NEWS
of the Benedictine Confederation
and the Cistercian Family

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

We are pleased to announce that today, September 17, 2025, the feast day of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Father Ignatius FRITSCH OCist was elected the 53rd Abbot of Marienstatt (Germany). The Abbot's blessing will take place on Sunday, 26 October 2025, at 10:30 a.m. ocist.org https://www.abtei-marienstatt.de/

The Holy Father has officially confirmed the election by the monastic chapter of Einsiedeln Abbey of the Reverend Fr. Urban Federer , OSB, as ordinary Abbot of the Territorial Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln, Switzerland. The election took place on 30 August 2025, and Fr. Federer was chosen for a second term, also of 12 years. This marks a historic moment: for the first time in the Abbey’s history an incumbent abbot has been re-elected. Born 17 August 1968 in Zürich-Fluntern, in th

On 06 August 2025, the community of Guimaras (Diocese of Jaro, Philippines) elected Dom Kevin John Lipasan as abbot for a six-year term....

On 26 July 2025, the community of Miraflores (Diocese of Rancagua, Chile) elected Dom Lucas Marckmann Soto as Abbot of the Community for...

The Benedictine monks of Mariastein Abbey have elected Father Ludwig Rudolf Ziegerer OSB as their new abbot. The election, held on 18...

The community of Saint Lambrecht Abbey in Austria has elected Alfred Eichmann OSB as its new abbot. His 12-year term will begin on 10...

Dom Dom Gilbert Degros, abbot of Rochefort (Diocese of Namur, Belgium) since 2006, reached the age of retirement mentioned in ST 40.A of...

On May 15, the Chau Son Nho Quan community of the Congregation of the Holy Family in Vietnam elected Fr. Dominic Tran Tien Thieu as their...

On May 7, 2025, Dom Roberto de la Iglesia completed his second term of six years as Abbot of Cardeña (Archdiocese of Burgos, Spain). On...

Dom Peter McCarthy, abbot of O.L. of Guadalupe (diocese of Portland in Oregon, USA) since 1994, presented his resignation to the Abbot...

Mokoto became an abbey at the OCSO General Chapter in September 2022. Since the war prevented us from holding an abbey blessing at Mokoto...

The annual North and Central American Abbots’ Workshop took place at St. Joseph Abbey in Louisiana from 21 to 25 February 2025. The...

On Saturday, 15 February 2025, the monks of Saint Peter’s Archabbey (Austria)gathered to elect a new archabbot. New elections are...

On Tuesday, 25 February 2025, the community of Seitenstetten Abbey (Austria), chaired by Abbot President Johannes Perkmann, re-elected...

On Friday 7 February 2025, the Benedictine monks of En-Calcat (France) elected Father Maximilien Pietrzak abbot of the community....

On 17th February 2025, at the end of his fifth abbatial mandate, Dom Isidoro Anguita Fontecha was re-elected Abbot of the Abbey of Santa...

Archabbot Cirill T. Hortobágyi OSB, abbot president of the Hungarian Benedictine Congregation and archabbot of Pannonhalma, recently led...

On Thursday 19 December 2024, the community of Maredsous (Belgium) elected Father François Lear as its 9th abbot. Dom François Lear was...