Meeting "The Abbot"

It is a rare opportunity that someone gets to meet one of the brilliant minds in the theological sphere of the contemporary period. On November 21, I was fortunate to have met the Rev. Dr. Heinrich Josef Maximilian Heim, O.Cist., Abbot of the Cistercian abbey in Germany. He came to the Philippines to celebrate his 25th sacerdotal anniversary with Rev. Fr. Gabriel Chumacera, O.Cist., who was once a seminary formator and a clergy from the Diocese of San Pablo. He also came to celebrate his thanksgiving as he had his final vows in the Cistercian community.

Fr. Maximilian Heim, O.Cist., was one of the first three recipients of the Ratzinger Prize in Theology.

As the director of the Schola Cantorum, I arranged to songs for his Mass. The abbot was grateful that he told me after the celebration, "Thank you! Wonderful that you used the de Angelis!" I knew that the abbot was not fluent in english so we sang Gregorian chant and some Italian and Spanish propers.

Members of the Schola Cantorum with the Abbot, Fr. Maximilian Heim, O.Cist. and Rev. Fr. Gabriel Chumacera, O.Cist. in the center. The photo was taken at the San Pablo Cathedral.

Greeting the Abbot after his Mass.

 Surprisingly on that very same day, a seminarian knocked on my dormitory room and as I opened it he told me that the rector asked me to assist in the Holy Hour as Fr. Maximilian presides. It is the first time that the abbot would expose the Blessed Sacrament in english and within it pray the Vespers. We prayed for the increase of Religious and Priestly Vocations during the hour of adoration followed by the office.

Fr. Maximilian Heim exposes the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel of the St. Peter's College Seminary.

After the evening hour of prayer, the community was fortunate to have a colloquium with our two Cistercian visitors. They related to us their lives in their religious community and also spiritual sharings. I asked the abbot at the end of the session, "What made you so interested with Pope Benedict XVI  that you were able to write such an extensive work?" With this he told us that the book was not really something he intended to be published. It was his doctoral thesis which the Ignatius Press kindly offered him to be translated in english and published.

The abbot with the philosophy seminarians of St. Peter's College Seminary after the colloquium.

The Rev. Abbot and I discussing about Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) as seminarians tried to have a photo taken with him.

I told the abbot that I am doing my thesis on the philosophy of Relativism wherein I take on John Paul II and Benedict XVI as key luminaries. He said he is interesting and gave me helpful insights.
I hope to meet him before he leaves for Germany and would ask him to autograph my copy of his work.