Rare hymnal gets preserved

One of the great treasures of the Church is the songs we have written to praise our Lord. The great hymnal of the Hebrew people is even preserved as part of the Bible itself - Psalms! So, it is nice to see people working to preserve historic hymnals so that generations to come can see how past generations praised God.

A church is donating a rare 1502 hymnal to a Manchester University library, where church members say it can receive better care.

The Latin hymnal was published in London by Wynken de Worde, who was among the first to popularize printed works. The hymnal will be stored at The John Rylands University Library along with a trove of other books that have been kept in a church tower in the town of Nantwich since about 1695.

The library at St. Mary's Church, one of many set up in parish churches around England, apparently was well used for about a century before falling into neglect.