Abbot Primate
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The Abbot Primate of the Order of St. Benedict serves as the elected representative of the
Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict () is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monastic congregations that nevertheless retain their own aut ...
of
monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...
in the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. While normally possessing no authority over individual autonomous monasteries or congregations, he does serve as a liaison to the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
on behalf of the Benedictines, promotes unity among Benedictine monasteries and congregations, and represents Benedictines at religious gatherings throughout the world. He resides in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, Italy, at the Abbey of
Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino () is a complex located on the Piazza Knights Hospitaller, Cavalieri di Malta Square on the Aventine Hill in Rome's Ripa (rione of Rome), Ripa rione and overseen by the Benedictine Confederation and the Abbot Primate. The ...
which serves, because he is Abbot Primate, as the "''Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo''." He appoints a Rector to oversee the
College of Sant'Anselmo The College of Sant'Anselmo () is an international Benedictine college founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1887 and located in Rome, Italy. Situated on the Aventine Hill, it is one of four Benedictine institutions that occupy the complex known as "Sant'Ans ...
, serves as the "Grand Chancellor" of the Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo, and appoints a Rector to oversee the Church of Sant'Anselmo.


History

The office of "Abbot Primate" was created in 1893 by
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
, who had shown a particular interest in the Benedictines of the world when he sought in 1887 to reestablish the
College of Sant'Anselmo The College of Sant'Anselmo () is an international Benedictine college founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1887 and located in Rome, Italy. Situated on the Aventine Hill, it is one of four Benedictine institutions that occupy the complex known as "Sant'Ans ...
in Rome as a means of serving the education of Benedictines throughout the world. Previously, the college had only served for the education of Benedictine monks from the
Cassinese congregation The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Benedictine houses (abbeys and priories) within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of Dom Pietro ...
. Through Pope Leo XIII's assistance, land was secured in Rome and a new complex known as "
Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino () is a complex located on the Piazza Knights Hospitaller, Cavalieri di Malta Square on the Aventine Hill in Rome's Ripa (rione of Rome), Ripa rione and overseen by the Benedictine Confederation and the Abbot Primate. The ...
" was built for this new college. It was in the papal brief on 9 December 1892 that he called for all Benedictine
abbots Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
to gather in Rome for "the laying of the foundation stone of Sant'Anselmo" that was to occur on 19 April 1893. The subsequent meetings of these abbots and their representatives after that gathering centered on how to care for the new institution and whether to elect a "''Repraesentans''" of the Benedictine Order for a 12 year term who would also oversee the new Sant'Anselmo. The abbots and their representatives then met with the Pope Leo XIII on 2 May 1893 after which the Pope issued a brief on 12 July 1893 (''Summum Semper'') that outlined his clear vision for the Benedictines. Famously having remarked that the Benedictines were an "''ordo sine ordine''" (an order without order), the brief outlined the new creation of a "''Benedictine Confederation.''" This was in keeping with the previous formation of national congregations of Benedictine monasteries that had been formed since the 13th century as a means of support for each other. Even in the 19th century, autonomous monasteries had begun to join together in collaborative efforts that would see the creation of "congregations" such as the French
Solesmes Congregation The Solesmes Congregation is an association of monasteries within the Benedictine Confederation headed by the Abbey of Solesmes. History The congregation was founded in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI as the French Benedictine Congregation, with the th ...
in 1837, the
American-Cassinese Congregation The American-Cassinese Congregation is a Catholic association of Benedictine monasteries founded in 1855. The monasteries of the congregation follow the monastic way of life as outlined by St. Benedict of Nursia in his early 6th century ''Rule o ...
in 1855, the
Beuronese Congregation The Beuronese Congregation, also known as Beuron Congregation, is a union of mostly Germany, German or German language, German-speaking monasteries of both monks and nuns within the Benedictine Confederation. The congregation is under the patrona ...
in 1868, the
Subiaco Congregation The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Benedictine houses (abbeys and priories) within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of Dom Pietro ...
in 1872, and the
Swiss-American Congregation The Swiss-American Congregation is an association of Benedictine monasteries founded in 1881 in the United States, as a part of the international Benedictine Confederation of monasteries. History During the 19th century, a number of Benedictine ...
in 1881. Each "congregation" would have its own constitution and elect its own "Abbot President." While commendable, Pope Leo XIII sought to address the further reality that the "congregations existed side by side without any bond between them, or any semblance of a central authority." Therefore, the Pope followed a similar plan with the creation of this new international
Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict () is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monastic congregations that nevertheless retain their own aut ...
that incorporated all the congregations without a loss of autonomy for any abbey or congregation. On the question of leadership for this new international confederation, the Pope and the Benedictine abbots had differed because the abbots had wanted a leadership with no control over the autonomous abbeys and congregations. Their proposal was for a mere "representative" that could at least be able to also oversee the new international College of Sant'Anselmo. While Pope Leo XIII was amenable to most of their other proposals, on this one issue of leadership he differed. As one historian noted, "instead of the consciously understated title of ''Repraesentans'' for the symbolic head of the Confederation, the pope wished that the clearer title of ''Primas'' be used." After the papal brief of 2 May 1893 established this new Benedictine Confederation with its Abbot Primate, the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
followed this with a decree in September 1893 (''Inaestimabilis'') that set-out the specific rights and function of the Abbot Primate. Firstly, the Abbot Primate would reside in Rome to serve as the Abbot of the new complex known as the ''Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo'' representing Benedictines "for businesses directly concerning the well-being of the whole order." This was, as many historians have noted, his primary responsibility. He would be elected for a twelve year term by the Benedictine abbots of the world and would have limited administrative or juridical control over individual monasteries or congregations, but would still serve to represent Benedictines to the Vatican and to the world. Next, he would serve as the "Grand Chancellor" of the newly reestablished College of Sant'Anselmo where he would govern the work on behalf of the Benedictine Confederation. It seems clear to most historians that Pope Leo XIII at least initially envisioned establishing a superior for the Benedictines to function like those of other religious orders such as the
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
,
Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
, or
Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...
. Instead, by establishing the office of the "Abbot Primate" he was willing to compromise on this vision given the concerns of the Benedictine abbots about the historic autonomy of monasteries. As one historian noted, "Pope XIII acquiesced in the abbots' thwarting his original intentions to organize a more central authority for the 'Black Monks'." Thus, "''Summum Semper''" of 1893 crafted a careful balance in all these needs as noted by another historian: Today, the Benedictine Confederation is governed by its own Vatican approved constitution known as a ''Lex Propria'' that has been updated at various times and it, too, would outline the rights and function of the Abbot Primate. This lex propria is grounded in the founding documents of "''Summum Semper''" and "''Inaestimabilis''" but allows for the flexibility of emendations and provisions proposed by the Congress of Abbots and approved by the Vatican. A more detailed analysis of the development and evolution of the ''Lex Propria'' is not offered here, but this guiding constitutional document outlines the rights and responsibilities for the Abbot Primate, the College of Abbots, the Benedictine Confederation, the Pontificio Sant'Anselmo, and the College of Sant'Anselmo.


