Neale, John Mason (1818-1866), was an English hymn writer and religious historian. Neale composed original hymns and translated hymns from the Latin and Greek. His best-known original hymns include “O Happy Band of Pilgrims” and “Art Thou Weary.” His most popular hymn translations include “Jerusalem the Golden” and “Christian, Dost Thou See Them?” Neale wrote a five-volume The History of the Holy Eastern Church (1847-1873). He also wrote several children’s books that presented Christian teachings.
Neale was born on Jan. 24, 1818, in London, and studied at Cambridge University. In 1842, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England in the Anglican Communion. From 1846 until his death on Aug. 6, 1866, Neale was the warden (principal) of Sackville College. During this time, he devoted himself to his writing and to the Sisterhood of St. Margaret, a religious community he founded in 1855. The sisterhood was dedicated to the education of girls and the care of the sick.
