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FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

Scripture Verse

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. Hebrews 11:1–2

Introduction

portrait
Frederick Faber
(1814–1863)

Words: Fred­er­ick W. Fa­ber, Je­sus and Ma­ry (Lon­don: James Burns, 1849), pag­es 133–34, alt. Re­frain by James G. Wal­ton, 1874.

Music: St. Ca­the­rine (Wal­ton) ar­ranged by James G. Wal­ton, in Crown of Je­sus Mu­sic, by Hen­ri F. He­my (Lon­don: Tho­mas Ri­chard­son & Sons, 1864) (🔊 ).

Alternate Tune:

  • Sawston tra­di­tion­al me­lo­dy, in Crown of Je­sus, 1864 (🔊 )

If you know where to get a good pho­to of He­my or Wal­ton (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), would you send us an e-mail?

Anecdotes

This hymn was sung at the 1915 fun­er­al of Fan­ny Cros­by in the First Me­tho­dist Epis­co­pal Church in Bridge­port, Con­nec­ti­cut.

It was al­so sung at the 1945 fun­er­al of Am­eri­can pre­si­dent Frank­lin De­la­no Roo­se­velt, in the East Room of the White House in Wash­ing­ton, DC.

Lyrics

Faith of our fa­thers! liv­ing still,
In spite of dun­geon, fire and sword;
Oh how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glo­ri­ous Word!

Refrain

Faith of our fa­thers, ho­ly faith!
We will be true to thee till death.

Our fa­thers, chained in pris­ons dark,
Were still in heart and cons­cience free:
How sweet would be their child­ren’s fate,
If they, like them, could die for Thee!

Refrain

Faith of our fa­thers! we will strive
To win all na­tions un­to Thee;
And through the truth that comes from God,
We all shall then be tru­ly free.

Refrain

Faith of our fa­thers! we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
And preach Thee, too, as love knows how,
By kind­ly words and vir­tu­ous life.

Refrain

Reflecting Fa­ber’s Ca­tho­lic roots, the orig­in­al third stan­za was:

Faith of our fa­thers, Ma­ry’s pray­ers
Shall win our coun­try back to Thee;
And through the truth that comes from God,
England shall then in­deed be free.