Benedictine institutions overseen by the Abbot Primate

While the Abbot Primate has minimal juridical authority over individual monasteries or congregations (unless they are one of the very few non-congregational monasteries), he does direct the work of Sant'Anselmo on the Aventine (). This is the complex located on the
Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. I ...
in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
's Ripa
rione A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...
and overseen by the Benedictine Confederation in the person of the Abbot Primate and the Synod of Abbot Presidents. This complex is sometimes referred to as the "''Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo''" because the Abbot Primate resides there as
Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
and he appoints a "''
Prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...
''" to serve on his behalf. The complex comprises the "
College of Sant'Anselmo The College of Sant'Anselmo () is an international Benedictine college founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1887 and located in Rome, Italy. Situated on the Aventine Hill, it is one of four Benedictine institutions that occupy the complex known as "Sant'Ans ...
" (), the "
Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm The Anselmianum, also known as the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (; ) or simply ''Sant'Anselmo'', is a pontifical university in Rome associated with the Benedictines. It offers courses in philosophy, theology, liturgy, monastic studies, lan ...
" (), the Church of Sant'Anselmo (), and serves as the curial headquarters of the Confederation and Abbot Primate (). The current Abbot Primate is
Jeremias Schröder Rev. Ab. Jeremias Schröder OSB (born 8 December 1964 as Maximilian Schröder in Bad Wörishofen) is the Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation. Archabbot Jeremias Schröder was born on 8 December 1964 in Bad Wörishofen. His father was ...
, O.S.B.


