NEWS
of the Benedictine Confederation
and the Cistercian Family

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...

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 11 July 2025, Sister Marena Hoogland made her profession at the Monastery of the Annunciation (Bismarck, USA). Sister Marena entered...

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

During the Eucharist on Sunday, 10 August 2025, Sister Jeanne-Emilie, Sister Anne-Foucauld and Sister Claire-Bénédicte will take their...

From 1 to 8 June, the abbesses of five communities: Maredret (Belgium), Sovu (Rwanda), Zhytomyr (Ukraine) and Saint Lucia (online), as...

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...

This article was a response to a request from Abbot Primate Jeremias, who wrote, “I wanted to do a brief tour of the war-torn areas where...

On 30 May 2025, the Austrian Benedictine Congregation commenced its 400th anniversary celebrations with a pilgrimage to Mariazell...