Gregory Polan (born January 2, 1950) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

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 ...

, scripture scholar, musician, and author. He is a member of

Conception Abbey Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation, located in Conception, Missouri. Founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873, it was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to a ...

located in

Conception, Missouri Conception is a census-designated place in southeastern Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 111 at the 2020 Census. Conception is home to Conception Abbey, a Benedictine monastery and seminary. Conception has frequently ...

, which is part of 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 ...

and 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 ...

. He was previously elected and served as the ninth abbot of Conception Abbey. He served as the tenth

Abbot Primate The Abbot Primate of the Order of St. Benedict serves as the elected representative of the Benedictine Confederation of monasteries in the Catholic Church. While normally possessing no authority over individual autonomous monasteries or congregat ...

of the

Order of St. Benedict The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they a ...

, residing at

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 ...

in Rome.

Biography

Early life

John Polan (known by his family as "Jack") was born on 2 January 1950 in

Berwyn, Illinois Berwyn () is a suburban city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, Coterminous municipality, coterminous with Berwyn Township, Illinois, Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township, Cook County, Illinois, ...

, USA, to Edward and Martha Rita (née Kasperski) Polan; he has two brothers. He began attending St. Mary's grade school in

Riverside, Illinois Riverside is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population of the village was 9,298 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Chicago, located roughly west of downtown Chicago and outside city limits. A significant por ...

, followed by the minor seminary of

Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for Single-sex education, young men considering the Priesthood (Catholic Church), priesthood. It closed ...

in the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. The Vatican erected it as a diocese in 1843 and elevated it to an ar ...

. Polan made a visit to

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

to explore a call to the

monastic way of life.

Monastic life

Polan entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

of Conception Abbey in 1970 and made his

religious profession In the Catholic Church, a religious profession is the solemn admission of men or women into consecrated life by means of the pronouncement of religious vows, typically the evangelical counsels. Usage The 1983 Code of Canon Law defines the ter ...

as a monk on 28 August 1971, being given the name of "''Gregory''." He continued further studies in

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and completed his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

1975 at St. John's School of Theology. He was ordained a priest on 26 May 1977. After returning to his home abbey for a short period of pastoral work and teaching, he was later assigned to

Saint Paul University Saint Paul University () is a bilingual Catholic university federated with the University of Ottawa since 1965. It is located on Main Street in Canada's capital city, Ottawa, Ontario. Fully bilingual, it offers instruction in both of the countr ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, to complete further studies in biblical exegesis. In 1984 he received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

Sacred Scripture The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

with his dissertation entitled "''In the ways of justice toward salvation: a rhetorical analysis of Isaiah 56-59''." Upon returning to Conception Abbey, he began teaching in the Abbey's College Seminary (Scripture, Hebrew, Greek, Liturgy, Music) and served for ten years as President-Rector of the College Seminary. On 6 November 1996 he was elected the ninth abbot of Conception Abbey. During his time as abbot he continued work in teaching, offering retreats, assisting with translations of the

New American Bible The New American Bible (NAB) is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Bible first published in 1970. The 1986 Revised NAB is the basis of the revised Lectionary. In the Catholic Church it is the only translation approved ...

, and serving as a consultant to the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...

. Polan was brought to the larger public attention on 11 June 2002 when he had to serve as the spokesperson for his abbey following a tragedy. A gunman carrying an assault rifle entered the monastery, killing two monks and injuring another two. The gunman subsequently killed himself in the encounter with police; a motive for the killer's actions was never made clear. Polan is a translator of liturgical texts. A project to revise the

Grail Psalms The Grail Psalms refers to various editions of an English translation of the Book of Psalms, first published completely as ''The Psalms: A New Translation'' in 1963 by the Ladies of the Grail. The translation was modeled on the French '' La Bib ...

translation began in 1998 and received final approval from 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 ...

in 2018. He was also involved with the revised

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (), Divine Office (), or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the Latin Church. The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official ...

, the

Lectionary A lectionary () is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings appointed for Christianity, Christian or Judaism, Jewish worship on a given day or occasion. There are sub-types such as a "gospel lectionary" or evangeliary, ...

, the

, and the

Roman Missal The Roman Missal () is the book which contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Roman Rite, the most common liturgy and Mass of the Catholic Church. There have been several editions. History Before the Council of Trent (1570) ...

. On 16 September 2016 Polan was elected the

of the

and the

. The office of Abbot Primate was created 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 ...

in 1893 to serve the Benedictine monastic community as its liaison to the Vatican and civil authorities, to promote unity among the various autonomous Benedictine monasteries and congregations, and to represent Benedictines at religious gatherings around the globe. Until 14 September 2024, he served as abbot of the Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo, the grand Chancellor of the Pontifical University of Saint Anselm, and oversaw 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 his appointment of its prior and rector. Polan was the tenth Abbot Primate and the fourth American to be elected.

Selected bibliography

* ''In the ways of justice toward salvation: a rhetorical analysis of Isaiah 56-59'', New York: Peter Lang 1986 () * ''The Revised Grail Psalms: a liturgical Psalter'', with Frances E. George, Collegeville: Liturgical Press 2012 () * ''The Psalms songs of faith and praise: the Revised Grail Psalter with commentary and prayers'', Mahwah: Paulist Press 2014 () * ''Die Psalmen: Impulse zu den ältesten Gebeten der Bibel: der Münsterschwarzacher Psalter'', with Matthias Hofmann (in German), Münsterschwarzach: Vier-Türme-Verlag 2020 () * ''Compositions of Gregory J. Polan'' at Hymnary.org * numerous articles, book reviews, conferences, lectures, and videos

References

External links

The Benedictine Confederation of Congregations of Monasteries of the Order of Saint Benedict
(official website)
International Atlas of Benedictine Monasteries

Collegio Sant'Anselmo
(in Italian and English)
Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo
(in Italian and English)
Chiesa Sant'Anselmo
(in Italian and English)
Conception Abbey
(in English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Polan, Gregory 1950 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American Roman Catholic theologians 20th-century Christian abbots 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century Christian abbots Abbots Primate American abbots American Benedictines American male non-fiction writers American religious writers American Roman Catholic writers Benedictine abbots Catholics from Illinois People from Berwyn, Illinois Writers from Illinois