Francis Stanfield (18351914) was an English Catholic priest, composer and hymnodist who worked in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster and is noted for having written and composed several hymns including ''Sweet Sacrament Divine''. He was the son of the painter Clarkson Stanfield.

Life

Stanfield was born in London, one of the sons of the marine painter, and friend of Charles Dickens, Clarkson Frederick Stanfield."Francis Stanfield." The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 7 Jan. 2015.. He was educated at St Edmund's College, Ware. After ordination, he was stationed in

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

. He then became principally in conducting missions and retreats. He was later priest in charge at

Old Hall Green Old Hall Green is a hamlet in Hertfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census the population was included in the civil parish of Standon. In 1793, an academy, St. Edmund's College, Ware, was established there which provided a school for Catholic b ...

.Julian, John. ''Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement'', (1907)
/ref> Stanfield wrote over a dozen hymns for various occasions. He is noted as the author of the hymn ''Sweet Sacrament Divine'' for which he also composed the music, the tune being called "Divine Mysteries." His hymn "Hear Thy Children Gentle Jesus, While We Breathe Our Evening Prayer" uses the tune ''Drakes Broughton'' (by Elgar).

References

1835 births 1914 deaths 19th-century English Roman Catholic priests 20th-century English Roman Catholic priests English hymnwriters 19th-century English musicians {{England-RC-clergy-stub