23.04.24
Monday 8 November 2021
Two hymns written by The Rev’d Ally Barrett (2019), Fellow and Chaplain of St Catharine’s, have been published as part of a new collection of a dozen works entitled ‘Until Your Earth Is Whole: Hymns for Our Contemporary World’, which seeks to bring a fresh perspective to nine issues confronting the world today: social justice, racial equality, mental health, the refugee crisis, the environment, societal divisions, the global pandemic, isolation, and truth.
The Rev’d Professor Jeremy Begbie, who is based at Duke University and also an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Music at the University of Cambridge, said, “This is one of the most innovative and important projects in the current hymn-writing world. It is sorely needed, and will enrich the contemporary’s Church’s worship in countless ways.”
You made a universe so full of wonder is one of only two hymns in the collection that cover environmental issues. Ally’s text reflects the broader ethical, political and economic ramifications these issues and concludes, “Our lives must change in this and every nation so prayer and action shall not be in vain.”
You came to raise the last and least explores social inequality and opportunities for empowerment, drawing on the biblical principle that ‘the first shall be last’. It emphasises that equality will also mean ‘overturning the tables’ – challenging and dismantling the structures that perpetuate injustice.
Earlier this year, Jubilate Hymns invited writers to submit a new hymn text or a complete hymn with music on these nine issues or other contemporary themes. Successful submissions have been released with scores, lyric videos and recordings taken from small group performances at Leeds Minster in July.
Ally’s work was also included in the ‘Hymns of Peace’ collection produced by Jubilate Hymns in 2018 to mark the centenary of Armistice Day and the end of the First World War. Her hymn, Hope for the World's Despair, was the overall winner of the competition.
Ally commented, “I hope the collection will be a welcome and valuable resource for churches as they engage with these pressing issues, and especially the relationship between social and ecological justice in the light of COP26 and the ongoing climate emergency. I was really pleased when I heard that both my submissions had been selected, and feel grateful for the ongoing support of Jubilate Hymns for my writing.”
