Most Christmas carols celebrate the birth of Jesus. But not “The Coventry Carol,” the premiere episode of “Hark!” season five. This song centers on a biblical horror: the “massacre of the innocents,” King Herod’s order to kill all male babies two years old and under in Bethlehem. It’s a lullaby sung by mothers to children who may not survive the night.
In this episode, host Maggi Van Dorn travels to Coventry, England, to trace how this centuries-old lament survived the Reformation, a devastating library fire and the 1940 bombing of Coventry Cathedral during the Second World War— and how it has served the city’s witness to grief and reconciliation. She speaks with:
- Rev. Richard Cooke, an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Coventry, who unpacks the carol’s scriptural and early historical roots.
- Malvern Carvell, a local historian with deep family ties to Coventry, who walks her through the cathedral ruins and the city’s medieval past.
- Rev. Kate Massey, the cathedral’s minister for arts and reconciliation, who reflects on the carol’s spiritual power and Coventry's enduring commitment to reconciliation
- Rachel Mahon, the cathedral’s director of music—and the first woman to serve as organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London—who walks Maggi through the carol’s uneven rhythms and haunting modal lines
In a BBC broadcast from Coventry Cathedral’s ruins after Germany’s bombing Blitz, against England, Provost Richard Howard urged the nation to “build a kinder, more Christ-childlike world,” even with years of war still ahead. Hope had to begin in the rubble—a reminder that this lullaby carries us through Advent into Christmas not by turning from the world’s pain, but by singing through it together.
Want short, inspiring Bible reflections every day during Advent and Christmas? This year, our Scripture Reflections are free for Hark! listeners—sign up at AmericaMagazine.org/hark.
Love a good holiday brain-teaser? Our weekly Christmas carol trivia is exclusively for America subscribers. Take the first quiz here! Or visit, https://www.americamagazine.org/hark
The music featured in this episode was generously gifted to “Hark!” Our thanks to James Bilodeau, The King’s Singers and Signum Records, Brad Prevedoros, Matthew Pierce, Avaendil, Brian Thiessen, Cynthia Boener, Salt of the Sound, the Coventry Cathedral Girls’ Choir and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. Our theme music was produced by Frank Tuson.
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