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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

God of Mercy and Compassion

Veronica Brandt · March 2, 2019

OU EXPECT to be able to recognize a hymn by its title. Except Pange Lingua, but most of the time it’s going to be Thomas Aquinas’ Pange Lingua and any book that includes both is going to be smart enough to distinguish between the two by adding a few clarifying words.

My son asked to sing that hymn that made him cry—God of Mercy and Compassion. It’s not that often you get tears from a very-nearly-teenage boy over a hymn.


From the comments it seems this recording is from the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in London under the direction of Charles Cole. It also turns out this hymn was the last played as the Titanic went down, and not Nearer My God, as is popularly believed.

It is written by Rev Edmund Vaughan—not the Herbert Cardinal Vaughan, namesake of the school mentioned above, nor the Bishop Roger Vaughan of early Australian history, although they were related, and Edmund Vaughan was tipped to succeed Bishop Roger Vaughan, but the Irish Cardinal Moran was chosen instead.

Fr. Edmund Vaughan was a Redemptorist priest who led a mission to Australia in 1882. He was recalled to England in 1894 and died there in 1908.

It’s hard to peg down a date for the hymn, but something very like it appears in a 1849 hymnal : The Advent Harpist according to Hymnary.org. Vaughan would have been only 22 when that was published, which raises the question whether he adapted a pre-existing hymn. As Fr Rutler says in his BRIGHTEST AND BEST: hymns were made anonymously for God’s glory and our modern ideas of intellectual property were “odd and uncouth”.

UT, if you were to look up God of Mercy and Compassion in the Catholic Worship Book, 1985, you would find a vague piece full of abstract truisms, seemingly designed to avoid any feelings of contrition. This new hymn is credited to Michael Hodgetts – though in the hymnbook it is spelled Hodgets in the footer and Hodgetts in the header.

I assume the piece is still in copyright, though no date is quoted, so here is a link to the newer text.

Where as the earlier one was focused on personal contrition and amendment, the new uses plural personal pronouns—“us” and “our” instead of “I” ,“me” and “my”. Note, no “we”—which would denote action on our part. The force of the earlier works is diluted and our agency is minimised. Pardon and suffering are mentioned, but coupled with peace and love to soften any possible move towards compunction.

Another disturbing theme repeated in the new hymn is the idea of God forcing gifts on us. That would be great wouldn’t it? I’m having trouble being patient with my kids—please God, force me to do your holy Will. No, that’s not how Christian prayer generally goes. We need to subject ourselves to God’s Will rather than telling God to force us to do things. And what is this Gift of Life and Growth anyway?

I haven’t found any information about Michael Hodgets or Hodgetts. I don’t know why the hymnbook editors sought permission to use his work rather than the older Public Domain text beloved by generations of English speaking Catholics. I don’t know lots of things, but I know which hymn I would choose, especially entering the season of Lent.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“To suggest, even loosely, that Catholics walk a more or less similar path to God as other religions drains martyrdom of its meaning. Why give up your life for Christ when other paths may get us to the same God? Such a sacrifice would be senseless.”

— Archbishop Charles J. Chaput

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