St. Gregory the Great, Cheltenham

Introduction

Architect Charles Hansom designed the church for the Benedictine Order. The church is built of stone with ashlar and Aberdeen granite dressings and a plain tile roof.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has a cruciform plan with a five-bay aisled nave with clerestory, west chapels, a three-stage west tower with octagonal spire, a transept with south-east Lady chapel and north-east sacristy, and a two-bay chancel. The tower has a canopied niche on each face with figures of Saints George, Ambrose, Gregory, and Augustine. The interior has a west screen with three arches on column clusters with foliate capitals and four figures of saints on column corbels at the balustrade level, which has blind tracery. The church contains a complete set of Hardman windows.

The reredos has canopied niches with figures of the Evangelists along with Saints Gregory and Benedict. The pulpit, by Boulton, depicts Christ preaching on the Mount, along with Saint Gregory and Saint Benedict. The fourteen Stations of the Cross are by Boulton.

Many stained glass windows were crafted by the John Hardman Studios of Warley, Worcestershire; six are original, and the others date from 1857 to 1900. The window behind the High Altar shows Our Lady being crowned in heaven by the Blessed Trinity following her Assumption, with two roundels at the bottom showing the Annunciation and the Nativity. The reredos consists of a series of canopied niches containing the figures of the four Evangelists with their symbols, and also includes Saint Peter and Saint Paul in adoration. Several near life-size statues stand around the Sanctuary, including one of Our Lady carved by an artist in Munich.

Parish life

The Stitch & Pray Group meets about once a month in the Old Priory and has made quilts raffled for charity and Vinny bags for the homeless. Cry of Earth and Poor is an informal WhatsApp group for St Gregory's Parishioners to share concern and publicise events in caring for our common home.

Meet and Eat is a youth group for those who have made their first holy communion through to around confirmation. The Angal Parish Project, started in 2012, supports Ugandan education and became one of four parish projects in 2013. Saint Gregory's has had a long-term relationship since 2005 with the parishioners of Our Lady of the Wayside in Monze, Zambia. The Mannar Project provides educational assistance to orphan, semi-orphan and low-income children, with 37 students as direct beneficiaries.

The 55 Club programme is available from the table by the church porch. A team regularly meets to decorate the church with flowers and foliage.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish offers a confirmation preparation course for young people at or above year 9 and still in school. The confirmation course includes the YouCat book, away days and a retreat day shortly before confirmation, with the parish funding half the cost. While children attend first holy communion groups, the parish provides parallel sessions for parents and guardians.