Above the entrance to the John Fisher School Chapel, there is a new statue of the patron. He carries in his hand the Cardinal's hat which he never received. Pope Paul III thought that Henry VIII would not dare to execute a Cardinal. The King's reaction to the news is well known:
"Yea, is he yet so lusty? Let the Pope send him a hat when he will, but I shall provide that whensoever it cometh, he shall wear it on his shoulders, for head he shall have none to set it on."
St John Fisher is the only Cardinal Martyr.
Dan Cooper gave me a copy of the school hymn which was composed by the founder, Canon Byrne. I don't have a copy of the music but will try to get hold of it.
Sharing Christ’s Priesthood, high honour, dread burden,
Steadfast amid all its manifold cares,
Friend of the poor, of the aged, the dying,
Saint of the Priesthood, give ear to our prayers,
And pray for us now.
Patron of learning, enriching, ennobling,
The home of the scholar, inspirer of youth;
Through thy far vision, athwart the late ages,
The lamp of true wisdom, the torchlight of truth.
Illumine us now.
Counsellor of State, ever tireless in service,
Dauntless defender of faith without stain;
Alone thou didst see and rebuke the first heralds
Of heresy, liberty’s cloak – and its bane:
O counsel us now.
Alone of thy peers thou didst brook the displeasure
Of King and his court, God’s law to proclaim;
Loyal to England and Christ’s worthy vicar.
Death found thee fearless, despising the shame.
O strengthen us now.
Gentle yet stern, like John the beloved,
Aflame with the fire of the Baptist’s zeal;
England’s own Chrysostom, Saint of the Priesthood,
St John of England, before thee we kneel:
O plead for us now.
Yes, now would be a good time.
Dan Cooper gave me a copy of the school hymn which was composed by the founder, Canon Byrne. I don't have a copy of the music but will try to get hold of it.
18 comments:
They sure don't write them like that any more!!
They certainly don't!
But it can also be sung to the tune of "Shine Jesus, shine" (try it) and I'm sure that's how Mayhew-McCrimmond would set it to music!
The school has a strong tradition of rugby. I would not advise singing the school hymn to the tune of "Shine Jesus Shine" anywhere in the vicinity of Purley :-)
Henry VIII - shame on him. I bet he's not laughing now!
Goodness, that brings back memories! It really is a very fine hymn indeed and really should have made the hymnbooks. The tune also is very good, I think by a man called Sawyer who taught music at some time at the Fisher. Tom Greeley, who taught it in my time, was always wanting to write a more martial tune, but somehow Sawyer's rather wistful 3/4 melody found a way into my heart, and I suspect, that of many others.
BTW, if my memory serves me rightly, V4 is Christ's earthly vicar, not worthy.
"earthly" - The copy that Dan gave me is on the service sheet for the Jubilee (?) Mass in 1980. It has "earthly" but this could be a copyist error creeping in. I wonder if the Head has an early copy in the archives somewhere...
I couldn't imagine singing it to any other tune.
We had a hymn to St Thomas Aquinas (our patron saint)at my school:
Let every steeple,
Let all the people,
Ring out the wise man's praise.
Good ness abounding,
Wisdom expounding
Strength of the sunrise rays.
It was to be sung with manly vigour (which meant lusty singing by the First XV) I can usually remember more when in my cups and it's hardly "Praise to the Holiest" but it beats "Though the mountains may fall, and the hills turn to dust..." any day
St Thomas Aquinas - Pray For Us
I'm quite surprised that St. John Fisher is the only Cardinal martyr.
Isn't the purple a testament to fidelity up to the point of the shedding of blood in defence of the Faith?
I'm quite surprised no other cardinal has had the opportunity. =)
Yes, that's why the Cardinals wear red. When Pope John Paul wanted to talk to the Cardinals about martyrdom, he had to mention St John Fisher who was the only one. That text is pinned up proudly in the sacristy of the John Fisher School :-)
Martyrdom isn't just about shedding blood - remember Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński:
http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-w.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Cardinal_Wyszy%C5%84ski
Fr. Tim, the fact that St. John Fisher is the only Cardinal martyr ties in quite neatly with the remark from The Tablet which you quote elsewhere on your blog: “The higher up the hierarchical ladder of the Church one goes, the less responsive it is to movements in grass roots opinion.”
