The Red Bank Catholic High School (RBCHS) Chamber Choir, Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.A. performed, “The Storm Is Passing Over,” at Our Lady of Perpetual Help – Saint Agnes Catholic Church, Atlantic Highlands, NJ, on 7 March 2011.
"The Storm Is Passing Over," was composed by the late Reverend Charles Albert Tindley in 1905. The hymn is from 2 pieces of Scripture: Jonah 1:15-16, which reads, “So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” The Gospel of Saint Mark 4:41: “And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
The full text of the hymn is as follows:
“Courage, my soul, and let us journey on,
Tho’ the night is dark it won’t be very long.
Thanks be to God, the morning light appears,
And the storm is passing over, Hallelujah!
Refrain:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! The storm is passing over, Hallelujah!
Billows rolling high, and thunder shakes the ground,
Lightning's flash and tempest all around,
Jesus walks the sea and calms the angry waves,
And the storm is passing over, Hallelujah!
The stars have disappeared, and distant lights are dim,
My soul is filled with fears, the seas are breaking in.
I hear the Master cry, "Be not afraid, ’tis I,"
And the storm will soon be over, Hallelujah!
Soon we shall reach the distant shining shore,
Free from all the storms we’ll rest forevermore.
Safe within the veil, we’ll furl the riven sail,
And the storms will all be over, Hallelujah!”
The RBCHS Chamber Choir is a smaller 16-18 voice choir that is auditioned from the RBCHS Choir. Chamber Choir students provide both the music at all school Masses and perform separately from the RBCHS Choir when necessary.
The choir performed with the Pope’s Choir from The Vatican under the direction of Reverend Monsignor Marco Frisina for their first visit to the U.S.A. in 2011. The RBCHS Choir obtained a superior score at the 2011 High Note Music Festival at Hershey Park.
