Communion Hymn of the Gallican Rite

COMMUNION HYMN OF THE GALLICAN RITE (in the Bangor Antiphonary, 7th Century).


1. Come all ye holy,
take the body of your Lord,
Drink of his chalice,
take the blood for you outpoured.

2. Saved by his body,
by his sacred blood, we raise
Grateful our voices
unto God in hymns of praise.

3. Giver of life, he
Christ our Saviour, Son of God,
Bought our redemption
by his cross and precious blood.

4. Dying for all men,
he the Lord prepared this feast,
Offered as victim,
offering himself as priest.

5. God to our fathers
ordered sacrifice of old;
So he in symbols
Christ the victim true foretold.

6. Giver of light, the
one Redeemer of our race,
He to his holy
servants gives abundant grace.

7. Come, who with pure hearts
in the Saviour’s word believe;
Come, and partaking
saving grace from him receive.

8. God our defender,
guardian sure in this our strife,
Gives to his faithful
after death eternal life.

9. He to the hungry
gives as food this heavenly bread,
Fountain of life, he
gives to drink the blood he shed.

10. Christ, source of all things,
who here feeds us sinful men,
When his great day dawns,
judge of all, will come again.


Translated by Adrian Fortescue (1874-1923)