HE ART of writing hymn texts is exceptionally difficult. In this endeavor, Kathleen Pluth, MA, STL has distinguished herself as one of our generation’s premiere writers of hymn texts. As was widely reported in 2023, Kathleen was the winner of the text category for the hymn competition sponsored by the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis for the upcoming national Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Her winning text is Let the Earth Acclaim Christ Jesus. Recently, Kathleen gave an interview on “Ministry Monday” a podcast with National Pastoral Musicians with Amanda Bruce. They covered a lot of ground in less than thirty minutes. Now that takes some skill! Listen here:
KATHLEEN SPOKE OF HER CREATIVE process. One fascinating statement in which she often finds herself “surprised” at what she writes, often taking a direction she did not anticipate but that bore fruit. She uses verse two of Let All the Earth Acclaim as an example, in the line “He stands up and knocks for entry” and evoking psalm 24 “See the King of glory waits!” She thought she might not use that, and instead it’s another moment of encounter with Christ.
Kathleen joyfully describes Let the Earth Proclaim Christ Jesus as “a very doctrinal hymn.” It is infused with scripture references and Roman Catholic theology masterfully crafted in 87 87 D meter in in just a few short verses. Kathleen says of the ideas expressed: “There’s nothing new there…The only fresh thing, I would say is that it ties together the Eucharist and the Resurrection pretty tightly, but Jesus did that in John Chapter 6.”
HER SKILL IN hymnwriting has been cultivated not only by study through a Masters and Licentiate degrees in theology, but also through a life of prayer. She has been immersed in daily Mass and in hymnody “for decades.” She described writing as a person devotion that blossomed into a full-on vocation. She describes her evolution not for self-aggrandizement, but truly as a servant of God and the Church. She is driven to convey the “encounter” with Christ that Pope Francis speaks of in his apostolic letter Desiderio Desideravi.
She also dropped this gem, many pastoral musicians will shout a great “Amen!”:
“Pastoral musicians aren’t just some sort of ecclesiastical jukebox…They are pastoral. They’re delegated by the pastor to nourish everyone.”
Her award-winning hymn is free.
Courtesy of the National Eucharistic Revival website, Let the Earth Proclaim Christ Jesus has been made available for free in English and Spanish, in three different hymn tunes, with guitar chords and for organ or keyboard. There is no copyright restriction and no limitation on time for the use of this hymn.
Lyrics and Sheet Music in English
Download the lyrics in English.
Download the guitar lead sheets:
- Set to “Hyfrydol”
- Set to “Hymn to Joy”
- Set to “Nettleton”
Download the keyboard lead sheets:
- Set to “Hyfrydol”
- Set to “Hymn to Joy”
- Set to “Nettleton”
Lyrics and Sheet Music in Spanish
Download the lyrics in Spanish.
Download the guitar lead sheets:
- Set to “Hyfrydol”
- Set to “Hymn to Joy”
- Set to “Nettleton”
Download the keyboard lead sheets:
- Set to ”Hyfrydol”
- Set to “Hymn to Joy”
- Set to “Nettleton”
