Funeral reading
Eternal Father, Strong to Save (the Navy Hymn)
William Whiting, 1860
“Eternal Father, Strong to Save (the Navy Hymn)” by William Whiting, 1860 is a hymn read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 4 minutes read aloud, usually by everyone together. It is in the public domain but too long to print in a ceremony script, so this page points at a full text rather than reproducing one.
Why the words are not printed here
Public domain. Standard at a naval or Coast Guard funeral. If there are military honors, agree with the funeral director exactly where this sits relative to Taps.
Pieces still in copyright are listed by title and author only — we name them and tell you where to get them, but we do not reproduce the words. Public-domain text is printed in your script in full.
What it is about
The Navy Hymn. Coordinate it with the honor guard, not around them.
Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: navy · military honors · a sailor · service · veterans.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Eternal Father, Strong to Save (the Navy Hymn)” take to read aloud?
“Eternal Father, Strong to Save (the Navy Hymn)” takes about 4 minutes read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “Eternal Father, Strong to Save (the Navy Hymn)”?
Everyone together, rather than one reader. “Eternal Father, Strong to Save (the Navy Hymn)” runs about 4 minutes and needs the words in front of the room — in an order of service, on a screen, or led line by line by the officiant.
Can “Eternal Father, Strong to Save (the Navy Hymn)” be printed in a ceremony script?
Not in full here. Public domain. Standard at a naval or Coast Guard funeral. If there are military honors, agree with the funeral director exactly where this sits relative to Taps.
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Amazing Grace4 minutesJohn Newton, 1779
- Abide With Me4 minutesHenry Francis Lyte, 1847
- The Lord's My Shepherd (Crimond)4 minutesScottish Psalter, 1650
- How Great Thou Art5 minutesStuart K. Hine (English text, 1949)
- It Is Well With My Soul4 minutesHoratio Spafford, 1873
- In the Garden4 minutesC. Austin Miles, 1912