In medieval Europe, there were cathedral services each evening leading up to Christmas Eve. Each service would begin with an antiphon, a choral call to worship. There were seven “Great O Antiphons,” beginning with the Latin word vini(“come”), followed by the Latin words for “O Wisdom,” “O Lord,” “O Branch of Jesse,” “O Key of David,” “O Dayspring,” “O King of Nations,” and “O Emmanuel.” These choral prayers were rooted in messianic titles used by the prophets in the Old Testament, pleas for God to come. During the 1800s, various English translations of the “Great O Antiphons” were made. This well-loved British version is the work of Thomas Alexander Lacey, who was born December 20, 1853.

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