College of Sant’Anselmo

The ecclesiastical residential
College of Sant'Anselmo The College of Sant'Anselmo () is an international Benedictine college founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1887 and located in Rome, Italy. Situated on the Aventine Hill, it is one of four Benedictine institutions that occupy the complex known as "Sant'Ans ...
is juridically considered the successor of the homonymous college of the
Cassinese Benedictine Congregation The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Benedictine houses (abbeys and priories) within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of Dom Pietr ...
which was founded in 1687. The present college was reestablished in 1887 and moved to the newly constructed "Sant'Anselmo" on the Aventine Hill in 1896. Today the residential college houses an average of one hundred Benedictine monks from about forty countries, as well as other religious, diocesan priests, and lay people. As a house of formation, it offers a monastic environment for those who study at the onsite
Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm The Anselmianum, also known as the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (; ) or simply ''Sant'Anselmo'', is a pontifical university in Rome associated with the Benedictines. It offers courses in philosophy, theology, liturgy, monastic studies, lan ...
or at other Roman pontifical universities. When the Abbot Primate appoints his Prior, this monk also serves concurrently as the Rector of the college. The present Rector is Rev.
Mauritius Wilde Mauritius Wilde (born 27 October 1965) is a German Benedictine priest, monk, professor, podcaster, spiritual director, and author. He has served as prior of the Primatial Abbey of the Sant'Anselmo in Rome since 2016. He is a member of Münster ...
, O.S.B.


Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant'Anselmo

The
Anselmianum The Anselmianum, also known as the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (; ) or simply ''Sant'Anselmo'', is a pontifical university in Rome associated with the Benedictines. It offers courses in philosophy, theology, liturgy, monastic studies, lan ...
, also known as the
Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm The Anselmianum, also known as the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (; ) or simply ''Sant'Anselmo'', is a pontifical university in Rome associated with the Benedictines. It offers courses in philosophy, theology, liturgy, monastic studies, lan ...
(; ), is the
pontifical university A pontifical university or athenaeum is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and canon law (Catholic Church), Canon Law) and at least o ...
in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
associated with the
Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...
. The institution includes faculties of Philosophy, Theology (Sacramental Theology, Monastic Studies), the Institute of Historical Theology, as well as the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy. It grants certificates and diplomas in various subjects, as well as Bachelor, Licentiate, and Doctoral degrees. Originally the university exclusively served only
Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...
, but now is open to external students. The Abbot Primate is officially the "''Grand Chancellor''" of the Athenaeum and the present Rector of the Athenaeum is Rev. Bernhard A. Eckerstorfer, O.S.B.


Church of Sant'Anselmo

The Church which was consecrated on 11 November 1900 and is constructed of three naves, divided by
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
s, and includes one main altar and two side altars. A large section on the east and west ends near the apse includes the traditional stalls for the monastic choir. The church serves as a place of worship for the Benedictine residential college community and the students of the Athenaeum. It is also known, especially to the Romans, for the performances of
Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...
offered by the monks during the Sunday liturgical celebrations of
Vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...
. Since 1962, the church has also been the starting point of the penitential procession presided over by the Pope on
Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of Christian prayer, prayer, Religious fasting#Christianity, fasting and ...
, and which ends at the basilica of
Santa Sabina The Basilica of Saint Sabina (, ) is a historic church on the Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy. It is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans. Santa Sabina is the oldest ex ...
where the first station Mass of
Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...
is celebrated. The Abbot Primate has appointed the Rev. Doroteo Toić, O.S.B. as the present Rector of the church.copied content from
Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino () is a complex located on the Piazza Knights Hospitaller, Cavalieri di Malta Square on the Aventine Hill in Rome's Ripa (rione of Rome), Ripa rione and overseen by the Benedictine Confederation and the Abbot Primate. The ...
; see that page's history for attribution


List of Abbots Primate


References


External links


The Benedictine Confederation of Congregations of Monasteries of the Order of Saint Benedict
(official website)
International Atlas of Benedictine MonasteriesCollegio Sant'Anselmo
(in Italian and English)
Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo
(in Italian and English)
Chiesa Sant'Anselmo
(in Italian and English) {{Authority control Benedictine Confederation Abbots Primate