• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

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.”

  • Donate
  • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Policy
    • Who We Are
    • How To Contact Us
    • Sainte Marie Bulletin Articles
    • Jeff’s Mom Joins Fundraiser
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • Repository • “Spanish Music”
    • KYRIALE • Saint Antoine Daniel
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Catechism of Gregorian Rhythm
    • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
    • Feasts Website
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster
    • “Wedding March” for lazy organists
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
    • The Eight Gregorian Modes
    • Gradual by Pothier’s Protégé
    • Seven (7) Considerations
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

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

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).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    2-Voice Arr. • “Creator of the Starry Height”
    Do you direct a choir consisting of women or children only? (Some call this a “treble” choir.) Download a two-voice arrangement of Creator of the Starry Height set to the tune of IOANNES by clicking here and then scrolling to the bottom. In our times, this hymn is normally used during ADVENT, and the Latin title is: Cónditor alme síderum. It’s important to say “cónditor”—placing the accent on the antepenult—because ‘condítor’ in Latin means “one who embalms the dead.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

Random Quote

“Church officials frequently asked Tomás Luis de Victoria for his opinion on cathedral appointments because of his fame and knowledge. He was faithful to his position as convent organist even after his professional debut as an organist, and never accepted any extra pay for being a chapelmaster. Held in great esteem, his contract allowed him frequent travel away from the convent, and he attended Palestrina’s funeral (in Rome) in 1594.”

— ‘Dr. Robert Stevenson, 1961 (mod.)’

Recent Posts

  • 2-Voice Arr. • “Creator of the Starry Height”
  • PDF Download • Christmas Piece (SATB) — “Angels We Have Heard on High” with Text in Latin
  • “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
  • A Practical Method of Projecting Solfege for Chant
  • PDF Downloads • Four (4) Simple Pieces in Harmony for Men’s Choirs

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2025 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.