"God of Our Fathers" is a 19th-century American Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

, written in 1876 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...

. The hymn was written by Daniel C. Roberts, a priest in the

Protestant Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of ...

serving, at the time, as rector of St. Thomas & Grace Episcopal churches in

Brandon, Vermont Brandon is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,129. History On October 20, 1761, the town of Neshobe was chartered to Capt. Josiah Powers. In October 1784, the name of the town was chang ...

. Roberts had served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

in the

84th Ohio Infantry The 84th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 84th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 84th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 84th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio May throu ...

. In 1892, Roberts sent the hymn anonymously to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church to be considered by a group tasked with revising the Episcopal hymnal. If the group accepted his hymn, Roberts said he would send them his name. The commission approved it. The hymnal editor and organist George W. Warren were to choose a hymn for the celebration of the Centennial of the United States Constitution. They chose Roberts' lyrics, which were originally sung to a tune called "Russian Hymn." Warren wrote a new tune called "National Hymn."

Lyrics

References

External links

''God of Our Fathers''
in ''The Hymnal 1892'' *
God of Our Fathers
' at Hymnary.org American patriotic songs American Christian hymns National symbols of the United States 1876 songs 1876 in Christianity 19th-century hymns {{christian-song-stub