ERE, FOR THE VERY first time, you can download a PDF copy of Saint Mark’s Hymnal from 1910. All things considered, it is a very nice collection:
* * PDF Download: St. Mark’s Hymnal (1910)
Try to place your mind in the year 1910. Notice the section called «HYMNS FOR THOSE AT SEA» —imagine what it must have been like in those days to travel across the ocean in a boat! Once you realize how brutal the times must have been, you’ll get a better picture of what an achievement this hymnal was. I especially like how they included hymns for important Catholic feasts such as the Transfiguration.
Even though it’s a Catholic hymn book, you’ll notice some Protestant authors like Wesley. Sometimes some funky language is employed, too (“Let the bands of the alien flee”). It was produced by St. Mark’s Parish in Peoria, IL.
With our modern technology, we can surely do even better today … and that’s what the Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal Project is all about: please stay tuned!
