Our opening hymn in this service is “For all the saints,” one of the most popular hymns written by Ralph Vaughan Williams. (His work on the editing of the The English Hymnal, published in 1906, was discussed in an article I wrote that was published in Touchstone in November/December 2017.)
The Offertory proper for this feast day is from the deuterocanonical book of Wisdom 3:1-2a, 3b.
“The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die; but they are in peace.”
The Latin rendering of this text has been set to music by many composers:
Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt, et non tanget illos tormentum mortis. Visi sunt oculis insipientium mori, illi autem sunt in pace.
On this feast day in our parish, the choir will be singing a setting of “Justorum animae” by Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924).
The Communion proper for the Feast of All Saints is from the Gospel of St. Matthew 5:8-10. These verses are from the end of the sayings in the Sermon on the Mount known as the Beatitudes.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
In Latin:
Beati mundo corde quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt. Beati pacifici quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur. Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter iustitiam quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum.
During Communion, the choir will be singing a Latin setting of this text, “Beati mundo corde,” by William Byrd (1543-1623).