On January 19th, third-year seminarians took part in a unique experience as part of their course on liturgy. The group attended a Holy Mass in the Oriental Greek Rite at the Church of Saint Athanasius, also known as Sant'Atanasio dei Greci, located near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Accompanying the seminarians was Prof. Juan Rego, the professor of Liturgy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. The Church of Saint Athanasius, renowned for its Byzantine heritage, is closely located to the Il Pontificio Collegio Greco, the residence for Byzantine rite Catholic seminarians.
The Holy Mass was celebrated by Bishop Manuel Nin, a Spanish Catholic prelate who currently serves as the Apostolic Exarch of Greece in the Greek Byzantine Catholic Church. Bishop Nin, who is also a visiting professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, had already given a class on the Byzantine liturgy, prior to the Holy Mass. The Mass offered a distinct view of the Oriental liturgy, which allowed the seminarians to witness firsthand the beauty and solemnity of the Eastern Catholic traditions.
This experience was further enriched by the participation of students from the Pontifical Antonianum University, who joined the seminarians in this divine celebration. For many, it was a new and transformative encounter with the depth of the Catholic Church’s rich liturgical diversity and to broaden their theological and liturgical perspectives. The seminarians expressed their awe at the beauty of the Oriental Rite and the deeper understanding of the universal nature of the Church that the experience provided.
