O Father, Bless the Children

O Fa­ther

bless the child­ren

Brought hi­ther to Thy gate;

Lift up their fall­en na­ture

Restore their lost es­tate;

Renew Thine im­age in them

And own them

by this sign

The ve­ry sons and daugh­ters

New born of birth di­vine.

O Je­su

Lord

re­ceive them;

Thy lov­ing arms of old

Were op­ened wide to wel­come

The child­ren to Thy fold;

Let these

bap­tized

and dy­ing

Then ris­ing from the dead

Henceforth be liv­ing mem­bers

Of Thee

their liv­ing head.

O Holy

Spir­it

keep them;

Dwell with them to the last

Till all the fight is end­ed

And all the storms are past.

Renew the gift bap­tis­mal

From strength to strength

till each

The troub­lous waves o’er­com­ing

The land of life shall reach.

O Fa­ther

Son

and Spir­it

O wis­dom

love

and pow­er

We wait the pro­mised bless­ing

In this ac­cept­ed hour!

We name up­on the child­ren

The three­fold name di­vine;

Receive them

cleanse them

own them

And keep them ev­er Thine.