Thanks to my mother, hymns have always been a part of my life and I am so grateful for the insights and comfort they have given me. It was laid on my heart to help other families share this same gift with their children. So, for Advent, I began a video hymn study program, over on Facebook, for families that would like to incorporate hymns into the liturgy of their lives, but may have felt overwhelmed or lacking in musical experience. This was the easiest way I could come up with to enable families in this regard, but I welcome any suggestion you may have! These videos are short and to learn with us you just have to sing along with me while you read the words on the provided text sheet. *** No music reading is required *** Each week’s verse is sung a cappella so there is no accompanying music to throw off or confuse little ears. If you have a favorite hymn you would like me to cover, please leave the title in the comments below so I can work it into the schedule.
I’m a firm believer in the attribution to St. Augustine that says, “He who sings prays twice.” So if hymns are a tradition of our rich Catholic faith that you would like to make a bigger part of your family’s culture and catechesis, I’d love for you to join us! You can find all the videos here. Be sure to like the page as well to make sure you don’t miss any of the new videos each week. All the monthly hymns will either have a connection to a major feast or the devotion of that month to give you a simple way to also live liturgically through music. Also please share these hymn posts so other families and friends may be blessed by them. If you are on Instagram, I’d love to see how you use this study, I’ll be able to see your photos when you use #SingingwiththeSaints.
For our January Hymn study we are focusing on this month’s devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus and taking a closer look at Caroline Noel’s hymn, “At The Name of Jesus.” This text has been used with several tunes, but we will be learning the Ralph Vaughn Williams setting this time.
Below you can find the printable text page for your family hymnal as well as the solfege sheet I will be explaining in a video later today. The solfege portion of the study is optional but hymns offer an easy opportunity to reinforce the faith while tying in a worthy new skill.
Just click on the pictures to download.
Blessings,
