Press Release Conception Abbey Communications Department On Saturday, 11 July 2026, the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey, in Conception, Missouri, elected Fr Paul Sheller OSB, as their new abbot. He becomes the 11th abbot in Conception Abbey’s 153-year history, succeeding Abbot Benedict Neenan OSB, who has retired after 10 years of abbatial service. The election of Abbot Paul took place within a private meeting of the monks of Conception Abbey on Saturday, 11 July. Befor

On July 11, 2026, at the end of his third term as Abbot, Dom Elias Dietz was re-elected Abbot of Gethsemani (USA) for a new six-year term. ocso.org

On July 11, 2026, The Solemnity of Saint Benedict, Sister Beatrice Brady made solemn profession at St Mary’s Abbey of Glencairn (Ireland). Sister Beatrice was born in Cavan (Ireland) in 1995. She entered Glencairn in 2018 and made first profession in 2021. ocso.org

On Saturday 11 July 2026, on the Solemnity of Saint Benedict, monks from Le Barroux will take up residence at Bellefontaine Abbey. • 10.00 am: Solemn Mass celebrated by Dom Louis-Marie de Geyer d’Orth, Abbot of Le Barroux, in the presence of Bishop Emmanuel Delmas of Angers; • around 12.30 pm: buffet open to all; • from 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm: open house for a tour of the cloister; • 4.30 pm: Vespers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The Trappist monks, who have been here

On June 24, 2026, The Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Sister Marie-Théophane Van Hattum made solemn profession at the Abbey of Our Lady of Good Help, Blauvac (France). Sister Marie-Théophane was born in Leiden (The Netherlands) in 1970. She entered the monastery in Arnhem in 2016, made her first profession in 2019, and transferred her stability to Blauvac in 2022. ocso.org https://abbaye-blauvac.com/

On June 7, 2026, we celebrated with joy and great thanksgiving the opening of the jubilee year of our monastery. In this jubilee, we mark 75 years since the transfer of the Abbey of Hardehausen to Brazil, in Itatinga — a milestone completed on May 28 — as well as the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Abbey of Hardehausen, which we will complete on the same date next year. Representatives from several houses were present: the Abbey of Itaporanga, Itararé, Campo Grand

On June 13, 2026, Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sister Marie Madeleine Beverly made solemn profession at the Mississippi Abbey (USA). Sister Madeleine was born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA in 1989; she entered Mississippi in 2018 and made first profession in 2021. ocso.org

On Wednesday 10 June 2026, the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat welcomed Pope Leo XIV, 44 years after the visit of Pope Saint John Paul II. Nearly 8,000 people were present and took part in the recitation of the Rosary, focusing on the Glorious Mysteries, traditionally meditated upon on Wednesdays. Pope Leo XIV was welcomed by 1,200 children from various Christian schools in Catalonia, to the sound of the monastery’s ceaseless bells. After speaking with the children, the Pope

After more than thirty-one years of devoted service in the abbatial office, Dom Isidoro Anguita Fontecha presented his resignation to the Abbot General. With the consent of his Council, the Abbot General accepted the resignation, which took effect on 21 March 2026. On 20 May 2026, the community of Santa María de Huerta (Diocese of Osma-Soria, Spain) elected Fr. Francisco Rivera Jiménez as abbot for a term of six years. Dom Francisco was born in Granada, Spain, in 1979. He ent

On August 20, 2025, Solemnity of Saint Bernard, Sister Jitka Pacíková made solemn profession at the monastery of Naši Paní (Czech Rep.). Sister Jitka was born in 1988 in Znojmo (Czech Rep.). She entered Naši Paní in 2017 and made first profession in 2020. ocso.org

Following the departure of the Trappist monks in November 2025, the abbey is currently in a transitional phase and closed to the public whilst preparations are made for the arrival of the new community, which will comprise a dozen monks from the Benedictine Abbey of Le Barroux. The abbey will officially reopen its doors on 11 July 2026 at 10 am with a solemn Mass celebrated by Dom Louis-Marie de Geyer d'Orth, Abbot of Le Barroux, in the presence of Bishop Emmanuel Delmas of

Dom Niko Verkley, superior ad nutum of Southern Star Abbey, Kopua (diocese of Palmerston North, New Zealand) since 2016, offered his resignation to the Father Immediate, Dom Steele Hartman, abbot of Tarrawarra Abbey (Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia). Dom Steele accepted the resignation which became effective in December 2025. Since then, the brothers of Kopua and the Father Immediate, aided by the Abbot General and his Council, have sought the most life-giving path for th

By decree of 5 June 2025, the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life ordered an Apostolic Visitation of the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz and appointed Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder OSB and Sister Christine Rod MC as visitators. Following in-depth interviews with 90 monks and numerous external individuals, the visit concludes today. The Abbot President of the Austrian Cistercian Congregation, Abbot Pius Maurer OCist, read out today,

On April 12, 2026, Divine Mercy Sunday, Sister Martina Mansi made solemn profession at the monastery of Our Lady of St. Joseph in Vitorchano (Italy). Sister Martina was born in Andria (BA) in 1990; she entered Vitorchiano in 2017 and made first profession in 2021. ocso.org

On April 12, 2026, Divine Mercy Sunday, Brother Charles-Emmanuel Bourgin made solemn profession at Tamié (France) . Brother Charles-Emmanuel was born in 1965 in Saint-Etienne (Loire), France; he entered Tamié in 2020 and made first profession in 2023. ocso.org

On March 25, 2026, The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, Sister Maria Annunciata Miyoko Nomura made solemn profession at the monastery of Our Lady of Imari (Japan) Sister Annunciata was born in 1983 in Kobe (Japan); she entered Imari in 2015 and made first profession in 2020. ocso.org

On March 1, 2026, Brother Toussaints Mwenyezi made solemn profession at Mokoto Abbey (Dem. Rep. of the Congo). Brother Toussaints was born in 1991 in Matanda, DRC; he entered Mokoto in 2020 and made first profession in 2023. ocso.org

After the death of Mother Mechthild, M. Lucia Kienzler was appointed Prioress Administrator of the Cistercian Monastery of St. Joseph in Thyrnau (Germany). May God bless her service for the benefit of her community. ocist.org

The community of Brialmont (Belgium) has been aware for some time of its situation of fragility. The superior, M. Marie-Pascale Dran, and the sisters, with the help of the Father Immediate (Dom Xavier Frisque13, superior ad nutum of Orval) and the Commission for the future, after serious consideration, have judged that it is not possible for the community to recover from this situation, and that it must be closed. The Abbot General and his Council have followed the situation

On February 11, 2026, Dom Malachias Huijink, abbot of Echt and Father Immediate ad interim of Nunraw, (Scotland) appointed Fr. Benedict Okakpu, monk of Nsugbe, as superior ad nutum of Nunraw. Dom Benedict was born in Abatete, Nigeria in 1966. He was a diocesan priest in Onitsha, Nigeria before entered the community of Nsugbe in 2006, where he made his solemn profession in 2012. This appointment brings to an end the service of Dom Mark Caira, abbot of Nunraw from 2009 and supe