St. Gregory House is  run under the directrion and supervision of the two boards: Board of  Directors and Board of  Councilors. The House enjoys an  affiliation agreement with Regensburg College of Church Music and Musical  Education in Germany.

The Chairman of the  two boards is Jeremias Schroeder, Abbot of St. Ottilien Archabbey, and  the Principal Chikako  Hashimoto, Musician of Church Music, is in charge of the management of the  House.

The statements of  the Chairman, Principal and President of Regensburg College appear  below.

Liturgy plays  the most important role in the Church. The Church was founded on Eucharist and  the history of salvation is made anew with Eucharist at every mass, and  the Christians experience with it the reality of God's existence. This  occurs in our Catholic Church through the full employment of our senses and  organs. Music works in the most sensual dimension throughout this  communication with God. Therefore, music is required in the sophisticated  liturgy as it not only enhance the  solemnity, but also to ease our full understanding of the revelation of God,  who became a man.


The late Gereon  Goldman, OFM, a great missionary from the Franciscan congregation, founded St.  Gregory House in Japan in 1979. Since then, this  school has contributed a great deal to the Church in Japan. This school provides an  opportunity for both men and women to master and enrich the musical dimension  of our liturgy.


The role of this  school, like all other Church activities, is global as well as local. This  school is tightly linked to the musical tradition of the worldwide Catholic  Church, has a very close relationship with the international missionaries of  the Franciscans and Benedictines, and has been recognized as an  internationally acknowledged research school through its affiliation with the  Regensburg College of  Church Music and Music Education in Germany. It also serves and  supports the very important requirements of Japanese churches. May God bless  all people who come to St. Gregory House, that is, students, lecturers,  supporters, clients, guests, concert audiences, and mass service participants,  and also bless St. Gregory House.

Veronika Chikako Hashimoto,

Principal of St. Gregory House,

Musician of Church Music:

We have been  learning Gregorian chant, which is essential in Christian liturgy and its  music, attempting to preserve the treasure of Christian church music, and  pursuing the role and meaning of music in our praising of God. In particular,  we have been looking into the possibilities of extending that praising in our  Japanese culture and tradition. We believe that we shall achieve something by  pursuing new approaches of adapting to the contemporary world by maintaining  our own culture and tradition, yet without being bound by local  customs.



“Since the very  objective of church music is the glorification and admiration of God as well  as the consecration of Christians, it cannot be accomplished without our  worship of eternal God-Prayer. It is simply through our uninterrupted  day-to-day worship, that all activities and events will follow.” These are the  words of the late Gereon Goldman, OFM, the founder of St. Gregory House, when  he started this institution. He believed that liturgy work is the most sacred  work of human beings and that music is born and develops out of it.  



Since that time,  while observing Roman Catholic Church liturgies, through trial and error we  have conducted research, preservation, propagation, and educational  activities. It should also be noted that, from its foundation, St. Gregory  House has engaged with others in various ecumenical efforts, crossing over  many religions and congregations. Art is the one asset universal to the entire  human race, music is the word of mind and spirit and nourishes all people. It  has no boundary, and here is where we look for the act of harmony. It is in  this context that we are very happy that the 120 graduates of our School of Church Music are actively working in and  contributing to various fields.



On November 30, 2005, under the authorization of  the Vatican, the School  concluded an ongoing affiliation agreement with the Regensburg College of  Church Music and Music Education in Germany. This opened the path for  local Japanese graduates to qualify for Diploma B of Musician of Church Music,  equivalent to the diploma in Germany, and Diploma C of Musician  of Church Music. This agreement serves as a strong milestone and foundation  starting in 2006, and we anticipate that this will provide another strong  motivation and rewarding experience for our  students.