17 May 2023

On 27 April 2023, the schola of Benedictine monks of Sant’Anselmo, led by maestro P. David Foster OSB, and the Byzantine choir “Psalterion” from Greece, under the direction of maestro Mr. Christos Vattis, performed hymns of the Resurrection of the Lord and of the Divine Liturgy.

The audience, among them more than 30 ambassadors to the Holy See, enjoyed a true Easter program. As in the Bible every apparition of the Risen Lord is told as an encounter, so one could enjoy the encounter of two different musical traditions: the Gregorian and the Byzantine, the Western and the Eastern. It was an attempt to make audible the idea that these traditions, as different as they are, speak of the same mystery. It is the same God they glorify. And yet, its expressions are very different: polyphonic/monophonic, in different tonalities, with different kinds of voices. It seemed almost as if one needed different ears in each case.

The high point of the evening was the “Hagios ho Theos, Sanctus Deus,” in which both scholas sang their own parts in their respective languages in one and the same piece of liturgical music.

The program was sponsored by Sant’Anselmo Abbey and its Prior, Mauritius Wilde OSB, and the Greek Embassy to the Holy See, with her Excellency, Mrs. Aikaterini Katia Georgiou.

Altre Notizie

  • The week of 19-23 April was a busy week for the rector of the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant'Anselmo, Rev. Fr. Bernhard A. Eckerstorfer. On Monday, 19 April, the community celebrated the "octave" of his 50th birthday. Then on Wednesday, 21 April, the Solemnity of Sant'Anselmo, Fr. Bernhard celebrated the Solemn Mass, delivered the homily and hosted the festive lunch afterward. More information, links, photos and homily.

  • On the occasion of the Solemnity of Sant'Anselmo, the community of Sant'Anselmo was blessed with an article by Antonio Tarallo. We recommend this article, written in Italian on La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, to all of our readers, students and residents.

  • Our resident, Deacon D. George Frick, gave a presentation of the situation in his homeland, which has been affected by the war for 10 years. He told the story of the country, shared personal experiences, and asked everyone to pray for his people who, at the moment, are suffering from hunger and the pandemic. Story, photos and links here.