On Sunday — Father’s Day — our church closed Mass with the traditional hymn, “Faith of our Fathers,” by Frederick William Faber.
According to Wikipedia, the song was written in 1849 to memorialize Catholic martyrs when Henry VIII established the Church of England. Understanding that gives new meaning to the words, “In spite of dungeon, fire and sword.”
Interestingly, Faber composed two different versions of this spiritual song, one with four stanzas for England and the second with six for Ireland.
The third verse of his original song includes the Virgin Mary:
“Faith of our Fathers! Mary’s prayers
Shall win our country back to thee:
And through the truth that comes from God
England shall then, indeed, be free.”
Many Protestant church hymnals include this song on their pages with an adapted version of the third verse, which removes the Marian references.
Fortunately, our fathers in faith didn’t have to suffer as martyrs for their beliefs. They left their homeland to escape overcrowding, high taxation and constant wars.
They did pass on to many of us a strong faith, along with their hard work, sweat and donations, to start the many church congregations in our area, a gift we all enjoy.
One of my fathers in faith was Wilhelm Christian Koepke. He is my mother’s great grandfather on her father’s side of the family. Wilhelm, like so many of our ancestors, who immigrated to the Missouri Valley was born in Germany. Along with his wife and family they relocated to Gasconade County in early 1870.
Wilhelm, his wife Augusta, and his three oldest children were charter members of the Woollam Methodist Church, just west of Owensville on Highway Y.
His ninth son and my great-grandfather Fredrick Wilhelm Koepke attended the Red Oak Methodist Church south of Rosebud, where he and his two wives are buried.
My mother’s great-great-grandfather on her mother’s side of the family, Joseph and Katherine Mertl, immigrated from Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) near Prague sometime in the early 1860’s. This is how my faith in the Catholic Church was passed down to me.
My paternal ancestor — Samuel Warden, the elder — immigrated from Ireland between 1775 and 1782. He enlisted in the Revolutionary War in 1789 in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina.
The records we have don’t show Samuel’s faith. Coming from Ireland in the 18th century, odds are he was Roman Catholic. From what I could discover online, Ireland was 81 percent Catholic in 1834.
Samuel had ten grandchildren, seven who fought in the civil war; four for the Union and three for the Confederacy. Charles Emery Warden, my great-great grandfather was the only one who gave his life in the fight to free the enslaved people. He succumbed from the wounds he suffered at the battle of Vicksburg, Miss. wearing blue.
These are the fathers (and mothers) of my faith. They brought their belief in God from Europe for a better life in America.
Whether your church of faith is in Maries, Osage, or Gasconade County (or outside this area), take some time this week to remember those fathers and mothers of your faith who gave so much so your belief in God would have a place to grow.
“Faith of our Fathers! living still
In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword:
Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
Faith of our Fathers! we will strive
To win all nations unto thee,
And through the truth that comes from God,
Mankind shall then be truly free.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.”
