Praise Be to You/Song of Compassion

Using the hymn tune FINLANDIA, Bob Hurd has crafted two hymn texts, set here for SATB choir, descant, organ, and optional brass quartet. "Praise Be to You" was written as a response to Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'!, and ties the themes of Creation and Social Justice to the paschal mystery. "Song of Compassion" is intended for interfaith services, and was inspired by the Charter for Compassion, which was initiated by theologian Karen Armstrong and invites people of differing faiths to discover the centrality of compassion within their own traditions.