Pope visit monks of Sant'Anselmo to begin Lent

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B16 Notker Wolf & Elias Lorenzo.jpgMy friend Dom Elias Lorenzo, monk of St. Mary's Abbey (Morristown, NJ), is currently serving as the Superior and Prior of the Abbey of Sant'Anselmo in Rome, Italy, the headquarters of international Benedictine Confederation and home to the Pontifical Liturgical Institute.

In his capacity as Father Prior of Sant'Anselmo, Dom Elias recently (February 17, 2010) welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to Sant'Anselmo on the Aventine Hill. The Pope's visit to Sant'Anselmo is an annual event to begin the Lenten season on Ash Wednesday with a procession from the Abbey Church to the Church of Santa Sabina, the headquarters of the Order of Friars Preachers (the Dominicans) where the Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated.

The Holy Father was greeted by Abbot Primate Notker Wolf (also German) and Dom Elias, who escorted him into the basilica where he prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. There the Pope stopped for a brief prayer, before beginning Mass at the chair. Dom Elias said, "This is a unique liturgy in that the Pope intones a penitential litany and the monks, visiting bishops and cardinals process from Sant'Anselmo to Santa Sabina for the rest of the Mass." The pope vests for Mass at Santa Sabina.

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Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

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This page contains a single entry by Paul Zalonski published on March 9, 2010 9:02 PM.

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