Hymn #554: Out of the Depths, O God, We Call

Ruth C. Duck (b. 1947) based this hymn on Psalm 130:1-8, a text traditionally called the "De Profundis."  The hymn was commissioned in 1988 for the Women and the Word Conference at the Anna Howard Shaw Center of Boston University School of Theology in Massachusetts.

 

Ruth Duck was born in Washington, D.C., on November 21, 1947, and grew up there, although her family's roots are in Tennessee.  In 1974, she was ordained to the United Church of Christ ministry by the Chicago Metropolitan Association, where she still holds her ministerial standing.

Robert J. Batastini (b. 1942) composed this tune for Ruth Duck's text in 1994. He was at his summer retreat home in Fennville, Michigan, and named the Tune FENNVILLE for this small town situated midway between the shore of Lake Michigan and the Kalamazoo River in Allegan County.

 

Robert J. Batastini was born on New Year's Day 1942 and has been active in Roman Catholic music ministry his entire career.  Educated at DePaul University, he has served several parishes and the archdiocese of Chicago.  Batastini is senior edictor of G.I.A. Publications, Inc.

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