Queen of the Waves is a French

Marian Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places * Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queenslan ...

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 ''hymn'' ...

(author unknown) sung by French fishermen seeking protection from storms. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, it became well known as a result of the

Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

. The

nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

of the St. Mary's

Orphan asylum An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or a ...

had the orphans sing this song (in English) in order to calm them. Of the 93 children and 10 sisters in the orphanage, only three teenage boys survived. As a result of this event, the

Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word is the name of two Roman Catholic religious institutes based in the U.S. state of Texas. They use the abbreviation C.C.V.I. ( la, Congregatio Caritatis Verbi Incarnati). History Hous ...

across the world sing this song every year on September 8, and remember the sisters and orphans that died that day. The Sisters of Charity recorded an audio CD titled ''Queen of the Waves: Centennial Remembrance of The Great Storm of 1900'' available for purchase or free download.

Lyrics

:''Queen of the Waves, look forth across the ocean'' :''From north to south, from east to stormy west,'' :''See how the waters with tumultuous motion'' :''Rise up and foam without a pause or rest.'' :''But fear we not, tho' storm clouds round us gather,'' :''Thou art our Mother and thy little Child'' :''Is the All Merciful, our loving Brother'' :''God of the sea and of the tempest wild.'' :''Help, then sweet Queen, in our exceeding danger,'' :''By thy seven griefs, in pity Lady save;'' :''Think of the Babe that slept within the manger'' :''And help us now, dear Lady of the Wave.'' :''Up to thy shrine we look and see the glimmer'' :''Thy votive lamp sheds down on us afar;'' :''Light of our eyes, oh let it ne'er grow dimmer,'' :''Till in the sky we hail the morning star.'' :''Then joyful hearts shall kneel around thine altar'' :''And grateful psalms re-echo down the nave;'' :''Never our faith in thy sweet power can falter,'' :''Mother of God, our Lady of the Wave.''

References

External links

Story of the Orphanage
told by the

French Christian hymns Marian hymns {{world-music-song-stub