The 300-odd hymns that James Quinn composed in New Hymns for All Seasons (1969, Chapman) and Praise for all Seasons (1994, Chapman) appear in most modern hymn books whether used for Roman Catholic or Anglican congregations.<\/p>\n
His aim, while composing, was to produce a \u201ccatechism in song\u201d\u009d. \u201cHymns fundamentally declare the Christian faith,\u201d\u009d said Quinn, a Jesuit. \u201cThey are our source book for teaching and for sermons.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
His inspiration came from the writings of the saints, the psalms and ancient texts that reflected on church teaching, Scripture or the Eucharist.<\/p>\n
\u201cHymns form a rich scriptural quarry,\u201d\u009d he said. \u201cThey are to convey the words of Christ memorably.\u201d\u009d The language used should be \u201cclear but not banal and above all simple\u201d\u009d. He did not write \u201cmodern\u201d\u009d hymns that relied only on current vocabulary, and encouraged people who did not understand the terminology to make the effort to learn.<\/p>\n