NEWS
of the Benedictine Confederation
and the Cistercian Family

The General Chapter of September 2025 voted (Vote 33) in support of the request to the Holy See by Fr. Henri Fouda CSsP, Apostolic Commissary of Koutaba (diocese of Bafoussam, Cameroon) since 2017, to end the regime of Apostolic Commissary in that community. The ad hoc commission which studied the situation of Koutaba further recommended that if the Holy See responded favourably to this request, Fr. Fouda should be appointed monastic commissary of Koutaba, pending the complet

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 June 13, 2026, Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Brother Kenneth Hessemer made solemn profession at the monastery of Spencer (United States). Brother Kenneth was born in 1989 in Rahway, New Jersey (United States). He entered Spencer in 2020 and made his first profession in 2023. ocso.org

June 8, 2026: A strong earthquake struck the southern Philippines at around 7:30 a.m. local time today. Our monastery in Matutum has been affected. According to Mother Giovana, the sisters are safe. Please keep the sisters and all the people in the region in your prayers. ocso.org

The international academic conference, “The Testimony of the Monks of Tibhirine,” will take place in Oxford on Tuesday, 30 June, and Wednesday, 1 July 2026. Hosted by the Dominican community at Blackfriars, the event will feature bilingual presentations and film screenings exploring the spiritual legacy of the martyred Algerian monks. https://www.ocso.org/uploads/general-news/documents/ColloqueTibhirine-30ans-Oxford2026-EN.pdf ocso.org

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 April 25, 2026, Feast of St. Mark, Sister Eve Marie Aragona made solemn profession at the monastery of Crozet (USA). Sister Eve Marie was born in New York in 1979; she entered Crozet, USA in 2018 and made first profession in 2021. ocso.org

On April 19, 2026, Sister Barnabé Mukawizeyimana made solemn profession at the monastery of Kibungo (Rwanda). Sister Barnabé was born in Zaza, Kibungo (Rwanda) in 1982; she entered Kibungo in 2017 and made first profession in 2022. ocso.org

On April 27, 2026, Feast of St. Rafael Arnáiz Barón, Sister María José Castro Maradiaga made solemn profession at the monastery of Sora (Panama). Sister María José was born in Honduras in 1989; she entered Juigalpa, Nicaragua in 2018 and made first profession there in 2021. When the community had to leave the country, she chose to remain with it in its new home in Panama. ocso.org

Dear Sisters and Brothers, We warmly invite you to a study day organized by the OCist-OCSO Liturgical Commission. Topic: Liturgical inculturation: definitions, guiding principles, models and criteria Speaker: Abbot Olivier-Marie SARR OSB, Abbot of Keur Moussa Abbey in Senegal, Professor at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Sant’Anselmo in Rome. Time: 27 July 2026, 8.30 am–12.00 pm and 2.00 pm–5.30 pm (Rome time). Format: Online via ZOOM with simultaneous translation into

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

This year marked the 30th anniversary of the kidnapping of the seven monks of Tibhirine (March 26, 1996), in Algeria, whose murder was announced on May 21. They were beatified with the other martyrs of Algeria on December 8, 2018. Their Liturgical Feast (Memorial) is celebrated on May 8. Please find the Abbot General’s letter on their Liturgical Feast this year: https://www.ocso.org/uploads/general-news/documents/The-Abbot-General-Letter-on-Thibirine-Anniversary-EN.pdf ocso.o

Martyrdom in the Cistercian Tradition To mark the 30th anniversary of the martyrdom of the monks of Tibhirine , Cîteaux Mater Nostra – ARCCIS is organising a series of events on the theme of martyrdom in the Cistercian tradition. These will take place on 8, 9 and 10 May 2026 at Cîteaux Abbey. The event, which follows on from the ‘Cistercian Culture Days’ organised regularly by ARCCIS since 2005, is aimed at a wide audience. Anyone wishing to learn more about Cistercian life

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

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 25 March 2026, during a solemn Mass celebrated by the diocesan bishop, Mgr. Nuno Almeida, and in the presence of Dom Loris Tomassini, Abbot of Frattocchie, Father Immediate, and of Mother Rosaria Spreafico, abbess of Vitorchiano, the founding monastery, the foundation of Santa Maria Mãe da Igreja, Palaçoulo (Portugal) was officially elevated to the rank of simple priory, according to the decision of the General Chapter 2025. On 26 March 2026, Mother Giuseppina Maffini was

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

Mother Ana Carmen Moneo Castel-Ruíz, titular prioress of Armenteira (archdiocese of Santiago di Compostella, Spain), offered her resignation to the Abbot General. The Abbot General, with the consent of his Council, accepted the resignation, which became effective on 19 February 2026. On 16 March 2026, the community elected Sr. Paula Maria Télles Gonzalés as titular prioress for a six-year term. Mother Paula Maria was born in 1967 in Pontevedra (Spain). She entered the monaste

In February 2026 the Abbot General, assisted by M. Fiachra Nutty (abbess of Glencairn), carried out the special visitation at Bethlehem Abbey (Northern Ireland) requested by the General Chapter of September 2025 (vote 49). On 27 February 2026, the Abbot General, with the consent of his Council and in the name of the General Chapter, suspended the exercise of autonomy of the community of Bethlehem and appointed Fr. Joseph Tedesco of Mepkin Abbey as monastic commissary of the c