Feast of the Ascension

O thou eternal King most high,
Who didst the world redeem;
And conquering death and hell, receive
A dignity supreme:

This day beheld Thee through the skies
To thy bright throne ascend;
Thenceforth to reign in sovereign power,
And glory without end.

There, seated in Thy majesty,
To thee submissive bow
The spacious earth, the highest heaven
The depths of hell below.

With trembling there the angels see
The chang’d estate of men;
The flesh which sinn’d, by Flesh redeem’d,
And Man o’er seraphs reign.

There, waiting for thy faithful souls,
Be thou to us, O Lord,
Our peerless joy while here we stay.
In heav’n our great reward.

Henry Formby, ed., First Series of Hymns and Songs for the Use of Catholic Schools and Families (London: Burns and Lambert, 1853).