NEWS
of the Benedictine Confederation
and the Cistercian Family

On Sunday, 15 February 2026, on the anniversary of the dedication of the church of the monastery of Our Lady of Koubri (Burkina Faso), Sister Nok-Wende Judith Maria Laetitia will make her solemn profession during the Eucharist presided over by Archbishop Prosper Kontiebo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Ouagadougou, at 9 a.m.

The monastic community and the metropolitan city of Turin are celebrating the 1,300th anniversary of the founding of Novalesa Abbey (Italy). It was on 30 January 726, in the middle of winter, when Abbone launched the foundation of the abbey: 1300 years have passed, and the Benedictine monastery has experienced periods of varying importance in the history of the Alps, until 1972, when the province of Turin bought it from Convitto Umberto I in order to prevent it from falling i

The monastic community of São Geraldo Abbey in São Paulo, Brazil, has elected Dom Geraldo González y Lima, OSB, as its fourth abbot. The election took place on 15 January 2026, coinciding with the liturgical memorial of Saints Maurus and Placid, the first disciples of Saint Benedict. Dom Geraldo succeeds to the abbatial chair of this community, a member of the Hungarian Congregation, after two decades of distinguished service to the wider confederation in Rome. Born in Hava

Twice a year, three Benedictine finance experts meet in Rome to oversee and evaluate Sant’Anselmo's financial situation, offering feedback and recommendations. On 2 February, the outgoing Finance Commission met with the new members and our in-house administrative staff. Abbot emeritus Norberto Villa of Praglia (Italy) and Br. Ansgar Stüfe of Münsterschwarzach (Germany) took their leave after many years of service on the commission. Fr. Luke Turner of Atchison (USA) will remai

On behalf of the Benedictine Confederation, Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder congratulates Bishop Manuel Nin Güell on his appointment as Exarch of the Territorial Abbey of Grottaferrata. Grottaferrata is the only monastery of the Order of Basilian Monks in Italy. It is a territorial abbey and an exarchical monastery—that is, the superior holds episcopal rank. The monks follow the Rule of Saint Basil the Great, who was greatly admired and quoted by Saint Benedict. Pope Leo XIII

On 12 and 13 January 2026, the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat in Manila (Philippines) celebrated the centenary of the consecration of its abbey church. The solemn Mass on Tuesday 13 January was presided over by the Abbot President, Father Ignaci M. Fossas. https://www.benedettinisublacensicassinesi.org/ https://montserratmanila.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

Following discussions during the extraordinary canonical visit currently underway in the Flemish-Dutch Province, Thomas Quartier requested and obtained dispensation from his monastic vows and diaconal obligations. Therefore, the Abbot President of the Congregation no longer has any jurisdiction in this matter. https://www.benedettinisublacensicassinesi.org/comunicati/

Bulletin of Abbot Primate The biggest event – not just of the past month but really for a long time – was the visit of Pope Leo XIV here at Sant’Anselmo on 11 November. The occasion was the 125th anniversary of the dedication of our abbey church in 1900. At that time, Pope Leo XIII surely would have wanted to be there, but as the Roman question, i.e., the relationship between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy, had not yet been resolved, he couldn’t leave the Vatican. We t

• On 19 November, Fr. Laurentius Eschlböck of Schottenstift in Vienna, of the Austrian Congregation, was reappointed as vice-rector of Sant’Anselmo Atheneum, a function he held already earlier. • On 4 November, the General Chapter of the Slav Congregation re-elected Abbot Jeronim Marin of Cocovac in Croatia as Abbot President, for another four-year term. The Chapter coincided with the 80th anniversary of the Congregation, established in 1945. • On 27 October, the Benedictine

On 1 November 2025, All Saints' Day, During the celebration presided over by Bishop Dom Celso Antônio Marchiori at 10 a.m., the community of Benedictine nuns at the monastery of Encontro (Mandirituba, Brazil) will have the joy of celebrating the 60th anniversary of the monastery's foundation and the golden jubilee of Mother Teresa Paula Dias Perdigão's monastic profession. The Encontro community is part of the Benedictine congregation ‘Queen of Apostles’. It was founded in 19

Great joy for the Sisters of the Servants of the Poor in Brive-la-Gaillarde (France): On 16 September 2025, Bishop Eric Bidot of Tulle came to bless the first stone of the chapel! After three years in Brive-la-Gaillarde, this blessing further roots the Servants of the Poor in this beautiful diocese of Tulle. They give thanks to God and pray with great gratitude for the benefactors who made the construction of this chapel possible. In addition to the members of the clergy who

Benedictines from across East Asia and Oceania gathered this October at Thien Binh Monastery near Ho Chi Minh City for their biennial meeting. The event brought together leaders and delegates from monasteries in Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam—representing a thousand monks, nuns and sisters from across the region. The Benedictine presence in this part of the world stretches back nearly two centuries. It began

The Synod of Abbot Presidents met in Montserrat, 15–19 September, uniting Benedictine leaders in prayer, fraternity and dialogue. Highlights included collaboration with the CIB and preparations for the Benedictine Jubilee of 2029. The Synod of the Abbot Presidents convened at Montserrat, 15-19 September, gathering the leaders of the Benedictine Confederation for days of deliberation, fraternity and shared prayer. Two new members were present: Abbot Javier Aparicio of the Otti

On 3 October 2025, Father Mauritius Wilde has been appointed by the Holy See as the new Abbot of Maria Laach. We congratulate the new abbot and also the community of Maria Laach. From 2016 to 2025, Fr. Mauritius served as prior of our house community of more than 100 monks, students, and professors. Abbot Mauritius is 59 years old. He comes from Münsterschwarzach Abbey in Franconia, which belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Benedictines of Saint Ottilien. Before his ser

For the first time since 2011, the International Commission on Benedictine Education (ICBE) held a youth congress at Sant’Anselmo in Rome, 20–25 September. More than 30 students took part, representing Chile, Brazil, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, Austria, Germany and the United States. The gathering brought students together for prayer, shared experiences of Benedictine education across cultures, and visits to places significant for Benedictine history, as well as

From September 5–7, 2025, the Benedictine Abbey of Lubiń celebrated the 450th anniversary of the birth of the Servant of God, Fr. Bernard of Wąbrzeźno OSB. The Jubilee was combined with the meeting of the superiors of the Benedictine family from Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. During these days, the Lubiń monastery hosted the superiors of the Benedictine nuns from Staniątki, Żarnowiec, Przemyśl, Jarosław, Krzeszów, Wołów, and Lviv-Solonka; the Benedictine monks from Tyniec, Bi

September 24, 2025, we joyfully marked the 140th Foundation Anniversary of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing. The Community had a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder, OSB. Followed by a festive common breakfast. In the afternoon at 2:00, the whole Congregation had a synchronized prayer and the launch of the Togo Community. With the theme “Rekindling the Gift of God as Pilgrims of Hope,” we remembered with gratitude the vision o

On 11 September 2025 the community of Melk Abbey (Austria) elected Fr Ludwig Wenzl as their 68th abbot. The election was presided over by Abbot President Johannes Perkmann. Abbot Ludwig succeeds Abbot Georg Wilfinger, who has led the Abbey since 2001. Born Karl Wenzl in 1985 in Waidhofen an der Ybbs, the new abbot entered Melk in 2011 and made his solemn profession in 2014. He was ordained priest in 2021. Within the Abbey he has worked in education, culture and tourism, and