Don't blame the Protestants for the lousy hymns in Catholic churches. As a convert, I relish the rare old Protestant hymn when I come across them in a Catholic church -- it is much better and more reverent than the usual saccharine bromides that constitute modern Catholic music, e.g., "Gifts of Finest Wheat", "On Eagles' Wings", etc., etc.
Actually, the hymns in the old Tridentine Mass - in Latin - were awesome.
One of the biggest mistakes the Catholic Church made was to eliminate Latin in their services. It was a link to the past and a realling insopring experience to hear.
Translating Latin into English results in passages devoid of the poetic and dramatic majesty of Latin.
Ugh! Agreed.
How about O Sanctissimo?