Biography

The choir of the Parish of Sant’Anselmo alla Cecchignola was founded in 1994, thanks to the enthusiasm
of some parishioners and its first director Paola Zannella who, together with the organist Carlo
Serenellini, now a priest in Umbria, began his liturgical and pastoral animation activities. In the
its twenty-five years of life the choir has always animated the main community celebrations and the
important moments in the pastoral life of the parish and in the neighborhood. In 1998 Paola passed the
choir leader to Marina Russo Cuomo, while Stefania Spanedda Di Giuseppe is dedicated to
musical preparation of children and young people, organizing among other things the “Christmas Concert”,
which for ten years – until 2008 – brought together the children and young people of the catechism, the young people of the
parish and the choir of adults in a single experience of meditation, singing and prayer. Angela
– which over the years have been joined by her children Andrea and Aurora on guitars and other young people from her
prepared – continues to offer its service in the animation of the Sunday celebration
dedicated to the children of the catechism. Today Aurora – who has come of age – is the musician on whom
the parish priest knows he can count, together with Marina on the organ, for the musical animation of the
community moments.
Among the different experiences, touching was that of the animation with Christmas carols offered by the
choir to the guests of the John XXIII Retirement Home. Unforgettable february 28, 2004
the meeting in the Nervi room with the Holy Father Pope John Paul II, when the choir of
Sant’Anselmo alla Cecchignola, together with the choirs of San Carlo Borromeo, San Giovanni
Battista della Salle and Santa Maria Stella dell’Evangelization, animated the celebration, with the
young people of the parish on the organ and guitar, under the direction of Marina. In May 2013
the choir was part of the choir of the XXV Prefecture, formed on the occasion of the Holy Mass
officiated by the Bishop of Settore, Monsignor Paolo Schiavon, at the Shrine of the Divine
Love, at the end of the Marian pilgrimage of the prefecture. In the autumn of 2015 the choir of
Sant’Anselmo alla Cecchignola was selected among the choirs of the Diocese of Rome to shoot
some minor scenes from Sorrentino’s film: The Young Pope.
The parish choir meets weekly on Wednesday evenings to prepare the liturgy
Sunday, feasts and main solemnities. In recent years, Marina has gradually adapted the
style of animation of the choir and the modalities of its service, following the indications of the parish priests
who have succeeded each other over time (the late Don Mariano Desideri, parish priest until 2000, Don
Riccardo Lamba until 2002, Don Mario Sanfilippo until 2008, Don Giovanni Matichecchia
until 2014, don Daniele Dal Prà until 2019 and currently don Domenico Parrotta).
Since the pastoral year 2017-2018, the choir with its fifteen female voices has undertaken a
self-formation path to become a Liturgical Animation Group. Own
the experience gained over these long years, and the liturgical-musical sensitivity of Marina
he made possible this change so desired by the Second Vatican Council. The recovery of the
centrality of Sunday, Lord’s Day and weekly Easter, with the celebration at the center
of the Eucharist to build a Christian community, is one of the priority commitments of the Church
Italian, as stated in the bishops’ document: “…Within the communities the task of
Preparing the celebrations can be expressed and is carried out in a qualified group that we call the liturgical group or liturgical animation group. This service is intended to help the assembly
to insert oneself into the mystery of Christ celebrated in the Eucharist, through active participation,
“conscious, interior, full”. The liturgical group must not consider itself anything other than the assembly,
but a living part of it. (…) Each celebration can claim to achieve its own purpose
when he realizes the salvific encounter between man and God, when he makes charity grow among his brothers and sisters,
when it becomes the seed and force of salvation for the world to which every Christian is sent. Task
of the liturgical group is that, then, to help to give birth to the conditions so that it can
to realize this encounter, so that a Christian community may grow with the celebration in the
charity and be able to be a witness to the encounter with Christ”.
Continuing in its tradition of service and participation in parish initiatives and
Diocese, in March 2018, the Choir of the parish of Sant’Anselmo participated in the Via Crucis
of the Roman Confraternities, taking care of the preparation and execution of the songs
processional, in collaboration with the Confraternity of St. John Paul II.
A new phase has opened with the arrival of our current parish priest Don Domenico Parrotta,
Conductor of the Choir of Divine Love. Thanks to his experience and availability, in fact,
from the autumn of 2019 we have started to combine the Wednesday meetings with moments
specific vocal formation, also open to interested parishioners, which allowed us to
improve the quality of our singing service.
The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately interrupted our weekly meetings, but has not
stopped our action. Since it was possible to resume the Sunday celebrations, in the
full compliance with the current legislation, the members of the parish choir participate in the liturgies
parish, in the midst of the assembly, thus continuing to carry out their service. The
Preparation of the liturgies is carried out by each one almost completely independently, thanks to the
support of audio-visual instruments, under the guidance of Marina, in the confident expectation of being able to
resume regular activities and meetings.