to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Two versions of the hymn exist based on differing translations made of the original prayer by Priest Douglas Hyde and J. Rafferty, with the Hyde version being more popular.

Contents

In modern history, the hymn has been present in a number of hymnals, weddings, and music performances by Catholic schools. Covers of the hymn have also been made by religious sister congregations including the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Our Savior and the Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary.

Translation

The hymn originates from an ancient Irish prayer to Mary, the mother of Jesus. [1] [2] It was later translated into English and turned into a hymn by the Priest Douglas Hyde (1860–1949), and another man named J. Rafferty. [3] The differing translations of the prayer became two versions of the hymn, which despite a difference in translation and melody patterns, hold very similar rhythms. [3]

Below, the two versions of the hymn are displayed. Both versions are formatted the same way the Hyde version was displayed in the May 1914 newspaper segment from the The Catholic Columbian as to aid in comparison. [1]

The Hyde version of the hymn is sometimes performed with variations, [lower-alpha 1] including a variation with an additional three verses added onto the end not present in the Rafferty version. [3]

Modern usage

In modern history, the hymn is used traditionally in Catholic settings. The Hyde version of the hymn specifically, which is more commonplace than its counterpart, has been used in at least three hymnals, [6] [7] and was the version used in a cover of the hymn by the Catholic religious sisters congregation, the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Our Savior, for their likewise-named 1998 album "Mary of Graces". [8] [9]

Other instances of the Hyde and other, unclear, versions of the hymn have been performed for music recitals at the Southwestern Louisiana Institute, [10] by the glee club at Mount Saint Joseph Academy in New York, [2] by the glee club at St. Mary's Star of the Sea School in Pennsylvania, [11] for a record by the Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary in Pennsylvania, [12] by the glee club at Columbus Catholic High School in Wisconsin, [13] for a music festival by St. Mary's School of Neillsville in Wisconsin, [14] and at a number of Catholic weddings. [15] [16] [17] [18] A unique version of the hymn beginning with an oboe solo was also created by composer William Ferris Chorale in 2007. [19] [20]

The hymn has been performed by choirs, duets, and orchestras, which are sometimes accompanied instruments, including: guitars, harps, organs, synthesizers, [3] oboes, [19] and/or violins. [21] The hymn is uncommonly performed using the traditional Gaelic language, but sung in the same rhythm as one of the two modern versions. [3]

Related Research Articles

The Apostles' Creed, sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hail Mary</span> Traditional Catholic prayer

The Hail Mary or Angelical salutation is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary and Mary's subsequent visit to Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. It is also called the Angelical Salutation, as the prayer is based on the Archangel Gabriel's words to Mary. The Hail Mary is a prayer of praise for and of petition to Mary, regarded as the Theotokos. Since the 16th century, the version of the prayer used in the Catholic Church closes with an appeal for her intercession. The prayer takes different forms in various traditions and has often been set to music.

A doxology is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derives from a similar practice in the Jewish synagogue, where some version of the Kaddish serves to terminate each section of the service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Be Thou My Vision</span> Christian hymn

"Be Thou My Vision" is a traditional Christian hymn of Irish origin. The words are based on a Middle Irish poem that has traditionally been attributed to Dallán Forgaill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloria in excelsis Deo</span> Christian hymn

"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is a Christian hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn/Hymn of the Angels. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.

"O Come, All Ye Faithful", also known as "Adeste Fideles", is a Christmas carol that has been attributed to various authors, including John Francis Wade (1711–1786), John Reading (1645–1692), King John IV of Portugal (1604–1656), and anonymous Cistercian monks. The earliest printed version is in a book published by Wade. A manuscript by Wade, dating to 1751, is held by Stonyhurst College in Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salve Regina</span> Medieval Catholic hymn to Mary, mother of Jesus

The "Salve Regina", also known as the "Hail Holy Queen", is a Marian hymn and one of four Marian antiphons sung at different seasons within the Christian liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. The Salve Regina is traditionally sung at Compline in the time from the Saturday before Trinity Sunday until the Friday before the first Sunday of Advent. The Hail Holy Queen is also the final prayer of the Rosary.

