The Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Order, Abbot Notker Wolf, O.S.B., will be the keynote speaker for the Opening Ceremonies of Saint Vincent’s celebration of the bicentennial of its founder, Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B. The opening Vespers service will be held at Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 14. A reception will following the Saint Vincent Community Center.
Abbot Notker is the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical College of Sant’ Anselmo, Rome, and representative of the Benedictine Order in Rome. The Benedictine Order consists of monasteries of 8,500 men and 16,500 women throughout the world. Abbot Notker was born in Bad Grönenbach, Allgäu, Germany. He completed his philosophical studies at Sant’ Anselmo, the international Benedictine house of studies, Rome, in 1965, and earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Munich. He entered the Archabbey of Saint Ottilien, Ammersee, Germany in 1961.
He served as a professor of philosophy and scientific theory at Sant’ Anselmo prior to his election as Archabbot of Saint Ottilien and Abbot President of the Benedictine Congregation of Saint Ottilien. He was elected Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation in 2000 and is the ninth abbot primate since the Benedictine Confederation was established in 1893.
Abbot Notker serves as Chair for Aid to Benedictine Monasteries in Africa, Asia and Latin America; the Interreligious Monastic Dialogue; and the Benedictine Commission on China. He is also a member of the European Academy of Sciences; member of the Advisory Board of the Gothaer Versicherungsbank (Germany) and member of the Congregation for Religious (Rome). He has traveled the world to promote the Benedictine way of life. He has received numerous awards including the Bavarian Order of Merit and the Great Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bavarian Constitution Medal, the Wolfram-Engels Award, and the Pax Christi Award of Saint John’s Abbey and University. He is fluent in English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Latin and Greek.
