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 important role in the liturgical reform 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.
Welcome
Fr Adrian Porter sj, SSG Chair, writes: “Welcome to the Society of St Gregory. We are an association of people interested in good liturgy – the public worship of the Catholic Church. Our members include singers and musicians, readers and servers, bishops, priests and deacons, and ordinary lay folk who have an academic or pastoral interest in liturgy.
We publish a journal three times a year, hold an annual residential Summer School, run online and in-person training courses for those involved in liturgy in their parishes or schools, and organize composers’ groups for those writing music for the liturgy.
Please take a look at our website. Ask for a free copy of our journal, Music & Liturgy. And, if its right for you, think about joining us. You will be most welcome!”
News, views and reviews from the liturgical world . . .
Scripture for Advent 1
Happy New Year! A new season of Advent, a new Liturgical Year and a new Lectionary! But our Gospel is challenging and may suggest that we are living through the terrible times as described in Luke’s...
Advent Resources
The beginning of Advent and the new liturgical year is shortly upon us. For Catholics in the UK, this will mean the introduction of new Scripture translations. We have gathered together some...
Demystifying Plainchant
Ever wanted to try using it but been fearful of getting it 'wrong'? Unsure where to start? Not quite sure if it's right in your context? This one hour online session from the Royal School of Church...
Blessing a New Lectionary
As the new Lectionary comes into effect on the First Sunday of Advent (1 December 2024), it is an opportune moment to bless the four volumes of the new Lectionary and the Book of the Gospels. The...
New Psalm Settings
On the First Sunday of Advent, the new Lectionary comes into force in the dioceses of England and Wales and Scotland. The 2024 Lectionary uses The Abbey Psalms and Canticles (2020) translation of...
Finding Stuff
As the content of this website grows, we have introduced an index which allows you to find articles from the Society's journal, Music & Liturgy, blog posts which have retained their currency,...
Crichton Lecture 2024
The Crichton Lecture 2024 takes place on Saturday this week, 23 November, online (Zoom) at 11am. The lecture is free and open to all - both Society of St Gregory members and anyone else interested....
The Pattern of Scripture
We are now in the final weeks of the Church’s year and the Scriptures used at Sunday Masses focus on the final revelation of the mystery of the Son of Man, who is Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark. ...
New Carol
Magnus Graham’s setting of the late medieval text, When Christ was born of Mary free, was highly commended by the adjudicators at this year’s Sacred Music Young Composers’ Competition, led by Dame...
ESV-CE Translation
Fr Jamie McMorrin introduces the English Standard Version Catholic Edition (ESV-CE) translation which will be used at liturgy in Scotland and England and Wales from the First Sunday of Advent 2024. ...
Composers Group
The next SSG Composers Group meeting is in two weeks' time, on Saturday 16 November starting at 2pm and finishing by 4pm. This will be one of our occasional teaching sessions. I have it in mind to...
Iona Abbey Musician
Iona Abbey is looking for a church musician. Working at Iona Abbey offers the chance to live on a remote Scottish island, surrounded by beauty and community. As Musician, you will provide a variety...