THE POETRY OF CATHERINE BAIRD
A new weekly series by Lt. Colonel Diane O’Brien
Join THQ West – Music and Creative Arts Facebook followers this Friday – April 24, 2020, as we start a new devotional series which will look at the poetry, in The Salvation Army Songbook, of Catherine Baird. We’ll be including scripture and corresponding music to complement these thoughts.
Catherine Baird lived a life of extraordinary artistic value to The Salvation Army. As a poet, hymn writer and editor, Baird changed the way the Army viewed the importance of the written word.
Though shy in person, her remarkable inner strength, gained from her utter reliance on the Lord and her supportive family background, was made evident as she served in South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom. Forever changed by a mentoring relationship with Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle, Baird served as an inspiration and guide for hundreds of young people around the world before, during and after her tenure as editor of the Army’s youth publications.
Baird’s poetry, inspired by literary heroes such as Tennyson, Milton and Longfellow, moved generations of Salvationists through Army publications and books. Her inner struggles were fought and won on paper, to be shared with others who fought the same battles.
Her compassion extended from her work to her life, as evidenced by the relationships she cherished with friends all over the world.
(Above quoted from “Pen of Flame” – The Life and poetry of Catherine Baird – John C. Izzard with Henry Gariepy – Crest Books)