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25th Anniversary
Collegium Musicum Tour in Italy
Twenty-five
choristers together with some relatives, spiritual director Fr.
Albert Micallef O.F.M. and the choir’s director Dr. Mro. Dion
Buhagiar departed on Easter Monday for Rome and spent eight days
touring around Italy. The aim of the tour was twofold: to perform
during masses on four different occasions and as a pilgrimage to
various sacred locations in Rome and its vicinity. The choir also
had the privilege and honour to be present at the Papal Audience
held on Wednesday 26th March at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
The day dedicated to the visit of the Umbrian town of Assisi
commenced with Mass at the magnificent Papal Basilica of Santa Maria
degli Angeli. This Basilica is built around the Porziuncola, a small
chapel which St. Francis himself rebuilt after being spoken to by
the miraculous Cross of St. Damian and where he used to pray, and
the Infermeria where St. Francis passed away. The Mass was
celebrated by the Rector, Fr. Rosario and co-celebrated by Fr.
Albert Micallef. The Collegium Musicum sang the “Missa Brevissima
(per Annum)” composed by Mro. Buhagiar and other hymns in Maltese,
Italian and Latin. At the end of the Mass, the main celebrant
thanked the choir for its active participation and told the
congregation that he feels very close to Malta as he himself comes
from Sicily. The rest of the day was spent going around various
basilicas and churches in the old town of Assisi including the
Basilicas of St. Clare and St. Francis where the group paid homage
to the remains of these saints buried inside the crypts of these
basilicas.
Another full day excursion was dedicated to visiting the Monastery
of St. Benedict and St. Bonaventura in Montecassino with its
breathtaking views and the towns of Naples and Pompeii. During its
homage in the splendour of the Monastery of Montecassino, the choir
sang polyphonic hymns a cappella attracting the attention of the
local bishop, His Grace Abbot Pietro Vittorelli O.S.B., who gave his
compliments to the maestro and the choir. The highlight of the day
for the choir was singing during the evening Mass celebrated at the
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Pompeii. The Mass was celebrated by Fr.
Albert Micallef and the choir once again sang the “Missa Brevissima
(per Annum)”. During this day’s excursion, the choir also visited
the city of Naples and the ruins of Pompeii.
On the Wednesday during Eastertide, the choir attended the Papal
Audience which was held at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. This
event was broadcast internationally. Even though the choir was
seated two hours before the arrival of His Holiness Pope Benedict
XVI, and despite the occasional drizzle, the atmosphere in the
square was cheerful with various groups taking turns in singing
lively tunes in their various languages. During the audience, the
Holy Father gave His greetings in various languages to all present,
visiting Rome from locations all over the world. The groups present,
including the Collegium Musicum Choir, were introduced to the Pope
by name and some groups actually sang after being nominated. The
Collegium Musicum Choir had the opportunity to sing Dion Buhagiar’s
“Salva Papa Noster” to the Pope, the very same antiphon which had
been especially composed for His predecessor, Pope John Paul II
during His visit to our islands.
During its pilgrimage around the various basilicas and churches of
Rome, the choir had the opportunity and the honour of singing at St.
John’s Lateran Basilica during the Saturday evening Mass and in St.
Peter’s Basilica (at the Vatican) during the Sunday evening Mass. On
both occasions the choir performed Dion Buhagiar’s “Missa Brevis San
Ġwann Battista” and other hymns in Maltese, Italian and Latin. The
Mass at the Lateran was celebrated by the Camerlengo, Mgr. Ottavio
Petroni, assisted by Mgr. Alfredo Bona and Fr. Albert Micallef O.F.M.
Mgr. Petroni personally congratulated the choir at the end of Mass
and stated that the singing helped in creating a profound spiritual
feeling during the Eucharistic celebration. Mass at the Vatican was
celebrated on the main altar, by the Archpriest of St. Peter’s
Basilica, His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Comastri, who mentioned and
thanked the choir for its performance both at the beginning and at
the end of the Mass. Fr. Frans Bonnici of the Vatican’s Congregation
for Catholic Education and Fr. Albert Micallef co-celebrated during
this Mass.
Apart from the abovementioned basilicas, the choir also visited the
other two basilicas of Rome, namely San Paolo Fuori le Mura and
Santa Maria Maggiore. In the former basilica the choir had the
opportunity to sing Dion Buhagiar’s antiphon “Sancte Paule” in front
of the recently excavated tomb of St. Paul. The group also paid
homage to the Scala Santa in the vicinity of the Lateran basilica.
Among the intense schedule of the choir was also a half-day
excursion to the Castelli Romani in the outskirts of Rome. The group
visited Castel Gandolfo, Rocca di Papa and Frascati. Interesting to
mention is the fact that the Pope was residing inside His residence
at Castel Gandolfo, denoted also by the fact that the main gate was
open and guards were present. For this reason the choir sang “Salve
Papa Noster” in front of the main entrance. The choir also visited
the main sites of interest within the city of Rome.
The eight days spent in Rome and the surrounding towns were full of
activities and the choir was on a very tight schedule. Even though
the tour was intense and tiring at times, the whole experience was
rewarding to all who attended, both on a spiritual and cultural
point of view.
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