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Hymn, O Holy Name |
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Hymn, O Holy Name |
O Holy Name |
| Verse 1: | O Holy Name of Majesty and Power, O sacred Name of God's own Son. |
| In ev'ry joy and ev'ry weary hour, be Thou our strength until life's war is won. |
Chorus: |
Fierce is the fight for God and the Right; Sweet Name of Jesus, in Thee is our might. |
| Verse 2: | All o'er the earth the hearts of men are dying, chilled by the storms of greed and strife. |
| All o'er the land rebellion's flag is flying, threat'ning our altars and
the Nation's life. |
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| Verse 3: | Ages ago, our fathers firm and loyal, fought for the faith, forever the same. |
| We are their sons, our heritage is royal, and we shall conquer in the Holy Name. |
Commentary |
Confronted by blatant anti-Catholicism and by Modernists, who were trying to infect the Holy Catholic Church in the United States with secular and Americanist ideals, Archbishop William Cardinal O’Connell (1859 – 1944) stood as a defender of the “…faith, forever the same.” Believing in his statement that, “We turn Romeward as naturally as the needle seeks the North”, he espoused a militant vision of Catholicism to combat the evil ideas of his age. “All o’er the land rebellion’s flag is flying, threat’ning our altars and the Nation’s life.” It was in this spirit that he composed the hymn, O Holy Name. Because of the Holy Name Society’s mission, it was natural for the Cardinal to write a hymn that the Confraternity’s members could sing with great enthusiasm. “Fierce is the fight for God and the Right; Sweet Name of Jesus, in Thee is our might.” In the cosmic battle between the forces of morality and faith against the advocates of secularism and materialism, His Eminence called upon the faithful to be prepared for “storm and trial” and to assert themselves with “manly firmness” in defending the One True Faith. |