It was beautiful. The last hymn at the noon Mass was astoundingly spectacular. It was a noon Mass. The last Mass of the day. There was no choir, only a cantor and the organist, who just happens to have a beautiful voice. The cantor leads the congregation in singing the hymns. At least that's what the cantor is supposed to do. The people don't cooperate. Very few participate. By the time, the last hymn is sung the people rush out to get to their cars.
However, this particular time, the congregation stayed in mesmerized respect. The hymn was "were you there when they crucified my Lord." It was composed by unknown slaves. The first publication is credited to William Eleazar Barton. In 1899 it is found in Old Plantation Hymns. The Episcopal Church hymnal has it in 1940.
The cantor and the organist sang and people listened. Very few left. People stood there and listened. They sang all four verses. And people stayed in respectful, listening, attention. On the last verse, the organ music ceased and just those two voices sang. That's all you could hear. If people weren't actively singing, their hearts surely were.
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