Patrick Cummins, OSB
1880 - 1968
1880 - 1968
Patrick Cummins, OSB, was a monk of Conception Abbey in Missouri; esteemed seminary professor for 48 years; rector at Sant' Anselmo College, 1920–1925; helped chart a course of integrating liturgy and life at Conception Abbey and Seminary; musician and composer; author and translator; one of the first associate editors of Orate Fratres and of the American Benedictine Review. He knew the Divine Comedy from memory in both Italian and English, translated it into English terza rima and taught to every young man who came to the monastery or seminary the poem's keystone, the line in Canto 17 that the choice of what and how one loves determines one's direction in life. His obituary noted: "Through his 68 years as a professed monk, he remained man among men, man of God, scholar, lover of wisdom, believer in people and in the day."
Tribute reprinted from "How Firm a Foundation: Voices of the Early Liturgical Movement" © 1990 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications. 1-800-933-1800. www.ltp.org All rights reserved. Used with permission.