Scripture Verse

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. Hebrews 11:1–2

Introduction

portrait
Frederick W. Faber (1814–1863)

Words: Fred­er­ick W. Fa­ber, Je­sus and Ma­ry (Lon­don: James Burns, 1849), pag­es 133–34, alt. Re­frain by James G. Wal­ton, 1874.

Music: St. Ca­the­rine (Wal­ton) ar­ranged by James G. Wal­ton in Crown of Je­sus Mu­sic, by Hen­ri F. He­my (Lon­don: 1864) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

  • Sawston tra­di­tion­al me­lo­dy, in Crown of Je­sus, 1864 (🔊 pdf nwc)

If you know where to get a good pho­to of He­my or Wal­ton (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Anecdotes

This hymn was sung at the 1915 fun­er­al of Fan­ny Cros­by in the First Me­tho­dist Epis­co­pal Church in Bridge­port, Con­nec­ti­cut.

It was al­so sung at the 1945 fun­er­al of Am­er­ican pre­si­dent Frank­lin De­la­no Roo­se­velt, in the East Room of the White House in Wash­ing­ton, DC.

Lyrics

Faith of our fa­thers! liv­ing still,
In spite of dun­geon, fire and sword;
Oh how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glo­ri­ous Word!

Refrain

Faith of our fa­thers, ho­ly faith!
We will be true to thee till death.

Our fa­thers, chained in pris­ons dark,
Were still in heart and cons­cience free:
How sweet would be their child­ren’s fate,
If they, like them, could die for Thee!

Refrain

Faith of our fa­thers! we will strive
To win all na­tions un­to Thee;
And through the truth that comes from God,
We all shall then be tru­ly free.

Refrain

Faith of our fa­thers! we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
And preach Thee, too, as love knows how,
By kind­ly words and vir­tu­ous life.

Refrain

Reflecting Fa­ber’s Ca­tho­lic roots, the orig­in­al third stan­za was:

Faith of our fa­thers, Ma­ry’s pray­ers
Shall win our coun­try back to Thee;
And through the truth that comes from God,
England shall then in­deed be free.