Abbot Primate
On September 10, 2016, Abbot Gregory Polan, O.S.B., of Conception Abbey in northeast Missouri—a place close to the heart of Turning to God’s Word
—was elected Abbot Primate by the Congress of Abbots of the 1,500-year-old Benedictine Order. As leader of the Benedictine Confederation, Abbot Gregory will be the unifying head of the world’s 7,000 Benedictine monks. He will become abbot of the monastery at Sant’ Anselmo in Rome, where he will live. His election is good for Conception Abbey and good for Benedictines.
The title Abbot Primate is interesting linguistically, as are many Church titles. The word abbot comes from the Aramaic word אבא (abba), which means “father.” Benedictines refer to the leader of every community as abbot. The word primate comes from the Latin primus, which means “first.” So the Abbot Primate is the first father or the first abbot. He’s also described as the Abbot of abbots.
Abbot Gregory, a scholar in Scripture and theology, is prominent in the field of biblical translation. His recent work has included translations for the New American Bible and The Revised Grail Psalter, a complete English translation of the Book of the Psalms.
related topic: patriarch
you also may like Volume I of our Psalms study
Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers provides an in-depth look at Psalms prayed in morning and evening liturgies. (Volume II, set for publication in 2024, looks at Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline.) The study is based on The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, a translation prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.
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