Faith of Our Fathers

Frederick Faber was an Anglican priest and hymn writer that made many efforts to bridge the gap between the Catholic church and the Church of England (Anglican) during the mid-19th century.

His hope, in his poetry and songwriting, was to help express the Saxon thought to the Catholic church, and even broader goal was to influence the “church” to recognize how desperately people everywhere need to hear and understand the message of God’s power, love, and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7), and by doing so, highlighting the power of unity from the non-believer’s perspective.

As Jesus prayed in John 17:23 expressing the power of unity, “[I pray] that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Frederick was a devout Englishman and a loyalist to the English traditions, but he wanted his love for his tradition to positively influence his ever-changing world. His most famous hymn, Faith of Our Fathers, acknowledges the legacy of Catholic martyrs in England who had died since and during the time of Henry VIII.

While this may not have a lot of deep meaning to those living outside of the realm of Catholicism, it does show his efforts to “bridge the gap” between his generation and the previous ones. Perhaps, we could learn from his desire and ask the question, “What are some qualities about your generation that you feel others could learn from?”

Faith of Our Fathers
By Frederick Faber

Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword,
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word!
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!

Our fathers, chained in prisons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free;
And blest would be their children’s fate,
If they, like them should die for thee:
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!

Faith of our fathers, we will strive
To win all nations unto thee;
And through the truth that comes from God
Mankind shall then indeed be free.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!

Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife,
And preach thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!