2 days ago
Hymns on Sunday, 17 August 2025
We're marking the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, Mother of God, in this week's programme with hymns including
Immaculate Mary
and
Ka Waiata
.
Madonna Lily from Choix des plus belles fleurs (1827) by Pierre-Joseph Redouté. Original from Biodiversity Heritage Library. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.
Photo:
/ Biodiversity Heri
Artist: New Zealand Youth Choir 1996, Karen Grylls (dir)
Words/Music: Richard Puanaki
Recording: Trust MMT 2016
Maria
Ka waiata ki a Maria
Hine i whakaae
Whakameatia mai
Te whare tangata.
Hine pūrotu
Hine ngākau
Hine rangimārie
Ko te whaea
Ko te whaea
O te ao
Artist: Choirs of the Diocese of Leeds
Words/Music: Father John Lingard/Trad
Hail, Queen of Heav'n, the ocean Star,
Guide of the wand'rer here below!
Thrown on life's surge we claim thy care,
Save us from peril and from woe.
Mother of Christ, Star of the sea,
Pray for the wanderer, pray for me
O gentle, chaste, and spotless Maid,
We sinners make our prayers through thee
Remind thy Son that He has paid
The price of our iniquity.
Virgin most pure, Star of the sea,
Pray for the sinner, pray for me.
Sojourners in this vale of tears,
O thee, blest Advocate, we cry,
Pity our sorrows, calm our fears,
And soothe with hope our misery.
Refuge in grief, Star of the sea,
Pray for the mourner, pray for me.
And while to Him who reigns above,
In Godhead One, in Persons Three,
The source of life, of grace, of love,
Homage we pay on bended knee;
Do thou, bright Queen, Star of the sea.
Pray for thy children, pray for me.
Artist: Choir of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh
Words/Music: Henry Baker/Hubert Parry
Recording: Priory PRCD 376
O praise ye the Lord! praise Him in the height;
Rejoice in His Word, ye angels of light;
Ye heavens, adore Him by Whom ye were made,
And worship before Him in brightness arrayed.
O praise ye the Lord! Praise Him upon earth,
In tuneful accord, ye sons of new birth;
Praise Him Who hath brought you His grace from above,
Praise Him Who hath taught you to sing of His love.
O praise ye the Lord! All things that give sound;
Each jubilant chord re-echo around;
Loud organs, His glory forth tell in deep tone,
And sweet harp, the story of what He hath done.
O praise ye the Lord! Thanksgiving and song
To Him be outpoured all ages along!
For love in creation, for Heaven restored,
For grace of salvation, O praise ye the Lord!
Amen.
Artist: Choir of All Souls, Langham Place, London
Words/Music: Timothy Dudley-Smith/Michael Baughen
Recording: Kingsway KMCD 936
I lift my eyes to the quiet hills
in the press of a busy day;
as green hills stand in a dusty land
so God is my strength and stay.
I lift my eyes to the quiet hills
to a calm that is mine to share;
secure and still in the Father's will
and kept by the Father's care.
I lift my eyes to the quiet hills
with a prayer as I turn to sleep;
by day, by night, thro' the dark and light
my Shepherd will guard his sheep.
I lift my eyes to the quiet hills
and my heart to the Father's throne;
in all my ways to the end of days
the Lord will preserve his own.
Artist: Choirs of the Diocese of Leeds
Words/Music: Father Jean Gaignet/Trad
Recording: Herald HAVPCD 397
Immaculate, Mary! Our hearts are on fire.
That title so wondrous fills all our desire!
Refrain:
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria
.
We pray for our Mother, the Church upon earth.
And bless, sweetest Lady, the land of our birth.
Refrain:
In grief and temptation, in joy, or in pain
we'll seek thee, our Mother, nor seek thee in vain.
Refrain:
In death's solemn moment, our Mother, be nigh;
as children of Mary, help us when we die.
Refrain:
To God be all glory, and worship for aye,
and to God's Virgin Mother, an endless Ave.
Refrain:
Artist: Choir of St John's, Elora, Michael Bloss (organ)
Words/Music: Psalm 121/Barry Rose
Recording: Naxos 8.572540
I will lift up my eyes unto the hills
from whence cometh my help come.
My help cometh even from the Lord,
who hath made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved;
he that keepeth thee will not sleep.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord himself is thy keeper;
the Lord is thy defence upon thy right hand.
So that the sun shall not burn thee by day,
neither moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil;
yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out
and thy coming in from this time forth and for evermore.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
world without end. Amen.
Artist: Choir of St Paul's Cathedral, Wellington, Michael Stewart (dir), Richard Apperley (organ)
Words/Music: Trevor Francis/Thomas Williams
Recording: RNZ 2020
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
vast, unmeasured, boundless, free,
rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
is the current of Thy love;
leading onward, leading homeward
to my glorious rest above.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth,
changeth never, nevermore!
How He watcheth o'er His loved ones,
died to call them all His own;
how for them He intercedeth,
watcheth o'er them from the throne.
Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Love of every love the best:
vast the ocean of his blessing,
sweet the haven of his rest!
Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus,
very heaven of heavens to me,
and it lifts me up to glory,
evermore his face to see.
Artist: Choir of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick
Words/Music: George Timms/Cyril Taylor
Recording: Priory PRCD 706
Sing we of the blessèd Mother
who received the angel's word,
and obedient to his summons
bore in love the infant Lord;
sing we of the joys of Mary
at whose breast that child was fed
who is Son of God eternal
and the everlasting Bread.
Sing we, too, of Mary's sorrows,
of the sword that pierced her through,
when beneath the cross of Jesus
she his weight of suffering knew,
looked upon her Son and Saviour
reigning high on Calvary's tree,
saw the price of man's redemption
paid to set the sinner free.
Sing again the joys of Mary
when she saw the risen Lord,
and in prayer with Christ's apostles,
waited on his promised word:
from on high the blazing glory
of the Spirit's presence came,
heavenly breath of God's own being,
manifest through wind and flame.
Sing the chiefest joy of Mary
when on earth her work was done,
and the Lord of all creation
brought her to his heavenly home:
Virgin Mother, Mary blessèd,
raised on high and crowned with grace,
may your Son, the world's redeemer,
grant us all to see his face.
