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
Pope Leo XIV has taken possession of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in a ceremony that included members of the Collegio and Schola of Sant’Anselmo. His homily reflected on the universality of salvation and the urgency of proclaiming the Gospel.
Collegio Sant’Anselmo recently hosted a Byzantine Rite Vespers with the Pontifical Greek College, highlighting Benedictine unity across liturgical traditions. The shared prayer and informal supper afterward deepened mutual understanding between the two communities.
Collegio Sant’Anselmo hosted two high-ranking Vatican officials for its Spring Day of Formation on safeguarding minors and vulnerable persons. The event underlined the Collegio’s role as a place of serious theological and pastoral formation.
