Society of Saint Gregory

If your parish is your diocese as stated on your profile, your former director of music does indeed produce some lovely music. Good luck with your learning, and please tell us how you get on.

That is useful info. You are young enough to get going and make as much progress as you put in the time to make. And if you can replicate a tune you have heard, that is more 'natural gift' than many have, especially children, who sit with an instrument and slave away at the dots with no concept of p...

How bizarre; you would think that Corpus Christi readings were the most apt for FHC, though it does depend on which year.

Hello pdfsd, I would be interested to know if you played the tune of O Bread of Heaven from the notes in front of you, or simply by remembering what you have heard. Are you a young beginner, or a mature person who has not played an instrument before? It is never too late to start, and always worthwh...

Family FHC on a Saturday in May away from our home parish, where they sing very well at Sunday Mass. Fairly respectful quiet before Mass, but with even the most 'well-known/ hackneyed/ folk hymn' songs, i.e. Colours of Day, Sing Hosanna and Shine Jesus Shine, there was no enthusiasm for singing. Unf...

Wanted Father of Bride? I have occasionally taken discreet photos from behind the organ, which is beside the altar facing the assembly. A couple of years ago I was asked for photos marking a PP jubilee, and intended to use a ten year old one where the tiny bridesmaid had offered the bride a mobile p...

One of the loveliest weddings we have had was a local man and his Polish bride. They came to our house to discuss the music on the way to work one morning, with their toddler son, and asked for the Paul Inwood Holy Family psalm to be sung, and the chant Alleluia as her family would know it. It was a...

Wedding tourism in our parish: we had no more than one wedding last year, but now we suddenly have three in quick succession, but the first is with the priest from the next parish, and an east European band, and our confused flower team not knowing whether couple are bringing/ removing/ replacing fl...

This was once a fact in our parish, - in those days in the 70s and early 80s when we had three Masses and readers were a novelty, our PP had found one reader for each Mass and I don't think anyone else got a look in until that PP left. This was Sundays, as I was not able to go to daily Mass then, bu...

Very similar to Keitha - 8.00 start - rather too daylight outside for the start, but dark by the time we processed in with candles and got to the Exsultet (sung by the Deacon - used to be my party piece before we had a Deacon - serves me right for enjoying it too much!) Q I have to admit this too, ...

I am reviving this thread as I think timing the Vigil may be an issue this year. Local sunset time on 20th April will be 20.14. I have a feeling I am going to have either a battle or to bite my tongue when PP tells me we start at 8.00. In any case, we do not now sing the full Exsultet, as he has his...

It was bound to be American with that spelling.

As JW hints on another thread, church musicians get a lot of flack one way and another, and we should be charitable in our critique of this song. I cannot call it a hymn. And it reminds me of multiple sit-com forgettable credits music. Oh dear..

A singing celebrant does help, as I know from my daughter's parish. And PP there not only goes through responses vocally, but also, at FHC, makes clear that this is a solemn and holy occasion, not a photo opportunity. No cameras during Mass at all.

Yes, an excellent article. Interesting that Paul Wellicome in M&L was definite in saying that a classical guitar is not suitable for liturgical use, only steel string acoustic. I think a classical guitar is more dignified, if the church shape and acoustic can make it usable.