In Our Day of Thanksgiving

In Our Day of Thanksgiving is a Christian hymn written in 1894 by the English hymnodist William Henry Draper. It was first published in The Victoria Book of Hymns in 1897, and appears in a number of current hymnbooks. The text of the hymn is about remembrance of the dead and is often sung on All Saints' Day or All Souls' Day, or for the dedication of a church. History Draper was a Church of England clergyman. From 1889 to 1899 he served as vicar of the Abbey Church of the Holy Cross in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. During his incumbency there, the Abbey underwent restoration. Draper wrote the hymn "In Our Day of Thanksgiving" for the thanksgiving service marking the completion of the restoration in 1894. The hymn was titled "Remembrance of Past Worshippers" and distributed on a leaflet. After it was sung at the 1896 Church Congress in Shrewsbury, printed copies went on sale for 2d. In 1897, Draper, along with John Varley Roberts, included it in the hymnbook, The Victoria Book of Hymns published in 1897 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The hymn was included in the 1904 edition of the Anglican hymnal, Hymns Ancient and Modern.