When the Saints Go Marching In

by Stavros Winner

The landmark recording of the American gospel hymn “When the Saints Go Marching In” was produced in 1938 by Louis Armstrong and his orchestra. Undoubtedly, Americans over the age of thirty can immediately hear the tune in their heads: “Oh, when the saints go marching in… Lord, I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in.” But what most people do not know is that the lyrics were inspired by the biblical book of Revelation and other parts of Scripture.

Stavros Winner

Brother Stavros, one of the founding brothers of New Skete, oversees the liturgy and general order of the community’s churches. His education at Georgetown and The Catholic University of America concentrated on the origins and evolution of Eastern Orthodox liturgical traditions and helped facilitate the community’s renewal of their own liturgies. He has written and lectured internationally on this subject, and recently contributed to Fossil or Leaven: The Church We Hand Down, a collection of essays commemorating the monastery’s 50th anniversary, to be released in Fall 2016.

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