Thank you so much for choosing this beautiful hymn; it’s one of my favorites. Years ago, in a dark hour, when one of my friends was in surgery, I prayed that line,”Eternal Father, strong to save. . .’’ over and over. She survived. The hymn is always in my heart.
Because I live on the Gulf coast of Alabama, I know all about the perils of the sea when a hurricane is coming. We pray the Divine Praises every Sunday after Mass for protection against those storms. As well, in the city of Bayou la Batre, we have the annual Blessing of the Fleet. Our bishop rides at the head of a procession of fishing boats; he blesses them and their crews and lowers a wreath into the waters in memory of those lost at sea. It is a beautiful ceremony.
In my twenty years in the Navy we sang Eternal Father often and solemnly. We sang when we deployed, especially in submarines (who were below the sea). I spoke today to the entire student body of a local Academy and displayed a beautiful matted script of the opening phrase. It was our hymn of the day without me knowing until I returned home that it was Anthony's too. Yes. The Glee Club from Annapolis is spectacular. There is a scene about five minutes into the movie Crimson Tide when the submarine descends and the Harvard Glee club sings the beginning verse. I love this version you gave us. The film's version has a powerful Amen as you watch the 'Con' tower disappear beneath the waters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ3MkrSc5yY
Thank you for sharing that link, Father. I haven't seen the film. I have always loved this hymn, and especially sung by a male choir. It brought a smile to my face to hear that this was YOUR hymn of the day today!
If memory serves, Kate Winslet and the rest of the cast of the movie Titannic" sing the first verse of this hymn at a Sunday service onboard ship before the encounter with the iceberg. I don't know if that part was historically accurate. But the line, "those in peril on the sea" certainly seems appropriate for the movie.
When our choir director's son was a midshipman and a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club, they once performed in concert at a venue on the California coast. While they hiked on free day along the Pacific and came upon a resonant sea cave, the entire Glee Club crawled inside to sing and record, acappella, the "Navy Hymn." With the occasional sound of an off-shore buoy chiming in the background, they produced an anthem that was both beautiful and haunting.
Thank you so much for choosing this beautiful hymn; it’s one of my favorites. Years ago, in a dark hour, when one of my friends was in surgery, I prayed that line,”Eternal Father, strong to save. . .’’ over and over. She survived. The hymn is always in my heart.
Because I live on the Gulf coast of Alabama, I know all about the perils of the sea when a hurricane is coming. We pray the Divine Praises every Sunday after Mass for protection against those storms. As well, in the city of Bayou la Batre, we have the annual Blessing of the Fleet. Our bishop rides at the head of a procession of fishing boats; he blesses them and their crews and lowers a wreath into the waters in memory of those lost at sea. It is a beautiful ceremony.
In my twenty years in the Navy we sang Eternal Father often and solemnly. We sang when we deployed, especially in submarines (who were below the sea). I spoke today to the entire student body of a local Academy and displayed a beautiful matted script of the opening phrase. It was our hymn of the day without me knowing until I returned home that it was Anthony's too. Yes. The Glee Club from Annapolis is spectacular. There is a scene about five minutes into the movie Crimson Tide when the submarine descends and the Harvard Glee club sings the beginning verse. I love this version you gave us. The film's version has a powerful Amen as you watch the 'Con' tower disappear beneath the waters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ3MkrSc5yY
Thank you for sharing that link, Father. I haven't seen the film. I have always loved this hymn, and especially sung by a male choir. It brought a smile to my face to hear that this was YOUR hymn of the day today!
If memory serves, Kate Winslet and the rest of the cast of the movie Titannic" sing the first verse of this hymn at a Sunday service onboard ship before the encounter with the iceberg. I don't know if that part was historically accurate. But the line, "those in peril on the sea" certainly seems appropriate for the movie.
When our choir director's son was a midshipman and a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club, they once performed in concert at a venue on the California coast. While they hiked on free day along the Pacific and came upon a resonant sea cave, the entire Glee Club crawled inside to sing and record, acappella, the "Navy Hymn." With the occasional sound of an off-shore buoy chiming in the background, they produced an anthem that was both beautiful and haunting.
Wow, Ed. I'd love to hear that.
https://on.soundcloud.com/7zrXVMiF5HMyxVZZ7
I hope you’re able to open this SoundCloud link, Debra
Thank you for sharing this. It's beautiful.