A new poll carried out by a Catholic international aid charity has found that the hymn "How Great Thou Art" is the favourite hymn to inspire hope at this time of crisis.
The Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD) used a Twitter poll to ask just over 500 people about their favourite piece of Christian music. 'How Great Thou Art' garnered 37.7% of the vote, closely followed by 'Christ, Be Our Light' with 30.2%. The song 'Be Not Afraid' took 20% of the vote, while Matt Redman's 1'0,000 Reasons' came in with just 12.6%.
CAFOD’s Head of Fundraising and Participation, Jo Kitterick, said: “Hymns inspire and express hope; whether those who enjoy them associate with a faith or not. Throughout the coronavirus lockdown we have seen so many people turning to hymns and prayer to help them through this difficult time.
“People have sorely missed attending Church over the last few months. Listening to, or singing hymns at home, helps us to continue to feel part of a community and connected to faith. We have also seen high numbers tuning in for our live-streaming of Mass and to the Sunday morning children’s liturgy sessions CAFOD has been running online.
“How Great Thou Art is a really rousing hymn, and reminds us that we can put our trust in God, because God has made such an amazing world for us all to live in and take care of.
“As the impacts of coronavirus are increasingly felt around the world in developing countries – where communities have fewer resources to deal with the health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic and lockdowns – by singing hymns and saying prayers we can stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are also facing these challenging times and share hope.”
'How Great Thou Art' is based on a Swedish poem written by Carl Gustav Boberg (1859-1940) in 1885.