<i>Sub tuum praesidium</i> Christian hymn and prayer

Beneath Thy Protection is an ancient Christian hymn and prayer. It is one of the oldest known Marian prayers and among the most ancient preserved hymns to the Blessed Virgin Mary that is still in use. A papyrus containing it has been dated as early as the mid 3rd century by some scholars and as late as the 6th or 7th by others. The hymn is well attested among the believers of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O Sacred Head, Now Wounded</span> Christian Passion hymn

"O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" is a Christian Passion hymn based on a Latin text written during the Middle Ages. Paul Gerhardt wrote a German version which is known by its incipit, "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Es ist ein Ros entsprungen</span> Christmas carol and Marian Hymn of German origin

"Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" is a Christmas carol and Marian hymn of German origin. It is most commonly translated into English as "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming" and is also called "A Spotless Rose" and "Behold a Rose of Judah". The rose in the German text is a symbolic reference to the Virgin Mary. The hymn makes reference to the Old Testament prophecies of Isaiah, which in Christian interpretation foretell the Incarnation of Christ, and to the Tree of Jesse, a traditional symbol of the lineage of Jesus. Because of its prophetic theme, the hymn is popular during the Christian season of Advent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O Come, O Come, Emmanuel</span> Christian hymn for Advent and Christmas

"O come, O come, Emmanuel" is a Christian hymn for Advent, which is also often published in books of Christmas carols. The text was originally written in Latin. It is a metrical paraphrase of the O Antiphons, a series of plainchant antiphons attached to the Magnificat at Vespers over the final days before Christmas. The hymn has its origins over 1,200 years ago in monastic life in the 8th or 9th century. Seven days before Christmas Eve monasteries would sing the “O antiphons” in anticipation of Christmas Eve when the eighth antiphon, “O Virgo virginum” would be sung before and after Mary's canticle, the Magnificat. The Latin metrical form of the hymn was composed as early as the 12th century.

"What a Friend We Have in Jesus" is a Christian hymn originally written by preacher Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother, who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. Scriven originally published the poem anonymously, and only received full credit for it in the 1880s. The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rorate caeli</span> Antiphon sung during Christian liturgy

"Rorate caeli" or "Rorate coeli" are the opening words of Isaiah 45:8 in the Vulgate. The text appears at several points in the Christian liturgy of the Western Church during Advent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immaculate Mary</span> Popular Catholic Marian hymn

"Immaculate Mary" or "Immaculate Mother" is a popular Roman Catholic Marian hymn. It is also known as the Lourdes Hymn, a term which also refers to the hymn tune itself. It is often sung in honour of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland</span> Song by Martin Luther

"Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" is a Lutheran chorale of 1524 with words written by Martin Luther, based on "Veni redemptor gentium" by Ambrose, and a melody, Zahn 1174, based on its plainchant. It was printed in the Erfurt Enchiridion of 1524.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christus, der uns selig macht</span>

"Christus, der uns selig macht" is a German Lutheran Passion hymn in eight stanzas in German by Michael Weiße, written in 1531 as a translation of the Latin hymn "Patris Sapientia" to an older melody of the Bohemian Brethren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macht hoch die Tür</span> German Advent hymn, 1623

"Macht hoch die Tür" is a popular German Advent hymn, written in 17th century Ducal Prussia. The lyrics were written by Georg Weissel in 1623 for the inauguration of the Altroßgärter Kirche in Königsberg. The melody that is now associated with the text appeared first in 1704 in the hymnal by Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen.

