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 Polan, a Scripture scholar and theologian, 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 psalms. Abbot Polan’s initial translation now is owned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), who have made a very few minor changes to the content and renamed the work The Abbey Psalms and Canticles. The USCCB version is being published in all new Liturgy of the Hours books and also is endorsed by the American bishops for all English-language liturgies celebrated in the United States. Both volumes of the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church now are based on The Abbey Psalms and Canticles.
related topic: patriarch
you also may like our free year-long study of Scripture & the Rosary (digital only)
Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels, a 26-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, looks at the biblical foundations of the Rosary. The study includes lessons on Pope St. John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary), the Apostles’ Creed, and the Luminous Mysteries as well as the original 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. Color photographs of stained glass windows depict key scenes in the lives of Jesus and Mary. In lieu of a sample, check out our free digital lessons.
Click on the picture of the statue of Moses with horns (above) to learn more about Lost in Translation. A new entry is archived each Monday. Contact us to receive Lost in Translation by email every week. You may use any of the contact links on our website to ask Matthew a question.