Anne Quigley

Anne Quigley was born in 1956 and developed her vocation as a liturgical composer within the American Catholic renewal movement that flourished in the decades following the Second Vatican Council. Her formation combined musical training with a strong grounding in liturgical theology, and she emerged as a composer particularly attentive to the needs of congregational song and communal prayer. Her work reflects the influence of the folk and contemporary styles that characterized much of the post-conciliar Catholic music scene in the United States. Quigley has been associated with Oregon Catholic Press (OCP), one of the primary publishers of contemporary Catholic liturgical music in North America, through which her compositions have reached parishes across the country. Her style tends toward lyrical, warmly accessible melody with texts that are scripturally rooted and devotionally direct. She has written both congregational hymns and responsorial psalm settings suited to the Roman Rite lectionary cycle, making her work practically useful for parish music directors. Her composition 'There Is a Longing' has become one of her most recognized works, appearing in multiple Catholic worship resources and gaining some ecumenical use. The piece exemplifies her ability to give musical voice to the spiritual yearning expressed throughout the psalms and prophetic literature, setting it in a form that congregations can readily internalize and make their own. Quigley's contribution to American Catholic hymnody, while perhaps less widely known outside Catholic circles than some of her contemporaries, represents a consistent and faithful body of work in service of the worshiping assembly. Her songs continue to be used in parishes throughout the United States and in English-speaking Catholic communities internationally.