O God, How Great Thou Art

I’m sure I had heard the song, “How Great Thou Art” before. But the first time I remember hearing it was 20 years ago.

I was spending a weekend retreat at the Saint Francis of Assisi Capuchin Friary in Wilmington, Delaware. My time with the friars was coming to a close, and I was attending Mass that Sunday in their chapel.

As the closing hymn started, the sunlight was streaming through the stained-glass windows. A man with a guitar was leading us. And the beauty of that song touched me in an entirely new way—as if I had never heard it before.

Oh Lord, my God
When I, in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

The whole weekend I had felt surrounded by God’s presence and love. But as the music washed over me, and I joined my voice to the others in that sacred space, I felt loved, comforted, and so at peace. I was full of gratitude for the time I had had there. I felt renewed and ready to take the next step—whatever that might be.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art.

When I had started the retreat, my soul certainly wasn’t singing. I had been through a difficult time—a time of endings, a time of goodbyes. And I wasn’t sure what was going to come next. But the peace of the friary was so nurturing. The time I spent getting to know a Capuchin friar, Father Thomas Pietrantonio, there changed me. And the peace and stillness of the property spoke to me.

As I ended that retreat and said goodbye—for now—to Father Tom, I wasn’t sure how much I could take along with me. But I ended up coming back to that space just a few months later with the man I had recently met who would become my husband. I often think of how my time there seemed like a time of endings, but it was really a time of a new beginning, a fresh start, and an openness to where God was going to take me next.

Father Tom passed away several years ago, but I think of him so often. And when I hear “How Great Thou Art,” I remember his gentle smile, so full of joy. When the music begins, for just an instant, I am back in that chapel, filled with voices blending together, flooded with sunlight—of all different stained-glass shades, and brimming with wonder.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration
And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art.

This weekend at Mass, “How Great Thou Art” started playing, and I thought immediately of Father Tom, of my time on retreat, and of how God reaches out for us when we need him most.

Twenty years have passed since that hymn first caught my attention, and I remain in awe of God’s goodness and greatness. Many days are not easy. Many days I wonder what tomorrow will bring. But God is so great. His love for us is beyond understanding. And he is with us every step of the way.

O God, how great thou art.

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