Kristin Lukowski of the Michigan Catholic
Published March 16, 2007

Betty Bara still keeps the rosary her husband, Ed, took off a fellow Marine he'd found fallen during the Battle of Tarawa. The song "On Eagles Wings" reminds her of how her husband prayed for the Marine for the rest of his life. A painting of Ed hangs behind her.

Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit take comfort in singing that God will hold us "in the palm of His hand," if a write-in survey asking about our readers' favorite church song is any indication.

"On Eagle's Wings" was the No. 1 song according to 118 votes cast. Some readers submitted a vote for more than one favorite song.

Betty Bara, of Redford Township and a member of Our Lady of Loretto Parish, is one person with a special story behind the song. When she hears the first notes of "On Eagle's Wings," she thinks of her husband.

Ed Bara was in the Second Marine Division in World War II and fought in the Battle of Tarawa. On the field, he saw a fallen fellow Marine, and discovered the other man had a rosary on him. Ed Bara took the rosary, later keeping on the Infant of Prague statue in his and Betty's bedroom, and prayed it for that Marine until his own death nearly three years ago. He never knew the other Marine's name.

Betty Bara says she believes her husband now knows his name, in heaven. "He said he felt he should pick it up," she said, remembering what her husband had told her years before. "He just wanted to pray for that Marine."

Bara says when she hears "On Eagle's Wings," it reminds her of her husband sitting at the kitchen table or on the back porch with his pipe, praying that rosary for his fellow Marine. "Every time Ed would say the rosary, it was like that Marine was going up to heaven," she says. "I think an angel helped him."

Top Songs  Respondents' Top 10 list of church songs, with percentage of votes cast; some named more than one song as their favorite. Note: Two songs tied for third place, three for fifth place and three for eighth place. 1. "On Eagle's Wings," 10.1 percent (with 12 votes) 2. "How Great Thou Art," 8.4 percent (with 10 votes) 3. "Be Not Afraid," 5.9 percent (with seven votes) 3. "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name," 5.9 percent (with seven votes) 5. "One Bread, One Body," 4.2 percent (with five votes) 5. "Amazing Grace," 4.2 percent (with five votes) 5. "Lord of the Dance," 4.2 percent (with five votes) 8. "Ave Maria," 3.3 percent (with four votes) 8. "You Are Mine," 3.3 percent (with four votes) 8. "Here I Am, Lord," 3.3 percent (with four votes) Songs receiving a number of votes but not in the top 10: "A Mighty Fortress is our God" "How Can I Keep From Singing?" "Let There be Peace on Earth" "Blest Are They" "City of God" "Our Father" (with Protestant ending) "Prayer of St. Francis" ("Make Me a Channel of Your Peace")

"On Eagle's Wings" was written by Fr. Michael Joncas, who is an associate professor in the departments of Catholic Studies and Theology at the University of St. Thomas, in Minnesota. He said in an e-mail interview that he wrote the song in the late 1970s, while visiting a friend who, during his visit, found out his father had suffered a heart attack.

The song came out of the succeeding night of talking, remembering and praying; the friend's father died.

"The song was generated between that experience and the wake service for his father, where it was first sung in public," Fr. Joncas said.

Fr. Joncas had been familiar with Psalm 91, off which the song is based, because he'd been praying the Liturgy of the Hours as a seminarian, for which the psalm is prayed for night prayer. It came to mind "almost unconsciously" as a text for prayers of comfort in the face of death and illness, he said.

He said he didn't know it would be so popular, but said in retrospect, he sees why it can be attractive. "Native Americans have told me they appreciate the song because the eagle is so important in their religious worldview," he said. "Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy have told me they appreciate the song because it connects biblical imagery with their careers. But I like the fact that, like scripture itself, the song is multivalent: It might be used for wakes or funerals, but it is also appropriate at baptisms, weddings, ordinations, anointings, penance services, etc."

Hearing people's personal stories, like that of Betty Bara, "tells me how privileged I am that God would choose to use my musical creativity as a vehicle for Him to touch people's lives," he said. But it also serves as a source of comfort for him: When he was struck with the neurological condition Guillain-Barre Syndrome in 2003, which led to a year in the hospital and in recovery, Psalm 91 "was certainly a source of comfort during that time," he said.

Fr. Joncas

Fr. Joncas said when writing the song, he didn't intend the congregation to sing the entire piece; the verses were written for a soloist and are rather complicated for a church song. "If I had known that congregations would have wanted to sing the verses, I would probably have made them a little easier to sing," he said.

Considering that "On Eagle's Wings" is played at so many people's funerals, he said that if it is played at his, he hopes it's sung at graveside as he's laid to rest.

Although "On Eagle's Wings" came in as the No. 1 church song, the rest of the top songs were a mix of contemporary and traditional hymns. "How Great Thou Art" came in at No. 2, and "Be Not Afraid" and "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" tied for third place.

Fr. D'Achille

Although "On Eagle's Wings" is a popular song with the congregation, it may not be quite so popular with priests — who hear it not only during weekend Mass but also at funerals during the week. Fr. Arnold D'Achille, pastor of St. Clement Parish in Dearborn, is one who would rather hear a different song.

He prefers the older tunes: "How Great Thou Art" and "A Mighty Fortress is our God" are among his favorites. He loves Gregorian chant and misses the old hymn structure, where everyone sings for the whole song and not in verse-refrain structure.

He likes songs that inspire and uplift people, he says, and songs that are written by people who are full of faith and who understand Church theology.

Photo by Kristin Lukowski The Dwyer family, Brady, Jim, Mary and Brendan, listen to Irish music and contemporary rock as well as enjoying singing at church.

Among the responders was the entire Dwyer family of Beverly Hills: dad Jim, mom Mary, and sons Brady and Brendan, ages 13 and 10. Brendan's favorite song is the No. 1 pick, "On Eagle's Wings," and Jim's is Top 10 finisher "Lord of the Dance," because he's Irish and the local Irish group Blackthorn sings a version of that.

Mary's pick is "Soon and Very Soon," because it's a "toe-tapper." She likes how the faster songs get you moving for the rest of the day.

Brady, an altar boy at Our Lady of La Salette Parish in Berkley, where the family attends, likes "We Are Marching" because it's also upbeat. "It just makes me want to sing along," he says.

The family agreed that the church's atmosphere is better when a faster song is sung as the recessional, but Brady pointed out that upbeat songs tend to make altar boys walk faster, which priests don't like too much.

Mary says one reason she likes the upbeat music is that she grew up going to daybreak Mass, which didn't incorporate song. The boys agreed that it's important to participate in singing at Mass.

Photo by Kristin Lukowski Music's important to all members of the Dwyer family — even Cosmo the dog,who sings along to "Happy Birthday."

"I think it's kind of cool to hear everyone sing to God," Brady says.

Sandra Goecke, of Royal Oak and a member of St. Columban Parish, likes the song "One Bread, One Body" because it reminds her of when she attended Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1987 and when more than 100,000 people joined hands and sang it together there.

She had liked the song enough before that, but it became more meaningful to her. "I think it's one of the best hymns we sing," she says.

Janeann Lupo, of Richmond and a member of St. Augustine Parish, thinks of her mother when she hears the hymn "How Great Thou Art." Her mother, who had to overcome prejudice against her Catholic faith and lived to be 92, used to belt out the hymn, Lupo says.

Louis Canter, associate director of Christian Worship and coordinator of archdiocesan music ministries, says people most likely become attached to a particular church song because they've once found comfort in it. Many of those who submitted favorite songs said the reason it was their favorite was because it was played at a funeral of someone dear to them.

He was a bit surprised to see "Holy God" tied for third place, as it's a traditional hymn, although he wasn't surprised to see that "On Eagle's Wings" and "Be Not Afraid" in the top three. "Those have been in our musical language for a while now," he says.

"Lord of the Dance" tying for fifth place was a surprise to him, too, although he said it was an "attractive" tune. He pointed out that "On Eagle's Wings" and "Be Not Afraid" are songs about God being ever-present.

"They're seeing God as one of comfort," he says of the responders. "They're seeing God as one of hope."

He added that "On Eagle's Wings" is only one version of Psalm 91. "This is the one that really speaks to people," he says.

Song History  "How Great Thou Art," written by young Swedish minister Rev. Carl Boberg, came out of Boberg's getting caught in a thunderstorm and the inspiring moments of the storm and the following clear weather. "Amazing Grace" was written by former slave ship owner John Newton, who later became an abolitionist.

Canter noted that the top songs had European roots, and says a different Top 10 would emerge if a survey was conducted primarily of the Hispanic community or the African-American community. (Among the submissions were a few Spanish-language and a few Polish-language songs.)

The top songs have a varied history and religious background, too; "Ave Maria" and "Holy God" are traditional Catholic tunes. "On Eagle's Wings" and "Be Not Afraid" were written by priests. "How Great Thou Art" and "Amazing Grace" are traditional Protestant tunes.

Mary Husson, a Dearborn resident and parishioner at St. Alphonsus Parish, likes the contemporary song "Be Not Afraid" and had it played at her wedding several years ago, which she's still reminded of when she hears the song. She says she found it inspiring, because commitment to marriage is a powerful thing.

"I said, 'It's not exactly one for a wedding, but when you think about it, God is with you in this marriage,'" she remembered.

Ron Radzilowski likes some contemporary songs, but his favorite is the more traditional "Holy God." He says he considers it the "national anthem" of the Church, and he gets goose bumps when he sings it.

Radzilowski, who lives in Canton and attends St. Kenneth in Plymouth, likes the song because it's a way to praise God without asking for favors. "People sing very loudly, and without a hymnal," he says. "You know you're a Roman Catholic when you sing it."