Society of Saint Gregory

"The Preparation of the Gifts is not usually an appropriate place for a hymn." Explain! Would someone please identify the said 'Centre of Excellence' and also quote the entire paragraph or whatever in which this statement occurs? Now I grant you that an unthinking "we must have a hym...

I feel strongly that, where a Sunday Mass is normally sung, some singing should be provided every Sunday. Music leadership is a ministry to the community, helping them to praise God. Does God take August off? I think not. In my 29 years as music leader in my parish, I made it a point of honour and f...

On Sunday 6th September I was in Boppard-am-Rhein, ten miles south of Koblenz. Big German-Romanesque church, officially a minor basilica. Excellent professional organist who could really lead the congregation as well as play - on the previous day he had entertained a respectable midday crowd to a co...

Holy Ghost Roman Catholic Parish – Balham, London (SW12 8QJ) seeks to appoint, from September 2015, a practising Catholic as Music Animator for its very lively 9.30am Sunday Family Mass. The successful candidate will ideally be a guitar player, with an understanding of the Mass, and able to confiden...

It's still not too late to book a place at this year's Summer School - and in a nice countryside location in this hot weather! There are still some bedrooms free - and we really don't want to pay High Leigh for empty bedrooms! The FREE places for 18-35s are also still open. And there are plenty of £...

Tim’s body will be brought into the church of Our Lady and St George, Walthamstow, E17 9HU at 5 pm on Wednesday 8th July and the Requiem Mass will be at 1 pm on Thursday 9th July, followed by burial at Leystonstone Catholic cemetery. The church is in a built-up area, so car parking may be very diffi...

Jn 1: 6-7; Lk 1: 17 (I think) No, this is the reference for today's feast, The Birth of St John the Baptist. This new one for SS Peter & Paul is a bit of a mystery. The Missal asserts no biblical reference for the text at all, not even a "cf. ...". In fact, the second half has an allu...

Of your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of Timothy Campbell, faithful SSG member, Summer School participant and the Society's representative in the diocese of Brentwood, who died suddenly in hospital last Thursday evening. There is to be a post-mortem, so details of his funeral will ...

I have been asked, presumably as SSG's Westminster diocesan rep, to bring this free event to your attention. It was advertised in the Tablet last weekend. Its advertisement says: If I travel in your company, you know the way to heaven's door. George Herbert, Church Music Music can give voice to our ...

Are De Angelis and Credo 3 actually proper Gregorian chant? When compared to the rich repertoire of Propers? In my view, no, they are not - and both Salve Regina (simple tone) and Regina coeli come into this category. Their uncompromising major-key tonality sets them apart from the older, modal rep...

Firstly, the SSG has recently experienced problems with its email system. Apologies to all emailers whose messages disappeared into cyberspace. Hopefully full communications will be restored shortly. Secondly, I agree with Ephrem Feeley that the choice of music must depend on local circumstances - w...

One of my most memorable liturgical 'moments' was at Mass for/with the local Catholic primary school in about 1973 - when Ascension Day was still correctly celebrated on its Thursday. The well-prepared child duly read 'All people, clap your hands' with acclamation, and the entire congregation, led b...

Alleluia SPOKEN!!!! Total travesty. Do you mean the celbrant said "Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia", then the Congregation said "Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia", then the celebrant again, etc through three iterations? A travesty indeed - did he use a higher voice each time? Q As a ma...

Started at 8 - dark enough in London. Finished at 10.15. One confirmation, no baptisms/receptions, Litany and other sung requirements duly sung: the priest did a good job of the Exultet (long version). Minimum three OT readings.

Ah! I see a new liturgical ministry of special interest to gardeners - catching rainwater to use in the Rite of Sprinkling in place of much-processed tap water. We'll call said gardener an Aquifer. And surely there are lots of suitable scriptural texts to go with it - e.g. Isaiah 55:10-11.