Spiritual Songs to the Mother of God
Devotional hymns to the most holy Virgin Mary have always been popular among the Christians of the Carpathian Mountains, and they added hymns from other peoples as well, singing them on pilgrimages to shrines in her honor. Many of these songs make use of both her theological titles (Bohorodice - Theotokos in Greek - meaning "the one who gave birth to God"; Prečistaja D'ivo, "Most pure virgin") and her devotional title (Mati Boža, "Mother of God"). Much more so than does the Church's liturgy, these hymns invoke her also by name - Marije, or Mary.
Twenty-eight of these songs appeared in English and Slavonic in the Marian Hymnal (1984), published by the Byzantine Seminary Press.
- All the faithful come before you - Christijane, proslavl'ajme
- Beautiful holy Queen - Radujsja Carice, prekrasna D'ivice
- Beneath your compassion - Pod tvoju milost'
- Christians, join in our procession - Christijane pribihajte
- Come to Uniontown - Palomniki Uniontowns'ki
- From our hearts we sinners - Prosime T'a, D'ivo, hrišňiji userdno
- Immaculate Mary - Likuj, Presvjataja
- Mary, look upon us - Prizri, O Marije
- Mary, Mother to us all - O Marije, Mati vsich
- Mother of all people - Mati svita
- 'Neath your holy icon kneeling - Under your holy icon - Ko Tvojej svjatoj ikoňi
- O Mary, Mother of our God - O Marije, Mati Boža, prečista
- O most glorious ever-virgin Mary - Preslavnaja prisnod'ivo Marije
- O Virgin Mary, most kind Mother - D'ivo Mati preblahaja
- O Virgin Mary, Mother of God - O Bohorodice, D'ivo Marije
- Purest Mother, people of the homeland - Prečistaja D'ivo, Mati našoho kraju
- Purest of virgins - Božaja Mati, čista D'ivice
- Rejoice, O purest Mother - Veselisja vo čistot'i (Dormition, August 15)
- Rejoice, O purest Queen - Radujsja, Carice
- Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos - Bohorodice D'ivo
- Sound the trumpet - Vostrubite, voskliknite
- Virgin Mother, Intercessor - D'ivo Mati zastupaj nas, O Marije
- Virgin, we beseech you - Prosime T'a, D'ivo, šlem do Tebe hlas
- We come to you in prayer - Pribihajem k Tebi
- We hasten to your patronage - Pod tvoj pokrov pribihajem (Protection, October 1)
- We implore you, Virgin - Molime T'a, D'ivo, hrišňiji serdečno
- When the angel came - Anhel Božij vozvistil t'a (Annunciation, March 25; Dormition, August 15)
- Where our Mother reigns in heaven - Tam hde v nebi
- You, O Mary, our dear Lady - Ty, Marije, naša Panna
- Bohomati D'ivo
- Bohorodice D'ivo
- Bohorodice, virnych oborono
- Boža Mati, čista D'ivo
- K Tebi pribihajem
- Mati Carja Christa
- My do Tebe, Boža Mati
- My sobi vybrali za ochranu
- O Marije, divna Tvoja tajna
- O Marije, Mati Boža, zhl'aňsja
- O Marije, Mati Božaja
- O Mati Božaja
- O Presvjata D'ivo Mati
- O presvjataja Carice
- O, spomahaj nas
- O Vsepitaja Mati
- Preneporočna Marije
- Presvjata Divo, svitla Zornice
- Presvjata naša Carice
- Rad'ij nyňi Mati Boža
- Ščaslivyj, koho zastupaje
- Ty bo naša Carica
Recommended reading
- Spiritual songs according to the Carpath-Ruthenian Tradition. Byzantine Leaflet Series, No. 28. (Pittsburgh: Byzantine Seminary Press, 1983).
- Devotion of Byzantine Catholics to the Mother of God. Byzantine Leaflet Series, No. 1. (Pittsburgh: Byzantine Seminary Press, 1975).