The Daughters of Mary, Mother of Our Savior are a congregation of Traditional Catholic religious sisters founded in 1984 by Father Clarence Kelly. The motherhouse and novitiate are located in Round Top, New York, in the Catskill Mountains, with additional houses in Melville, New York, and White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where they operate schools and are involved in various forms of charity work. The congregation is led by Mother General Mary Bosco, and is associated with the Society of Saint Pius V.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christoph Bernhard Verspoell</span> German priest and hymnwriter (1743–1818)

Christoph Bernhard Verspoell was a German Catholic priest, writer and hymnwriter. He published a hymnal with added melodies and organ settings in 1810. Some of his songs are still popular and part of the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Im Frieden dein, o Herre mein</span> German Christian communion hymn

"Im Frieden dein, o Herre mein" is a three-stanza German Christian communion hymn. In 1527 the early Reformer Johann Englisch wrote two stanzas as a rhyming close paraphase of the Nunc dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon. The hymn is sung to a melody by Wolfgang Dachstein, written before 1530. Friedrich Spitta revised the lyrics in 1898 and added a third stanza. His revision transformed Englisch's prayer of an individual with a focus on a peaceful death to a communal one more about peaceful life in unity.

References

Notelist

  1. An less-common version of the hymn sometimes referred to as the 'Laoghaire version' [4] draws its origins from the Hyde version, [5] only differing slightly in the translation of some words.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 "Seasonable Meditation for Members of the Apostleship" . The Catholic Columbian . Vol. 39, no. 21. Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus. 22 May 1914. p. 3. Retrieved 29 December 2023 via JSTOR.
  2. 1 2 "Academy Seniors Plan Class Day" . The Union and Echo . Vol. 77, no. 19. Buffalo, New York. 15 May 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "O Mary of Graces". GodSongs.net. September 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  4. "Virginia Eaton Chauvin Weds Ensign Joseph Simon Brown III" . Abbeville Meridional . Vol. 107, no. 25. Abbeville, Louisiana. 23 June 1960. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "O Mary Of Graces | Sioban Ni Laoghaire" (PDF). Choral Public Domain Library . Retrieved 2 January 2024. Anonymous, Translated By Fr. Douglas Hyde
  6. "O Mary of graces and mother of God". Hymnary.org . Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  7. Ayen, Leo D. (14 August 1959). "In Church Choirs" . Rutland Herald . Vol. 106, no. 194. Rutland, Vermont. p. 18. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com. O Mary of Graces, Pius X Hymnal
  8. "Mary of Graces". Daughters of Mary, Mother of Our Savior . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  9. "Mary of Graces". Spotify . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  10. "Students of Organ Present Recital" . The Daily Advertiser . No. 299. Lafayette, Louisiana. 9 April 1954. p. 7. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "St. Patrick's Program At Branchdale March 17" . Pottsville Republican . Vol. 159, no. 117. Pottsville, Pennsylvania. 16 March 1965. p. 9. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Record Due This Month" . The Evening Independent . Vol. 97, no. 276. Massillon, Ohio. 1 May 1961. p. 13. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Chorus Concert to Be Given at Columbus Auditorium Sunday" . The Marshfield News-Herald . Vol. 45, no. 59. Marshfield, Wisconsin. 14 May 1965. p. 8. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Many Attend Music Festival Held at Loyal" . The Marshfield News-Herald . Vol. 41, no. 14. Marshfield, Wisconsin. 22 March 1961. p. 10. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Jacqueline Marie Moffatt Weds Charles William McCoy Jr. In Pretty Ceremony At St. Peter Claver Catholic Church" . Minneapolis Spokesman . No. 29. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 13 February 1959. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Beverly Wells Bride Today Of T.R. Cullen Jr" . Oswego Palladium-Times . Vol. 35, no. 137. Oswego, New York. 13 June 1959. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Miss Coco Bride of D.A. Simpson" . Alexandria Daily Town Talk . Vol. 87, no. 141. Alexandria, Louisiana. 4 August 1969. p. 14. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Miss Elizabeth Joyce Dupuy Is Wed To Pierre Rabalais" . The Weekly News . Vol. 124, no. 36. Marksville, Louisiana. 4 September 1969. p. 6. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  19. 1 2 Todd, Richard (8 December 2007). "Christmas | William Ferris: Snowcarols" . The Ottawa Citizen . Ottawa, Canada. p. 104. Retrieved 2 January 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  20. William Ferris Chorale (29 September 2014). O Mary of Graces (YouTube). The Orchard Enterprises. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  21. "O Mary of Graces". Loyola University Chicago . Retrieved 2 January 2024.