A Hymn to Mary, Queen of All Hearts

To the tune "Duke Street" or "Old 100th"...

O Mary Queen of every heart,
Whose prayer doth life and light impart,
Take root in us who sing to Thee,
That we may ever fruitful be.

Thou gavest birth unto our Lord,
Then we, His members, in accord
Look to Thee as our Mother still,
Rejoicing in Thy holy will.

Thou art the Holy Spirit's Bride,
So let us cast away our pride,
And may we have Thy presence here,
Where He may linger ever near.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Arkansas, Our Native Land - A State Anthem

So, Arkansas needed (note the past tense) a new patriotic song to sing at school gatherings, public assemblies, etc. So I wrote one. To be sung to the tune "Austria":


1. God of nations bless our country,
Arkansas, our native land!
Let our hearts be just before Thee;
Guide us with Thy righteous hand!
Hill and valley, stream and delta,
Unto Thee we consecrate.
|: May the Lord of every people
Bless the banner of our state!:|

2. May this Christian land be christened,
With a flood of penitence,
When we have Thy law forgotten,
And have given Thee offense!
Not by armies, not by canon,
Are our lives made safe and free;
|: Make Thy people ever mindful
That our safety is in Thee!:|

3. Lands of harvest, lands of plenty,
Thou hast given us to keep.
When the foes of peace assail us,
Lord arouse us from our sleep!
Teach the hands of patriot warriors
Both to fight and to prevail!
|:With the Lord of hosts before us,
Arkansas shall never fail! :|

Catechism in Song - Lesson 3 - The Kinds of Sin

Lesson 3 - The Kinds of Sin

Refrain: There are three kinds of sin with which we must contend,
Every day till our days are done;
There are three that will flee when we have charity,
And our God hates them, every one.

Verse 1:
And the first is the kind that makes all of us blind,
Which we did not commit at all,
But old Adam and Eve, by the serpent deceived,
Brought the sin called Original.

By that sin we are slaves to this Earth and its ways
And we cannot reach heaven's door.
Only one Lady yet was so Immaculate
That from sin she was kept ever pure.

Verse 2:
Now the other two kinds which we must keep in mind
Are the sins that we sadly commit.
They are actual sins against God and all men,
And they make us for heaven unfit.

The most dreadful of these like a deadly disease
Kills the life God has put in your soul.
They are mortal and grave and, unless you are bathed
By confession, to Hell you will go.

Verse 3:
But the devil has sense and he knows greater sins,
Are too often too hard to employ,
So he often attempts with a lesser offense,
To deceive us and lessen our joy.

These are venial crimes and so many a time,
We allow them to darken our hearts;
But each mortal offense very often begins,
When a habit of sinning starts.

Catechism in Song- Lesson 2 - God the Father and Creator

We believe in one God, the Trinity,
Who has always been and ever shall be,
Father, Son, and Spirit in Unity,
One God, one in Three. (2x)

We believe in One who is always near,
Knows our every thought, and comforts our fear,
We His mystery and power revere,
One God, always near. (2x)

We believe that God made our souls like Him,
So that, like a Light, He could shine therein,
May we never stain His image with sin.
One God, shine again. (2x)

Lullaby, My Beautiful One

Lullaby, my beautiful one;

See how the lights all fade to dark;

The ocean of sleep is wide and vast,

But it's not long till night is done.

Do you not see it? A little bark

Awaits with silken sails on the mast;

It wants to carry you on the wave--

Up and down, now feel it rock;

It gently seeks the house of the moon,

Where little elves can misbehave,

And naiads sing as satyrs gawk,

And faerie-harpers keep the tune.

Selene, the mistress of the dance,

Whose throne is in the starry skies,

Will linger just a while for you.

She weaves sweet dreams between her hands,

That little girls who close their eyes

Can see before the morning dew.

So go to sleep, my beautiful one,

And do not wake till night is done.

Catechism in Song - Lesson 1 - God and Man

Your voice, O God, was great enough,
To make the darkness shine;
And nothingness became a world
At your command divine.

You spoke my name and knew of me,
When you took Adam's hand;
How great the love which built all this
To house a sinful man!

My voice is yours though far too weak
To build a gift for thee,
So take your own to praise your works
And sing eternally.

You made me to adore your name,
In earth and heav'n above,
That we might be with you always
By vision and by love.

But how do I, a refugee,
Cast out by pride and sin,
Know whom I love, or how to seek
Your presence once again.

Then I look down upon my path
And footprints I see there;
The way Apostle's feet have trod
I follow without fear.

My Ark (lyrics to a spiritual song)

Verse 1
Noah built an ark of wood,
To ride upon the wave,
And point us to that bloody rood,
Which never fails to save.

But what I build to keep my soul,
It shatters from within;
A house of cards, to be kept whole,
Needs shelter from the wind.

Refrain
Sing for joy, O House of God,
For God has chosen Thee;
And let me dwell within your courts,
For all eternity.

Verse 2
Moses built an ark of gold,
Veiled by angel's wing;
We catch the sound of words untold
As angel choirs sing.

O let me stop just once to see,
With eyes of faith and fear,
The Ark which offers hope to me,
And dries my every tear.

Refrain

Verse 3
And Solomon, the good and wise,
Would not lay down to rest,
Till he had seen a temple rise
From the very best.

And I'm like bricks made out of clay,
And Earth gives little straw.
So who am I to hide away
Your wonders and your law?

Refrain

Verse 4
The Spirit built for you a heart
Free from every stain;
Now every grace which you impart
Is Hers to give away.

She kept for you a tender home
In flesh so pure and clear;
My flesh let it be Hers alone,
So you may linger here.

Refrain