NEWS
of the Benedictine Confederation
and the Cistercian Family

On January 10, 2026, Sister Gennifer Gadian made solemn profession at the monastery of Our Lady of Mt. Matutum (Philippines). Sister Gennifer was born in 1989 in Polomolok, South Cotabato (Philippines); she entered Matutum in 2016 and made first profession in 2020. ocso.org

On December 28, 2025, the Feast of the Holy Family, Dom Mauro Giuseppe Lepori erected the sui juris Priory of Our Lady of the Snows, in accordance with the Decree issued by the Holy See on October 3, 2025. The following day, during the Regular Visitation of the community, he presided over the election of the first prioress: Mother Anne Dugas , previously appointed prioress by the founding abbess of Boulaur Abbey. Mother Elisabeth Unal, OCSO, prioress of the Monastery of La P

On January 10, 2026, Sister Marie-Marthe Cogan made solemn profession at the monastery of N.-D. de La Coudre (France). Sister Marie-Marthe was born in 1976 in Angers (France); she entered Laval in 2018 and made first profession in 2020. ocso.org

aim-usa.org

With great joy, shortly before Christmas, we learned that the Italian abbess Noemi Scarpa OSB of the Abbey of Bastia Umbra was appointed on 15 December as Pontifical Commissioner for the monastery of Tor de’ Specchi. Tor de’ Specchi is the monastery of the *Oblates of Saint Frances of Rome*, a Benedictine foundation established by the saint in 1433. The previous pontifical commissioner had shown little understanding of Benedictine tradition and most recently, in September, ex

I am writing these lines on the feast of the Epiphany. The Holy Year ended today, and at the same time a gathering of cardinals is beginning here in Rome, at which Pope Leo will presumably discuss some guiding ideas of his pontificate. We are quite eager to see what emerges. The political events of recent days have once again made it clear that we are living at a turning point in history. What will the role of us Catholics be? Everywhere we are loyal citizens of our states, b

On December 28, 2025, Feast of the Holy Family, Brother Godric Hathorn made solemn profession at the monastery of Gethsemani (United States). Brother Godric was born in 1975 in Gulfport, Mississippi (United States). He entered Gethsemani in 2019 and made his first profession in 2021. ocso.org https://monks.org/

6 December 2025 We are brothers and sisters, one body in Christ, and we do not leave any of them alone, especially those who are in difficult situations, but bear one another’s burdens in charity. Thank you for all the uplifting congratulations and prayers! ocso.org

In accordance with Cst. 69.2, the Abbot General, with the consent of his Council, has granted permission for the opening of novitiates in the following foundations: Munkeby (Diocese of Trondheim, Norway) Bàdi (Diocese of Tambacounda, Senegal) Porta Coeli, Akokwa (Diocese of Orlu, Nigeria) We commend these communities to the Lord and support them with our prayer, imploring His blessing upon their future growth, perseverance, and flourishing in monastic life. ocso.org Munkeby.

Some new training projects financially supported by AIM are presented on the website: https://www.aimintl.org/en/our-projects/category-formation You can support AIM's actions in communities by making a donation via the ‘Support us’ tab at the top right of the pages. AIM can only help communities thanks to the donations it receives from religious communities and benefactors. Thank you for your support.