Started in 1986, the Pro Fidelitate et Virtue Award is conferred each year at the Institute on Religious Life’s National Meeting to someone who has been outstanding in the support and promotion of authentic religious life. Today's episode is honoring our 2012 award recipient, Fr. Cassian Folsom, O.S.B. Fr. Cassian is from Lynn, Massachusetts and is a scholar of sacred music and liturgy, and studied music before joining the monastic community of Saint Meinrad in 1979. He founded a renewed Benedictine monastic community in Rome in 1998 and transferred it to Norcia Italy in the year 2000. Over the last 25 years, the Monastery di San Benedetto has grown, attracting new vocations and pilgrims from around the world. He recently retired as prior but continues to serve the community and teaches liturgy at the "Pontifical Liturgical Institute" at the Benedictine University of Sant'Anselmo in Rome. The Monastery of San Benedetto in Monte is a community of Benedictine monks in Norcia, Italy, the birthplace of St. Benedict, founder of western monasticism. The monks' goal is to prefer nothing to the love of Christ. They pray the full monastic office as laid out in the Rule of St. Benedict, observe the monastic fast and have retained the patrimony of Gregorian chant and the traditional form of the Latin liturgy (extraordinary form). Today, we will be listening to a talk Fr Cassian gave at the 2012 National Meeting titled, “Sacred Signs and Active Participation at Mass”. Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy!