Hymn #273: Praise with Joy the World’s Creator

The Iona Community contributed this hymn for an international, ecumenical gathering of young people in 1985. It was first sung at the opening worship at Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. This conference celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Edinburgh Mission Conference, birthplace of the contemporary ecumenical movement.

The Iona Community conducts retreats throughout the year for people seeking a deeper religious experience. It also hosts an annual youth retreat entitled “Experiencing Easter,” in which people from all over Britain are encouraged to reflect on the meaning of Holy Week.

John Goss (1800-1880) composed LAUDA ANIMA, Latin for “Praise my soul,” in 1869 for H. F. Lyte’s hymn beginning with those English words. It became one of the most popular of the Victorian tunes in Great Britain and is frequently sung at weddings.

John Goss, the son of an organist, became one of the greatest organists to serve at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England, in the nineteenth century. It was said that he never began a composition without first asking for God’s blessing upon his work. Goss was knighted in 1872.