Dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, as well as to all Catholics throughout the British Isles who have suffered and struggled to maintain the faith of their fathers in the midst of travail.

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Thou stood on Newgate Arch and graced Pendragon’s shield;

Cardigan bore thy taper and Walsingham thy seal.

Humbly we now beseech thee as at thy feet we kneel:

Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!

~

Thy beads hung from the sword-belts of Locksley’s merry men;

Thy hymns were sung by choirs, O Mother Free from Sin.

This land was once thy Dowry; pray make it so again.

Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!

~

Thy servants thou defended when Alfred made his stand,

With ships upon the water and fire o’er the land.

Seven Swords were pierced through thy heart, and one was in thy hand.

Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!

~

Thy name was oft-times chanted by peasants and bold knights,

Preparing for the harvest or arming for the fight.

Though long’s the time we’ve wandered, thou’st kept us in thy sight.

Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!

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Thy hands are in the Highlands to show us how to pray;

Thy footprints are in Cornwall to guide us in Christ’s ways.

Direct us, Star of Ocean, if, God forbid, we stray.

Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!

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Thou art the Dove of Peace for Ulster’s troubled sons;

The Queen of Thorns and Blossoms whose seat was Avalon.

‘Tis thou who reigns in silence when all the songs are gone.

Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!

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Imprisoned in the darkness, thou still remained the same,

A bearer of Good Ransom for those who called thy name.

Thou art the Gilded Lamp that holds the Sacred Flame.

Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!

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Recall the martyrs’ deaths in Christ’s own imitation;

Come rack and then come rope, they braved the tribulation.

The ruby blood they shed cries out in supplication:

Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!

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Remember this, thy country, amidst the stormy sea;

O may she stand united, a stronghold for the free.

But foremost, make her faithful to Jesus Christ and thee!

Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis!