Christ In Canada 150 - Our National Anthem
As we look at some of the examples of Christian heritage in the history of Canada, we should also expect to find such Faith proclaimed in our music and literature. In this third post in our “ Christ In Canada 150 ” series, we will consider our national anthem, “O Canada”. “O Canada” was originally written in 1880 for the St. Jean de Baptiste day ceremony. The music was composed by Calixa Lavallee and the words, in French, by poet and judge Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier. Routhier’s original version, translated into English, contains the following stanza: Sacred love of the throne and the altar, Fill our hearts with your immortal breath! Among the foreign races, Our guide is the law: Let us know how to be a people of brothers, Under the yoke of faith. And repeat, like our fathers, The battle cry: "For Christ and King!" The battle cry: "For Christ and King!" There were several different versions creat...