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On 26 February 2025, the new superior of the community of Benedictine Missionary Sisters of Tutzing in Sarevbrod (Bulgaria), Sister Regina Tesch , was installed. The Prioress General, Mother Rosann, conducted the ceremony during her first visit since taking office last January. Sister Regina was previously a General Councillor of the Congregation for ten years. osbtutzing.org

We inform you of a new scam attempt of fake mails sent by with the address: nuntius.apostolica@gmail.com. If someone receives an email from this address, they should absolutely not respond to it or make any phone calls. This is obviously a scam. Please be careful. Below we present the emails that some Superiors have received: Cher frère; La Nonciature Apostolique de la République Démocratique du Congo à la demande personnelle de Son E. Cardinal Orani João Tempesta, O. Cist. Archevêque métropolitain de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (Brésil) qui se trouve actuellement en visite pastorale en République Démocratique du Congo souhaite en urgence parler au téléphone avec son confrère pour une communication fraternelle.. Nous avons plusieures fois essayé de vous joindre mais sans y parvenir Vous pouvez rapidement joindre le cardinal au numéro suivant.+ 243994274689 (WhatsApp) Union des prières. + Mgr. Thomas BALDINI (chargé d'affaires) ocist.org

On 27 October 2024, Dom Jean-Marc Chéné, Abbot of Bellefontaine (diocese of Nantes, France), presented his resignation to the Abbot General. On 28 October 2024, the Abbot General, with the consent of his Council, accepted it and it became effective 9 December 2024. On 6 February 2025, at the request of Dom Thomas Georgeon, Abbot of La Trappe and Father Immediate of Bellefontaine, the Abbot General and his Council, in the name of the General Chapter, suspended the exercise of autonomy of the community of Bellefontaine and appointed Father Samuel Gonçalves as Monastic Commissary of the community (Cst. 34bis.1). The appointment became effective immediately. Dom Samuel was born in 1953 in La Rochelle (France). He entered Bellefontaine in 1977, made his solemn profession in 1982 and was ordained a priest in 1987. ocso.org Dom Samuel

A scam email is circulating in the name of Dom Eamon, our Abbot General Emeritus, requesting that you receive a visit to your community. ** Please do not pay attention to such messages. ** When you receive such an email, always check that the sender’s address is correct. ocso.org

On February 2, 2025, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Brother Mario Satrio Indro Muliono y Brother Pius X Alfius Pau made solemn profession at the monastery of Rawaseneng (Indonesia). Brother Mario was born in 1985 in Purworejo (Indonesia). He entered Rawaseneng in 2013 and made first profession in 2016. Brother Pius X was born in 1995 in Marangkayu (Indonesia). He entered Rawaseneng in 2017 and made first profession in 2020. ocso.org

On January 25, 2025, Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Sister Agnes Musiimenta made solemn profession at the monastery of Butende (Uganda). Sister Agnes was born in 1974 in Kabale (Uganda). She entered Butende in 2015 and made first profession in 2018. osco.org

We inform you of a new scam attempt via false emails: mrapttil@gmail.com. If someone receives an email from this address, they should not reply or download any attachments. This is obviously a scam. Please be careful. Below we present the emails that some Superiors have received: Dear Father Abbot Marc Guilhem, I hope you and your apostolate are doing well, for my part, I am doing well. I pray for you, for a fruitful mission there despite the pitfalls, and I keep you in my prayers. I have a childhood friend. Mr. Vincent Siret (email:prudelli61@gmail.com) belgian , resident in Brazil , lay catholic , business manager, lover of Switzerland, since he married a suisse woman from your host diocese, he told me entrusted a donation of 90,000 euros to support your apostolic works I can make a bank transfer of this amount to your account, so please provide me with your bank details for this purpose. Mr. Paolo Rudelli told me that he would be in Switzerland at the end of March 2025 for 18 days, and that he would come to visit you, he told me, with his wife. I have been writing a book for several years on the challenges and issues of Anglican pastoral ministry, it has just been published. My friend His Excellency Monsignor Alojzij Cvikl, Metropolitan Archbishop of Maribor in Slovenia, will be in Posieux from January 18 to 19 2025 on a private visit to see his convalescing cousin who lives there. Will you be available during these days to receive a copy of my book from him and will he be able to stay with you? Please find attached the copy of Bishop Alojzij's passport to be sure of this trip and have an idea of who you will receive. With my prayers + Edmilson Amador Caetano,O.Cist. Bishop of Guarulhos Brazil ocist.org