Any luck with getting the music? Could it be scanned and made available, or is it copyright?
Gissa chance! If I can get it and scan it, I will. But don't hold your breath...
When I get home tonight, I will go to the piano and perfect the tune. Then I will write it out and try to post it.
I was at John Fisher for 11 years and for the first three years Canon Byrne was the headmaster. I thyink he was in his eighties when he, and his dog Malachy, retired. During that time the hymn was frequently sung. When Father (later Mgr)McLean took over there was much less emphasis on spirituality and the hymn was never sung. I heard it again when I went to a reunion (probably 1980).
I am almost certain that the tune was composed by Canon Byrne himself. I have never heard of anybody called Sawyer who taught music, and don't remember any name being attributed to the tune. Mr Greeley was there during my last years at the school; and i can well believe that he may have composed or considered composing a new tune because he was a very gifted man. I remember he composed a Mass that was sung whilst I was there.
I think I was there from 1956 to 1967, so may have overlapped with pastor in valle.
Paul Waddington.
I think you'll find that the tune was written by a Mr H H Sayers. I believe he had a son Mark at the school in the early fifties. I know the tune well and will write it out if you are interested. I also have a recording of the Canon singing the old Latin Mass in the then "new" chapel. Someone might be interested.
POB - I have a copy of the melody line: really, I would like a copy of the full score for organ but should be able to pick this up on my next visit to the school.
But a recording of Canon Byrne singing the old Mass - now that would really be something! I'd be very grateful for a copy and yes, people would be interested.
I have just discovered these
interesting comments about the
School Hymn to Saint John Fisher.
I attended 1950 - 1960. In the
early 50's ( Soon after the
date of the Coronation but,
unconnected with that event. ).
Mr McHugo ( music teacher )
selected a number of 'golden-
voiced' boys ( including me ),
who were then marched to the
common room to be met by the
Canon, Father Waugh ( Deputy
Head ), Mr Agnew ( Secretary )
and Malachy 2 ( Red Setter ).
We were asked to sing the Hymn.
I think that it was by way of a
venture to test our suitability
for later recording by a
professional sound man, who was
a friend of the School. Although,
it may have also been connected
with a proposed performance to be
given in front of Bishop Cowderoy
( as he was then ) and also a
Sidcup man. I understand
that Saint John fisher, at one
time, had a property near to
the site of the present day
Saint George's Cathedral so, it
would have been fitting for the
Hymn to be sung there.
The Canon struggled to record our
not-so-golden tones over a period
of weeks. At the end it was just
the Canon and we boys. Even Malachy
had been escorted out, for wailing.
I wonder if the School has any
surviving remnant of the
recording ?
I do not know when the Canon
wrote the original Hymn but,
he adjusted it several times
whilst we mangled it. The music
had been written by another,
possibly Sayers, but this was
also modified a little in an
attempt to accommodate our
range. We all struggled to
fit the meter to the tune.
But, as I remember, the
music did not appear atall
difficult. Although, It did
seem a bit slow to me.
I kept my copy of the Hymn
with the Canon's markings and
alterations for several years
but, I no longer have it.
There were additional lines
in my copy. I assume that, if
it was revamped at a later date,
these were considered unsuitable.
They appeared to worry the Canon.
He was not sure they would be
appreciated or understood by
school boys.
At the time, the exercise did
not fill us with joy ( I think
we would have even preferred
a run to the 'Iron Gate' ).
The Canon was not filled with
joy at our performance either.
His normally endless patience
was sorely tested. He was a
great man and it is a shame
that we boys were too young to
appreciate his fine writing.
I agree wholeheartedly with
your comment. Indeed,
'now would be a good time.'
I attended JFS, 1959-1965 and remember Canon Byrne, Malachy ambling across the altar during Mass, Fr. McLean, Mr."McHugenose" et al.
I understood the the school hymn was written by Canon Byrne and set to the Largo from Dvorak's New World Symphony.
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