Twin princes of the courts of heaven

Today, May 1st is the feast of the apostles, St. Philip and St. James. They are commemorated on the same day, because their relics were returned to Rome on the same day, and have remained together since that time.

Here is a brief bit of info on the two:

James, Son of Alphaeus: We know nothing of this man except his name, and, of course, the fact that Jesus chose him to be one of the 12 pillars of the New Israel, his Church. He is not the James of Acts, son of Clopas, “brother” of Jesus and later bishop of Jerusalem and the traditional author of the Letter of James. James, son of Alphaeus, is also known as James the Lesser to avoid confusing him with James the son of Zebedee, also an apostle and known as James the Greater.

Philip: Philip came from the same town as Peter and Andrew, Bethsaida in Galilee. Jesus called him directly, whereupon he sought out Nathanael and told him of the “one about whom Moses wrote” (Jn 1:45).

The tune is names, "Wells," and was composed by Basil Johnson (1861-1950).

The original Latin text is by Jean Baptiste Santeuil (1630-1697). The English text is by the Editors of the "New English Hymnal."

The full text is given in the First Comment.

The score is attached below, as well as a drawing of Jean Baptiste Santeuil. There is also an altar mosaic showing St. Philip and St. James.