TRUMBULL—-No truer words were perhaps written by Paul McCartney in his song “Let It Be”: “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me.” And composer Anna Bendiksen hopes the faithful of the Diocese of Bridgeport can turn to Mary with the help of her new hymn.
The piece, titled, “O Blessed Mother, Holy Maid,” calls upon Our Lady, giving expression to the burdens we share as a country and calling upon her help. It is to the tune of “The Moreen,” an early 19th-century tune usually sung to the words “The minstrel boy to the war is gone.”
Owing to the song’s content, Bendiksen believes it would work especially well for feasts celebrating Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (the patroness of the United States), as well as national holidays such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Election Day and Veterans Day.
“As one who came to the Catholic Faith in adulthood, I find it difficult to bear when we Catholics are unable to speak the truth in love to each another, for if we fail at that we shall never be able to speak the truth in love to the world around us,” Bendiksen said. ” In this difficult time for our country and the world, I wrote this hymn as a reminder that evil, lies and hatred cannot withstand the power of Our Lady and her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, who himself is Truth and Love.”
