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, pe ...

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

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

Conception Abbey Conception Abbey, site of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway ...

located in

Conception, Missouri Conception is a census-designated place in eastern Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. It is located about southeast of Maryville on U.S. Route 136. It is very near Conception Junction (which was the rail intersection). Conception is hom ...

, 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 ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monasti ...

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

Abbot Primate The Abbot Primate of the Benedictines, 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 monasterie ...

of the

Order of St. Benedict , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

, residing at

Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino ( en, Saint Anselm on the Aventine) 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 Confede ...

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, coterminous with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 57,250. History Before being s ...

, 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. A significant portion of the village is in the Riverside Landscape Architecture District, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The population of the village was ...

, 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 young men considering the priesthood. Located in downtown Chicago at 103 East Chestnut Street, a ...

in the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

. Polan made a visit to

Missouri Missouri 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 is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

to explore a call to the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

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 te ...

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

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and completed his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) 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. Tho ...

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 (french: Université Saint-Paul) is a bilingual Catholic Pontifical 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 ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

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

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

Sacred Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...

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 English translation of the Bible first published in 1970. The 1986 Revised NAB is the basis of the revised Lectionary, and it is the only translation approved for use at Mass in the Latin-rite Catholic dioces ...

, 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 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

. Polan was brought to the larger public attention on 11 June 2002 when he had to serve as the spokesperson for the Abbey following a tragedy. A gunman carrying an assault rifle entered the abbey killing two monks and injuring another two monks. The gunman subsequently killed himself in the encounter with police; a motive for the gunman'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 Bi ...

translation began in 1998 and received final approval from the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

in 2018. In additional to his contribution to the Grail initiative, he was also involved with the revised

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') 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 ...

, the

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

, the

, and the

Roman Missal The Roman Missal ( la, Missale Romanum) is the title of several missals used in the celebration of the Roman Rite. Along with other liturgical books of the Roman Rite, the Roman Missal contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the m ...

. 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 ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

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 the order at religious gatherings around the globe. He serves as abbot of the Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo, the grand Chancellor of the Pontifical University of Saint Anselm, and oversees the

College of Sant'Anselmo The College of Sant'Anselmo ( it, Collegio 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 ...

in his appointment of its prior and rector. Polan is 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 * as well as 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 Abbots Primate Benedictine abbots 21st-century Roman Catholic theologians American abbots American Benedictines