Is how great thou art a Catholic hymn?

I’m not exactly sure why I despise this song. I recall at Sunday school singing it off a large book with sickly sweet pictures on it, but that’s not a good enough reason.  You can read the background of the song and its author here. Perhaps it was better in the original Swedish, who knows.

This gooey country version goes all out schaltz, but I think Elvis tops it. Hillsong do it here and Newsong here – slightly better. There are more versions of this on Youtube than I care to watch ( Susan Boyle anyone) but I am almost convinced by Johnny Cash, whose voice almost redeems it. Willy Nelson’s version is probably the best of all.

My backing is a bit country too, but unless Willy will sing it for me I think I’ll avoid it.

Stanza 1:

O Lord my God,

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all

The works Thy Hand hath made,

I see the stars,

I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy pow’r throughout

The universe displayed;

Refrain:

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Stanza 2:

When through the woods

And forest glades I wander

I hear the birds

Sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down

From lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook

And feel the gentle breeze;

Refrain:

Stanza 3:

When Christ shall come,

With shouts of acclamation,

And take me home,

What joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And there proclaim,

“My God, how great Thou art!”

Refrain:

© Stuart K. Hine 1963.

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St George's Cathedral, Southwark ICN/JS

A poll carried out by CAFOD has found the most popular hymn that inspires hope is 'How Great Thou Art'.

With religious services halted under the coronavirus lockdown, How Great Thou Art - a Christian hymn which has been covered by artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Susan Doyle - is the hymn people found the most hopeful at this time.

It was picked as the favourite hymn, beating 'Christ, Be Our Light', 'Be Not Afraid', and '10,000 Reasons'

CAFOD's Head of Fundraising and Participation, Jo Kitterick, said: "Hymns inspire and express hope; whether those who enjoy them associate with a faith or not. Throughout the coronavirus lockdown we have seen so many people turning to hymns and prayer to help them through this difficult time.

"People have sorely missed attending Church over the last few months. Listening to, or singing hymns at home, helps us to continue to feel part of a community and connected to faith. We have also seen high numbers tuning in for our live-streaming of Mass and to the Sunday morning children's liturgy sessions CAFOD has been running online.

"How Great Thou Art is a really rousing hymn, and reminds us that we can put our trust in God, because God has made such an amazing world for us all to live in and take care of.

"As the impacts of coronavirus are increasingly felt around the world in developing countries - where communities have fewer resources to deal with the health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic and lockdowns - by singing hymns and saying prayers we can stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are also facing these challenging times and share hope."

506 people voted in the twitter poll carried out by CAFOD. After an initial vote on Facebook to narrow down the list of hymns from 10 to 4, the final results were:

How Great Thou Art - 37.7%
Christ, Be Our Light - 30.2%
Be Not Afraid - 20%
10,000 Reasons - 12.1%

How Great Thou Art is a Christian hymn based on a Swedish poem written by Carl Gustav Boberg (1859-1940) in Sweden in 1885.

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, 
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made; 
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, 
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 
How great Thou art, How great Thou art! 

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, 
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing; 
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; 
That on a Cross, my burdens gladly bearing, 
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, 
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, 
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, 
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

What is the most famous Catholic hymn?

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Is How Great Thou Art a funeral hymn?

Why is How Great Thou Art a funeral song?