A new hymn dedicated to the Lord of Patience will premiere this Thursday, September 10, during the triduum of preparation for the feast in honor of this devotion, celebrated at the Monastery of Saint Anthony, of the Poor Clares, in Lombo dos Aguiares. The premiere is scheduled for the first day of the triduum and will be performed by the choir of the Parish of the Visitation. The initiative is part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the monastery's founding.
The hymn's lyrics are by Sister Maria da Cruz, a Poor Clare, while the music was composed by Fr. Ignácio Rodrigues, director of the Diocesan School of Sacred Music of Funchal. The hymn begins with the refrain "Glory to Christ, King of Love, Lord of Patience" and develops into five stanzas that traverse different dimensions of Christ's mystery, from the humiliated face to praise of the Most Holy Trinity.
The idea came from Fr. André Pinheiro, parish priest of the Visitation and of Grace, who explained to the Jornal da Madeira that he intended to pay a proper tribute to the Lord of Patience and give musical expression to a devotion with strong presence in the community. The priest verified that, although numerous hymns dedicated to saints and devotions existed in the Diocese of Funchal, there was none specifically dedicated to the Lord of Patience, thus intending to fill that absence.
The devotion has a history of several centuries. The image venerated by the Poor Clares is a polychrome wooden sculpture from the 17th century, which belonged to the former Monastery of Mercy, in Funchal, where the Servant of God Mother Virginia Brites da Paixão lived. After the closure of that monastery following the establishment of the Republic, the image was taken in 1910 to the family home of Mother Virginia, in Lombo dos Aguiares. The triduum will take place from Thursday to Saturday, September 10 to 12, and on Sunday, September 13, the Feast Mass will be presided over by D. Nuno Brás, bishop of Funchal, followed by the procession with a flower carpet through the area of Pomar do Miradouro.
