When School Sister of Notre Dame Kathleen Jancuk hears the cheerful opening lines of “Joy to the World,” chills inevitably run down her spine. For her, the beloved carol captures the heart of the Incarnation.
“It truly proclaims the Good News of the coming of the Son of God to free us from our selfishness and sin,” said Sister Kathleen, who serves at Our Lady of the Mountains in Cumberland. “It announces the reign of our Savior over all creation and in every heart that is open to his coming.”
Sister Kathleen is not alone in her love for “Joy to the World.”
Shaneen Fowler, a parishioner of St. Matthew in Baltimore, said the carol has become a cherished tradition, especially when family members sing it together during car rides.
“It is full of energy, hope and celebration,” she said. “It is a song that makes me feel happy and thankful for life. The melody is uplifting, and the lyrics focus on joy, peace and the promise of something better.”
A recent Catholic Review poll, conducted in print and online, invited readers to share their favorite Christmas carols.
“Silent Night” emerged as the overwhelming favorite, earning 31 percent of the vote. “Joy to the World” followed with 11 percent, while “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman,” “What Child is This?” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” each captured about 9 percent. “Go Tell It on the Mountain” received 7 percent, with a handful of other carols receiving scattered votes.
Joseph Ruhl, a parishioner of St. Ignatius in Hickory who studied at the “Old Cathedral School” at the Baltimore Basilica, remembered learning “Silent Night” in its original German from the German religious sisters who served as housekeepers for Archbishop Francis P. Keough at the archbishop’s residence. And Mary Ann Gruntowicz, a parishioner of St. Joseph in Cockeysville, said images evoked in the carol “give me a sincere feeling of peace.”
For Dee Matthews and Bill Geibler, it is “What Child is This?” that holds a special place in their hearts. The song’s central question invites listeners to reflect deeply on the identity of the newborn Christ, said Matthews, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception in Towson. “It tells us that he is adored by angels, that he is king and that he is guarded by shepherds,” she said. “We need to bring ourselves before him in adoration.”
Geibler, a parishioner of St. Mark, Fallston, noted how the carol transforms the mournful “Greensleeves” tune into a joyful proclamation of redemption. “It symbolically transforms a world stuck in darkness into one with the hope and joy of the resurrection,” he said.
For Yvonne Wenger, a parishioner of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” lifts her heart heavenward.
“’Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ is such a joy-filled Christmas carol – when the choir sings, I can visualize the angels filling the sky and feel the gift God has given us through Jesus’ birth,” she said. “The carol often brings tears to my eyes and fills me with peace and hope.”
Email George Matysek Jr. at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
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