Since 1948 Fr. Josef Keller [86!], a German priest, is collecting versions of the well known Christmas carol 'Silent Night, Holy Night'. So far he counts 230 languages into which this carol about the birth of Our Lord has been translated. His parishioners in Ippigen (S. Germany) especially like the Chinese version. On West-Samoa (Pacific Ocean) they sing 'Po Fanau, Po Manu', a tribe of Indians will one of these days intone 'Akamot met, Akamot'. All these 230 versions are to the well known tune by Franz Gruber. The immortal words are by an Austrian priest, Fr. Joseph Mohr [1816]. Fr. Keller was much helped by mission posts throughout the world, as well as by German embassies.

Submitted by: Dirk van Leeuwen