On September 12, 2026, under the presidency of the Abbot General, Mother Pilar Avellaneda Ruiz, a nun of the Abbey of La Encarnación in Córdoba and Promotrix of the General Chapter of the Cistercian Congregation of St. Bernard (CCSB), was elected Abbess President of the Congregation. She succeeds Mother Angelines de Frutos Benito as Abbess President. She has served as Abbess President since 2013. The Brothers and Sisters of the Order wish God’s blessing upon the new Abbess Pr

On September 8, 2026, Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sister Annina Satta made solemn profession at the monastery of Our Lady of Valserena (Italy). Sister Annina was born in Cecina (Italy) in 1981; she entered Valserena in 2018 and made first profession in 2021. ocso.org

On Sunday, August 16th, three brothers, Brs. Sebastian, Pascal and David, made temporary vows and one brother, Br. Barnabas, made his solemn profession at Our Lady of Dallas. May we pray for these prayers and lift them up to the intercession of Our Lady! ocist.org

The General Chapter of September 2025 recommended (Vote 92) that the community of Victoria (diocese of Masaka, Uganda) consider the possibility of affiliation to Tilburg. The possibility was studied in Victoria and in Tilburg, and both communities rejected the idea. After a further special Visitation by two superiors of the Order, and in the light of the ongoing situation in the community, Dom Isaac Majoor, abbot of Tilburg and Father Immediate of Victoria, asked the Abbot Ge

The General Chapter of September 2025 voted (Vote 14) in support of the request to the Holy See by Dom Roberto DE LA IGLESIA, Apostolic Commissary of Viaceli (diocese of Santander, Spain) since 2020, to end the regime of Apostolic Commissary in that community. On 25 June 2026 the Holy See accepted Dom Roberto’s resignation as Apostolic Commissary. P. José Luis GALIANA HERRERO, monk of Cardeña, has been appointed Superior of Viaceli. Dom José Luis was born in Burgos, Spain in

On 30 August 2026, the Solemnity of the Dedication of our Church, Brother Alex Hooft made solemn profession at St. Sixtus Abbey (Belgium). Brother Alex was born in Dendermonde (Belgium) in 1971. He entered St. Sixtus Abbey in 2020 and made first profession in 2023. ocso.org

Dom Guillaume Jedrzejczak has been monastic commissary of the community of Latroun (Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Israel) since August 2022. The General Chapter of 2025 heard his report about the evolution of the community during that time, and the steps which remain to be taken so that the community can return to the exercise of its autonomy. A recent regular visitation confirmed both the good evolution of the community and the further steps which must be taken, and suggested t

On 15 August, 2026, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Brother Pacôme Assocle made solemn profession at Our Lady of Kokoubou Abbey (Benin). Brother Pacôme was born in Porto Novo (Benin) in 1988. He entered Kokoubou in 2019 and made first profession in 2022. ocso.org

On August 6, 2026, The Feast of Transfiguration, Sister Marie-Claire Nyiranzayirwanda made solemn profession at the Abbey of Our Lady of Kibungo (Rwanda). Sister Marie-Claire was born in Ruhengeri (Rwanda) in 1978. She entered Kibungo in 2018 and made first profession in 2021. ocso.org

The Abbot General and his Council wish all the brothers and sisters a blessed Feast of Saint Bernard and are pleased to present to the Order a new formation programme based on Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli tutti. We thank the members of the Order’s Formation Commission for their excellent work! ocso.org

On 15 August, 2026 the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sister Delis Yohana Dávila Bastidas made solemn profession at Our Lady of Coromoto Abbey (Humocaro - Venezuela). Sister Yohana was born in Mérida-Venezuela in 1993. She entered Humocaro in 2018 and made first profession in 2021. ocso.org

On 15 August, 2026 the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Brother Philippe Menetrier made solemn profession at Our Lady of Tamié Abbey (France). Brother Philippe was born in Dole dans le Jura (France) in 1963. He entered Tamié in 2021 and made first profession in 2023. ocso.org

The third issue of Colloquium from Matutum Monastery is available here. If you’d like to see the previous issues, you can find them here and here. ocso.org

OCSO newsletter n. 40: https://www.ocso.org/uploads/resources/formation/newsletter/Newsletter-40-EN.pdf Or: ocso.org

On August 6, 2026, The Feast of Transfiguration, Sister Aurore Huo Hong Xia made solemn profession at the Abbey of Our Lady of Good Hope, Échourgnac (France). Sister Aurore was born in Beijing (China) in 1972. She previously belonged to the Contemplative Sisters of St. John, where she had already made perpetual profession in 2001. She began her transitus at Échourgnac in 2022. ocso.org https://www.abbaye-echourgnac.org/

Mother Marie-Christine Villmain, Abbess of N.D. du Rivet, who currently exercises the responsibility of Father Immediate for the community of N. D. de Bon Secours, Blauvac (archdiocese of Avignon, France) requested that a monastic commissary be appointed for the community of Blauvac. The Abbot General thoroughly investigated the matter and, on 28 July 2026, with the consent of his Council and acting in the name of the General Chapter, suspended the exercise of autonomy of the

The community of Trappist monks at Mont-des-Cats (France) is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its foundation this year (1826–2026). Saturday 20 June was a day of celebration with families and loved ones: a Mass presided over by the Abbot; a festive meal in the refectory; and a talk by Mr Jean-Pascal Vanhove on ‘The History of the Abbey’. On 11 July, a celebration was held with monks and nuns and the Abbot General of the Order, Dom Bernardus Peeters. montdescats.fr ocso.or

On 23 July 2026, Dom Vincent Rogers completed his six-year mandate as abbot of St Joseph’s Abbey, Spencer (diocese of Worcester, USA). On the same date the community elected Fr. Timothy Scott as abbot of Spencer for a six-year term. Dom Timothy was born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA in 1960. He entered Spencer in 1988 and made his solemn profession in 1994. At the time of his election he was novice master in the community. ocso.org

Mother Rosaria Spreafico, abbess of the monastery of Nostra Signora di San Giuseppe, Vitorchiano (diocese of Viterbo, Italy) since 1988, offered her resignation to the Abbot General in the light of ST 40.A of our Constitutions. With the consent of his Council, the Abbot General accepted the resignation, which became effective on July 3rd, 2026 On 22nd July 2026, the community of Vitorchiano elected Sr. Maria Giovanna Locatelli as abbess for a six-year term. Mother Maria Giova

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