Monks collaborate on hymn in honor of St. Theodora

Benedictine Father Harry Hagan and Providence Sister Regina Marie McIntyre look on as Benedictine Father Prior Tobias Colgan plays the tune he composed for the hymn text in honor of St. Theodora Guérin written by Father Harry. Father Tobias played the tune on Oct. 3, St. Theodora’s feast day, on the organ of the Archabbey Church of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, where he and Father Harry are members.

By Sean Gallagher

ST. MEINRAD—Sometimes God’s Providence unfolds slowly over the years. At other times, it works in a flash of inspiration.

That’s what happened recently for Benedictine Father Tobias Colgan, the prior, or second in leadership, of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad.

He was asked to compose a tune for a hymn text written by Benedictine Father Harry Hagan, the community’s novice master, in honor of St. Theodora Guérin.

Benedictine Father Jeremy King, Saint Meinrad’s choir master, had asked the two priests in early August to collaborate on the hymn that was to be sung by the monks on Oct. 3, St. Theodora’s feast day.

In early September, Father Harry, after working 25 to 30 hours on the hymn text, e-mailed three stanzas of it to Father Tobias.

“I feel a little guilty because my process was much shorter than Father Harry’s,” Father Tobias said. “I received that e-mail at about seven in the morning. And by 7:12 [a.m.], I think the melody was finished.”

“I was jealous,” Father Harry joked.

On the feast day, the community performed it as a thanksgiving hymn after Communion during its daily Mass.

Providence Sister Regina Marie McIntyre, who has served as an assistant organist at Saint Meinrad for six years, was on hand for the liturgy.

“I was kind of overwhelmed because we [sisters] are used to Mother Theodore belonging to the Sisters of Providence,” she said. “Of course, we’ve learned … that we’re sharing her now with the whole world.

“These two have really imbibed it [St. Theodora’s spirit]. … The text really reflects her very well.”

The hymn was sent to the motherhouse of the Sisters of Providence, and the community sang it there during their St. Theodora feast day Mass.

“To have the hymn written by the monks of Saint Meinrad captures and confirms the friendship that has existed between the monastery and the Sisters of Providence for some time,” said Providence Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior of the order.

“It was precious and a beautiful part of our celebration of the first feast day of St. Mother Theodore Guérin.”

Father Harry consulted Sister Regina Marie about the text so that it would capture St. Theodora’s character.

“The hymn is meant not just to honor her, but also kind of to help people understand who she was,” Father Harry said. “So there’s a kind of particularity about it.”

He said that the four stanzas are suggestive of St. Theodora leaving France for the United States, the hardships she bore, the community she founded and the charity she showed to others.

The hymn tune, which has been named “Providence,” along with the text and keyboard accompaniment, is available to be downloaded at no charge on Saint Meinrad’s Web site.

(To download the hymn honoring St. Theodora, log on to www.saintmeinrad.edu and click on “Archabbey” and then on “Liturgical Music.”) †