Henry Collins

Henry Collins (1827–1919) represents a significant spiritual and literary bridge between the mid-19th-century Anglican Oxford Movement and the Roman Catholic Cistercian tradition. Educated at Oxford University, Collins was originally ordained as a minister in the Church of England. However, like many of his contemporaries influenced by the "Tractarian" movement, he eventually sought a more monastic and traditional expression of faith. In 1857, he entered the Roman Catholic Church, and three years later, he joined the Cistercian Order (also known as the Trappists) at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire.

Despite his long life as a monk and his authorship of various hagiographies and works on Cistercian history, Collins is known to hymnology for only two hymns. Remarkably, these were written and published in his Hymns for Missions (1854) while he was still an Anglican. These two pieces achieved a level of "extensive use" that many prolific writers never reached:

• "Jesu, my Lord, my God, my all": Often titled "The Love of Jesus Desired," this hymn is a passionate expression of personal devotion. Its refrain—"Jesu, my Lord, I Thee adore; O make me love Thee more and more"—has made it one of the most recognizable hymns of adoration in both Catholic and Protestant traditions.

• "Jesu, meek and lowly": A tender Passiontide hymn that focuses on the humility of Christ. It is frequently used during Lent or for services focusing on the sacrifice of the cross.

Collins’s career is a testament to the "quality over quantity" approach to hymnody. Though he moved away from the public eye to live a life of "quiet and secluded" monastic discipline, his early poetic work continued to voice the prayers of millions of worshippers. His hymns are noted for their simple, fervent, and direct emotional appeal, focusing entirely on the person and character of Jesus. He died at the Abbey in 1919, having lived nearly sixty years within the silence of his order, while his words continued to ring out in churches around the world.