Blessèd Feasts of Blessèd Martyrs

Blessèd feasts of bless­èd mar­tyrs

Saintly days of saint­ly men

With af­fect­ion’s re­col­lect­ions

Greet we your re­turn again.

Mighty deeds they wrought

and won­ders

While a frame of flesh they bore;

We

with meet­est praise and sweet­est

Honor them for­ev­er­more.

Faith un­blench­ing

hope un­quench­ing

Well-loved Lord

and sin­gle heart

Thus they

glo­ri­ous and vic­tor­ious

Bravely bore the mar­tyr’s part.

Blood in slaugh­ter poured like wa­ter

Torments long and hea­vy chain

Flame

and axe

and la­ce­ra­tion

They en­dured

and con­quered pain.

While they passed through di­vers tor­tures

Till they sank by death op­prest

Earth’s re­ject­ed were elect­ed

To have por­tion with the blest.

By con­tempt of world­ly plea­sures

And by migh­ty bat­tle done;

Have they mer­it­ed with an­gels

To be knit for ay in one.

Wherefore made co-heirs of glo­ry

Ye that sit with Christ on high

Join to ours your sup­pli­ca­tion

As for grace and peace we cry

That

this wea­ry life com­plet­ed

And its ma­ny la­bors past

We may mer­it to be seat­ed

In our Fa­ther’s home at last.