Society of Saint Gregory

In Norfolk there are three (now) Anglican churches dedicated to the Assumption. They are at West Barsham (Nr. Walsingham), Gressenhall (Nr. Dereham) and Marlingford (nr. Norwich). Quite a number of Anglican churches in this area do actually keep the Assumption. Indeed there is such a church only a h...

We have just learned Great is the Lord from Laudate - It's lovely. Yesterday at communion we sang (the choir) Stephen Dean's ' Hail Mary full of grace' which is very singable and a lovely melody (if slightly camp). OK I know we should not really have been singing something like that at Communion, bu...

I noticed that no one had mentioned the Assumption -is it a bit "out of fashion?" I suppose this could come under another topic, but I wondered if any other people had experience of trying to keep unaccompanied singing going in procession. In our church yesterday afternoon we had an Assump...

In our parish, (the smaller of our two churches) they had been singing only one setting - the "German" Mass for years. When I was asked to play the organ (as the priest was desperate) I was surprised that not even the Alleluia was sung, and sometimes not even the Gloria! Admittedly, there ...

No guidelines have been issued in the Diocese of East Anglia, though I heard that some priests have removed or emptied the Holy water stoups. I'm told that brass door handles do not carry infection for more than a few minutes - don't know whether this is true.

I haven't seen the article about the new church of the Annunciation at Walsingham, but, living quite near, I have visited it several times and it is, in my opinion absolutely lovely. However, I tend to agree about the tabernacle looking slightly odd on the pillar to the side of the altar. It would l...

I'm sorry that Presbyter's thoughts are wrong (for once!). Our shrine predates the revival (1931) at Walsingham by over 30 years and is 25 miles distant. Of course, I wouldn't be referring to Walsingham. Although it is not as well-known as it ought to be, our shrine is still visited by faithful pilg...

On Sunday we shall be crowning Our Lady at Mass and will be singing "Bring flowers of the rarest" (please don't comment on the banality of this tune - it's wonderful.) I would be very interested to know how many other parishes do this, as I would assume that most places do. This has not be...

Every Good Friday Liturgy I have ever gone to has always had people receiving Holy Communion. Indeed, I have never been to a Parish where this has not been the case. But there, I'm perhaps not well up on Liturgy.

I had absolutely no idea that Holy Communion was an option in the Good Friday Liturgy and was a bit shocked to read this posting. Surely it is a highly important part, nay, essential, though I am no Liturgist. Why on earth would anyone want to 'drop' this part of the Liturgy. Personally, I should fe...

Five years ago we had to sell our grand piano as we were moving into a small flat. Having looked at dozens of keyboards we chose a Yamaha "Grantouch" which looks like a small piano and has an actual piano action. Some people may find it very limiting as it only has piano on it - not even a...

Just looked in our Diocesan Ordo (East Anglia) and for Sun 9th November underneath Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. Feast, it just says Remembrance Day, but no direction about a Mass for the Dead. Strange!

I'm not sure what our priest is doing at the other masses - we have five 'weekend' masses in the parish. The one I was referring to is the main Sung Mass. It's slightly puzzling because in many ways the priest is fairly traditional and I would have expected him to be quite rigid about keeping the La...

I was rather surprised when our new pp told me today that we shall be having a Mass for the dead on this Feast and that the hymns must be Remembrance - type hymns. We have not usually done this and I wondered what happens in other places. Do we have to forget about the Lateran Basilica because of Re...

I can't see what the fuss is about. Yes, the response isn't easily memorised, but, in the Complete Responsorial Psalter (McCrimmons) Stephen Dean does give a shorter alternative response which is reasonably memorable.(he obviously thought his first one was a bit difficult!) Having said that, I can a...