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
Sant’Anselmo will offer three formation programmes in summer 2026, supporting monks, nuns and oblates with practical training, renewal and focused study in the heart of Rome.
Collegio Sant’Anselmo residents observed their Advent Day of Reflection, featuring a visit by alumnus Fr. Lorenzo Sena OSB, who spoke on the eschatological dimension of the Advent liturgy and the monastic focus on the desire for God.
Collegio Sant’Anselmo held its Fall Day of Formation on the theme “Per un uso monastico di Internet?”. Sociologist Isabelle Jonveaux led two conferences, prompting reflection on how digital media shapes contemporary monastic life.
