There’s no denying the influence that the St. Louis Jesuits have had on Catholic liturgical music. Responsible for liturgical hits such as “Be Not Afraid,” “One Bread, One Body” and “Earthen Vessels,” the composer-performers’ hymns have been sung at countless Masses since their formation in the 1970s. After 45 years of writing music together and recording 35 studio albums, the St. Louis Jesuits reunited on Sept. 29 at Powell Hall to perform their sold-out final concert, “Coming Home.”

[Read Kerry Weber’s report from the sold-out final concert by the St. Louis Jesuits.]

In honor of the group’s farewell concert, we asked our readers to choose their favorite St. Louis Jesuits hymns. We also wanted to know how the St. Louis Jesuits’ songs ranked among Catholics’ favorite hymns. Nearly 500 people responded to a survey, picking their top 10 favorites of all time and their top five St. Louis Jesuit hymns, three of which also appeared on our top 10 list.

1. “Be Not Afraid” (1975)
Composed by Bob Dufford, S.J.
President Bill Clinton wrote in his autobiography “My Life” that the song was “one of my favorite hymns and a good lesson for the day.”

2. “Here I Am, Lord” (1981)
Composed by Dan Schutte
Schutte wrote the hymn in two days after being asked to compose a new song for a diaconate ordination Mass only four days before the service.

3. “On Eagle’s Wings” (1979)
Composed by Michael Joncas
The song was performed in Italian during the funeral of famed operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti—one of Father Joncas’s personal heroes—in 2007.

4. “Amazing Grace” (1779)
Composed by John Newton, E. O. Excell
Some historians believe that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin popularized the version of “Amazing Grace” that we sing today.

5. “Ave Maria” (1825)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Schubert did not actually title the song “Ave Maria” when he composed it. Originally called “Ellens dritter Gesang” (“Ellen’s Third Song”), the song was one of seven written for Schubert’s Opus 52, which is based on Walter Scott’s poem “Lady of the Lake.”

6. “Prayer of St. Francis” (1967)
Composed by Sebastian Temple
The prayer’s origins have been traced back to 1912 in a French spiritual magazine called La Clochette (“The Little Bell”), but the author’s identity remains unknown.

7. “You Are Mine” (1991)
Composed by David Haas
In 2006 “You Are Mine” placed fourth in a national survey conducted by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians on songs that made a difference in individuals’ faith lives.

8. “How Great Thou Art” (1885)
Composed by Carl Boberg
Boberg was inspired to compose the hymn after encountering a sudden storm on his walk home from church near Kronobäck, Sweden.

9. “One Bread, One Body” (1978)
Composed by John Foley, S.J.
This hymn’s memorable refrain draws upon Corinthians 10:17: “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

10. TIE “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” (1749) and “How Can I Keep from Singing?” (1869)
Composed by John Arnold (“Jesus Christ Is Risen Today”) and Robert Lowry (“How Can I Keep from Singing?”)
In 1740, Charles Wesley—the founder of Methodism—added an alternative fourth verse to “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today,” which was later integrated into the hymn.

Favorite 5 St. Louis Jesuit Hymns

1. “Be Not Afraid” (1975)
Composed by Bob Dufford, S.J.
Father Dufford composed “Be Not Afraid” while on a Jesuit retreat before his ordination to grapple with his anxieties about the future.

2. “Here I Am, Lord” (1981)
Composed by Dan Schutte
After consulting the St. Louis Jesuits, Schutte changed the lyrics from the confident “Here I am, Lord; here I stand, Lord” to the self-doubting final version: “Here I am, Lord; is it I, Lord?”

3. “One Bread, One Body” (1978)
Composed by John Foley, S.J.
The hymn works to shift our focus on Christ’s suffering to thanksgiving through the Eucharist.

4. “City of God” (1981)
Composed by Dan Schutte
The hymn refers to St. Augustine of Hippo’s famous work “The City of God,” which is considered a cornerstone of Western thought.

5. “Sing to the Mountains” (1975)
Composed by Bob Dufford, S.J.
Father Dufford based this hymn on Psalm 118, which is noted for its joyous tone and praise to God for delivering his people to salvation.

Methodology: These results are based on 475 responses to a poll promoted to our America Today newsletter subscribers and to America Media followers on social media.

Read more about “Be Not Afraid,” “On Eagle’s Wings” and “Here I Am, Lord” in a series of essays by America’s Colleen Dulle.

This article appears in October 14 2019.