The monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey will mark the Patronal feast of Saint Vincent de Paul on Sunday, September 27 at evening prayer at 5 p.m. in the Basilica, with a special dedication of two Papal symbols unique to a Basilica. Members of Saint Vincent Basilica Parish and the Saint Vincent community, as well as other interested persons, are invited to pray vespers with the monks and view the simple dedication ceremony.
The Ombrellino (umbrella) and the Tintinnabulum (bell) are Papal insignia, items that were carried in procession when the Holy Father visited one of the basilicas in Rome. The Ombrellino, designed in the traditional papal colors of red and gold, originally had a practical function, to shield the Pope from the elements during a procession. The Tintinnabulum, or bell, which is mounted on a pole to be carried in procession, was used to sound his approach, according to Father Vincent de Paul Crosby, O.S.B., who designed both the Ombrellino and Tintinnabulum.
“When our church was elevated to the status of a minor Basilica in 1955, we never acted on our privilege at the time,” said Father Vincent. “Most other minor basilicas in the United States and elsewhere have the Ombrellino and Tintinnabulum.”
Today, the Ombrellino “symbolizes the Pope’s supreme authority and the basilica’s special connection to the Holy See,” said Father Vincent. “It is typically displayed in a partially open position, ready to welcome the Holy Father should he ever visit. The Tintinnabulum stands in readiness to announce a papal visit,” Father Vincent said, “and on very solemn occasions, it is carried in processions before the Ombrellino.”
He said that the archabbey’s liturgy committee “first discussed the possibility of acquiring these items in 2009 in conjunction with our celebration of the bicentennial of founder Boniface Wimmer’s birth. The suggestion was accepted by the Archabbot, but for some reason it was never acted upon.”
The Ombrellino has eight panels, each panel featuring the coat of arms of a person or institution significant to the Basilica’s history. Montecassino in Italy is the Motherhouse of the Benedictine Order. Metten Abbey is where Saint Vincent Founder Boniface Wimmer was from. Wimmer, who founded Saint Vincent Archabbey and College and the American Cassinese Congregation, has his personal coat of arms represented. Saint Vincent Archabbey’s coat of arms is also displayed, it being the first Benedictine monastery in North America and founder of other abbeys.
Then there are four sets of papal coats of arms on the Ombrellino, representing Pope Pius IX, who elevated the Saint Vincent monastery to the status of an Abbey; Pope Leo XIII, who elevated Saint Vincent Abbey to the status of an Archabbey; Pope Pius XII, who raised the abbey church to the status of a Minor Basilica, and Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope.
The coats of arms are important in church history, as ecclesiastical heraldry uses symbols and colors to identify the rank and spiritual mission of a person or institution.
The Tintinnabulum has the Papal cross keys mounted atop the bell, the symbol of the Papacy, the keys referring to the promise of Christ to Peter, “I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.” Mounted below the bell is a replica of the Basilica facade designed by Father Vincent.
Construction was begun on the Saint Vincent Basilica in 1891 and it was dedicated on August 24, 1905, the 50th anniversary of the elevation of Saint Vincent to the dignity of an abbey. Fifty years later, on August 22, 1955, Pope Pius XII designated the Archabbey Church a minor Basilica, to honor the spiritual and educational contributions of the Saint Vincent Benedictine community and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the elevation of the monastery to an abbey.
