This post is dedicated to Maria McDonald, history tutor and Canadian patriot.
A belated happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers! And if you’re American, have a happy Independence Day! Or if you’re neither Canadian nor American, I hope you have a wonderful day all the same. 🙂
I am privileged to be both Canadian and American, so though I live in Canada, I grew up celebrating both Canada Day and the 4th of July. I have many happy memories of standing with my siblings, singing all the patriotic songs we knew. On the 4th we’d sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “America the Beautiful,” “Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue,” and many more, but on Canada Day we only knew the national anthem. Deeply as I loved “O, Canada,” I was never satisfied. Surely this beautiful country of ours deserved more?
As I grew older, my eyes were opened. I see now that beautiful as Canada is, it is also troubled. I long for it to mend its errors and atone for its sins, to triumph over the secular dangers that threaten to tear it down. Beautiful as Canada is, I want it to become more beautiful still.
And so I wrote this prayer. It is patterned after “God Save the Queen” and can be sung to the same tune. If you are Canadian — or even if you’re not — I hope that you’ll lift your voice and sing it with me.
Lord, help our young country. God, bless our dear country. Save our country. May we have unity, Peace and prosperity, Belief in You, and purity. Lord, help our country! May our leaders use might To stand up for the right. Please grant them sight. Be our rock and our shield That we may never yield To Satan on the battlefield. Please, Lord, grant us sight. May all of Canada Praise You. Sing hosanna! Sing gloria! May we be free from strife, Always love sacred life, And see Your face in the Next Life, All of Canada!
~*~
I’m currently on the hunt for other patriotic Canadian songs and poems. If you know of any, please share!
Note: This prayer was first published in the July 2019 issue of the WISDOM Family Magazine.
Image credit: Jared VanderMeer on Pexels.com
The Glass Hill 
How wonderful! You are so gifted. Papa actually read this to me last night before we went to sleep. He’s kinda sweet sometimes…. We are both so proud of you!
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Aw, thank you, Nana! Love you both! ❤ ❤
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“The Maple Leaf Forever” is another Canadian patriotic song.
I am not extremely familiar with Canadian folk songs, but the more I think about it, the more it doesn’t seem to be in Canada’s blood to sing about one’s country specifically. Most of our folk music tradition is inherited from the British Isles and France. In the British Isles, the English, Scottish, and Irish will sing songs inspired by people or events that had patriotic importance (e.g. wars and heroes of wars, rebels, etc.), but I haven’t heard any that celebrate the country itself. All the Canadian folk songs I have heard are similar in that regard.
“Un Canadien Errant” and “Farewell to Nova Scotia” are two beautiful Canadian folk songs that are good examples of this.
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On second thoughts, I stand slightly corrected. There is a whole Wikipedia article dedicated to “Anthems and nationalistic songs of Canada.” Still, I am curious to know what the ratio of solely patriotic songs to folk songs in general is in Canada versus America.
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Yes, that article is very helpful! Still, I don’t think the songs it mentions can compare to the amount patriotic songs the States have, even when you consider how much younger Canada is.
And how interesting! I have a hard time seeing past the general lack of fervor and unity in my own area, so I hadn’t thought of it that way before. Perhaps it isn’t “in Canada’s blood to sing about one’s country specifically,” but this doesn’t necessarily mean there is a lack of patriotism. Food for thought!
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That was lovely! 😀 Super pretty! ❤
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Thank you! ❤
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