“I was touched that my monastery was named after Mary”

Marian devotion has been very present throughout my entire life, from the time that I was an altar server as a child, until now as an adult.

When I became a monk, what caught my attention was that all the Cistercian abbeys, from the beginning, bore the name of Our Lady. I was touched that my monastery was named after Mary!

During my novitiate, I was very impressed that we sang the Salve Regina at the end of the day after the last prayers, at the foot of the statue of the Blessed Virgin, which remained illuminated, in the great silence of the night. It is a very beautiful tradition in monastic life.

I also love the image of Our Lady, Mother of the Cistercians, represented in Heaven with a very large cloak sheltering the religious of the Order and welcoming them all.

All this particularly marked me and helped me to receive Mary as my Mother. 

Orani João Tempesta, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro

Exclusive Interview by Thácio Siqueira for A Moment with Mary