The Society of Saint Gregory is the national society for liturgy and music in the Roman Catholic Church in the UK.
Founded in 1929, the Society of St Gregory has played an influential role in the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council and continues to do so by promoting the study and understanding of the liturgy and resourcing and encouraging good pastoral practice in the public worship of the Catholic Church.
The Society’s interests and activities encompass music and composition, the ministry of readers, presiding at liturgy, liturgy with children and young people in schools and parishes, and Christian art and architecture.
Taking Liturgy Seriously 3
An online course from the Society of St Gregory
In January 2025, the Society of St Gregory begins the third Taking Liturgy Seriously online course.
This year, the focus will be on liturgical spirituality, taking its inspiration from Pope Francis’ letter on liturgical formation, Desiderio Desideravi: “‘I would like this letter to help us to rekindle our wonder for the beauty of the truth of the Christian celebration.” (n.62)
The aim of the course is to enable personal reflection on what it means to be a member of the worshipping community, how others are worshipping with you, and how ministering in all its forms is a part of our own worship and prayer. It will develop a clear understanding of how the Church’s liturgy expresses her theology and spirituality.
The course will run online (Zoom) and comprise six modules of three consecutive Thursday evenings from January to November 2025 at 7.30 to 8.45pm.
News, views and reviews from the liturgical world . . .
Pope Francis
With the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, the universal Church begins a nine day period of mourning (the Novemdiales). The Funeral Mass and Burial of Pope Francis will take...
Exsultet Rehearsal
If you are singing the Exsultet at the Easter Vigil, CCWatershed has a useful rehearsal video on YouTube. Rehearsal video of the Exsultet on YouTube Exsultet (Roman Missal 2010)
Easter Hymn
If you have a competent organist, this is a great new arrangement of the Easter hymn, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, by Connor Licharz. The verses are left for the congregation to sing in unison...
Reading the Passion
The CTS, publisher of the Lectionary for England & Wales and Scotland, has released an ESV translation version of the Passion Gospel readings for Palm Sunday and Good Friday. Like the four...
Norbertine Psalms
The Norbertines at Peckham have published settings of the psalms for Holy Week. The first six of the psalms for the Easter Vigil are based on choral settings of the Grail translations used at Our...
Psalms for Holy Week
John Ainslie has made available Through Holy Week to Easter - a collection of psalms for Palm Sunday, the Triduum and Easter Sunday, using the same responses as in his Sing the Psalms Simply, but...
Music & Liturgy 51.1
The latest edition of Music & Liturgy drops onto doormats in the next few days. In this issue, Richard Jeffrey-Gray writes about organizing a major liturgical event at Clifton Cathedral, Fr...
Lent
As Lent begins, Mgr Kevin McGinnell reflects on the liturgy of Lent: "Liturgical time shapes our celebrations and supports our spiritual life and prayer, none more so than the...
New Music from Ad Fontes
Ad Fontes, the pioneering record label from Buckfast Abbey, is launching an exciting new venture to publish music associated with the abbey and its choir and Ruffatti organ (2018). The complete...
New Feast Day
St Teresa of Calcutta, canonized in 2016 by Pope Francis, has been assigned a feast day (with the rank of an Optional Memorial) in the Universal Calendar of the Church on 5 September. The new...
Wheatsheaf psalms
The Wheatsheaf Psalms is a collection of simple psalms for use throughout the Church’s year, Sunday by Sunday and beyond. It uses texts from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles and the...
The Meaning of Words
Professor Rowan Williams reflects on the use and meaning of words. In this fascinating interview, Professor Williams talks about the limits of language and how words can point beyond themselves to...