HE FRANCISCAN SISTERS of Perpetual Adoration produced a hymnal in 1938. Its Imprimatur came from Bishop Alexander J. McGavick—predecessor of Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke—since the sisters lived in La Crosse, Wisconsin. As a child, we often drove through La Crosse, and I was struck by its breathtaking beauty—such trees! Unbelievable!
You can download this rare Wisconsin hymn book in its entirety:
* * PDF Download • Saint Rose Hymnal (1938)
The Second World War would commence two years after this hymnal was published, and the words of the Foreword seem to anticipate it:
REAT MULTITUDES OF MEN today are making war upon God. They would do away with God if they could; they would crucify Christ anew. In the midst of this rejection of the eternal and striving for the temporal, it is our duty not merely to hold and cherish our faith in God and proclaim His truth, but to lift up our voices in hymns of love, adoration, and fidelity to Him—thus offsetting in some way the exclamations of opposition and hate that rise from those who have turned against their Creator.
We’ve been releasing these rare Catholic hymnals as part of the St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal enterprise, which will require your assistance. Almost without exception, what we place online has never been available before—not even from sources like Google Books.