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I am writing to you from Korea where my own Congregation is holding a general chapter at the abbey of Waegwan, with 130 monks one of the larger communities of the order. The chapter had become necessary because the Ottilien Congregation needed to find a new abbot president after I became Abbot Primate. You will find more news about this in the Benedictine News and Elections section of this issue of NEXUS . Korea is in some turmoil right now because the president tried to undermine the democratic institutions of the country by declaring martial law a month ago. The institutions proved resilient, however, and the president is currently under arrest while the next steps are being negotiated. This is just one of the many instances of a world that seems to be changing dramatically, and sadly one of the more harmless ones. Since last Christmas, our Catholic Church has opened five Holy Doors into this world. They are doors of mercy, open reminders of the presence and approachability of God. Everyone is invited to cross the thresholds of these Holy Doors, regardless of their creed. At St Peter’s alone, more than half a million walked through the Holy Door in the first few days, and a few days ago I saw a long queue outside St Mary Major. On January 5th I went to the basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls where the last of these doors was opened. Cardinal Harvey, the archpriest of the basilica, presided over the dignified ceremony. St Paul’s is of course the site of a living Benedictine community. Many confreres from Sant’Anselmo and other Benedictine houses came together to join the monks of the abbey and to walk through the open gate of God’s love as a community. I was deeply touched by the symbolism of this open door. It does not need much explanation. All cultures have an understanding of the importance of doors, gates and thresholds, the Latin word for which has given us the adjective “liminal” to describe an experience of transition. Everybody grasps what it means that a door has been opened. Pope Francis has placed this Holy Year under the motto of Pilgrimage of Hope. The papal bull with which he announed this year of grace was entitled: Spes Non Confundit . Hope Does Not Disappoint. For us Benedictines, the Latin resonates with the text of the Suscipe , the antiphon which in so many of our monasteries is sung during the rite of profession. Et ne confundas me ab exspectatione mea . Do not let me be confounded in my hope. A very Benedictine jubilee, then. Let us hope so. I was recently reminded of the fact that hope is not a grace or a gift, but rather a virtue. We don’t talk a lot about virtues these days, and maybe we have to return to virtues more forcefully. In any case, virtues – rather than being simply a gift from above, are the result of consistent practice. Something to train and to work on, or part of our ascetic practice, in other words. I find this rather topical. Every now and then I hear from monks and others that they are discouraged when they hear leaders and confreres speak rather flippantly about being the last ones of their community, or about someone having to turn the light out when everyone is gone. “Who is still going to be here in 20 years time?” Well, no one if these voices gain the upper hand, that much is clear. I do not think we should lie to ourselves about the perspectives of some of our communities. But there is a difference between sober realism – which is a way of exercising truthful humility – and flippant and cynical talk that demoralizes and saps the strength and energy and good will of the brethren. There is perhaps a way to implement the Holy Year: by fostering and nurturing hope, not as blind optimism, but as a way of keeping doors open for God’s action in our lives and in our communities. Very fraternally, Abbot Jeremias OSB Abbot Primate osb.org

On 25 January 2025, the community of the Benedictine Abbey of Kremsmünster elected a new abbot. Abbot Bernhard Eckerstorfer succeeds Abbot Ambros Ebhart in this position, which he held for 18 years. Letter from Abbot Primate Jeremias congratulating Father Bernhard, who has spent many years at Sant'Anselmo: As abbot primate of the Benedictine Confederation and great chancellor of the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant’Anselmo in Rome, I warmly congratulate our rector, Fr. Dr. Bernhard Eckerstorfer OSB, on his election as abbot of the abbey of Kremsmünster in Austria. Above all, I extend my congratulations to his monastic community. With Abbot Bernhard, a mature religious with monastic seriousness, theological competence, and spiritual depth takes over the leadership of this venerable abbey. During his years of study and through his service at the international Benedictine university Sant’Anselmo in Rome, he has gained global experience. He will guide Kremsmünster into the future with heart, foresight, and his not inconsiderable charm. Obviously, our joy is mixed with regret. Here in Rome, Fr. Bernhard Eckerstorfer will be greatly missed as rector, professor, and confrere. His departure leaves a void that will not be easy to fill. As of today, the leadership of our university passes into the hands of the vice rector, Fr. Dr. Laurentius Eschlböck OSB, from the Scott’s Monastery in Vienna. Over the coming months, the competent authorities will search for and appoint a new rector for Sant’Anselmo. Sant’Anselmo and our Benedictine Confederation remain grateful that former Abbot Ambros Ebhart OSB released Fr. Bernhard in 2019 for this responsibility for the Benedictine world and the universal church. We trust that the abbey of Kremsmünster will continue to support the tasks of our Benedictine family in Rome and elsewhere also in the future. Sant’Anselmo, 25 January 2025 Jeremias Schröder OSB Abbot Primate https://www.stift-kremsmuenster.at/ osb.org

On 20 January 2025, the community of Novo Mundo (Diocese of São José dos Pinhais, Brazil) elected Father Estêvao Nery Fantesia Pinto as abbot for a six-year term. Dom Estêvao was born in 1979 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). He was a palatine priest and ordained in 2005 before entering Novo Mundo in 2010, made his solemn profession in 2014. At the time of his election, he was second superior of the community. ocso.org https://www.mosteirotrapista.org.br/

Known to readers of the AIM Bulletin for his articles and conferences, Dom Bernardo Bonowitz died on 19 January 2025 as a result of Lewy body dementia (LBD). Announcement of his death by the Novo Mundo community: https://www.mosteirotrapista.org.br/post/falecimento-de-dom-bernardo-bonowitz

We are advised of a new scam attempt via false emails sent by the alleged prioress Sr. Mary Elizabeth Schweiger OSB. If someone receives an email from this address, they should not reply or even enter the web page indicated in the same email. This is obviously a scam. Please be careful. Below we present the email that some Superiors have received: Dear Father I am Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger OSB, Prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of the United States. To learn more about our Priory, please visit our website: www.mountosb.org. Every year, Our benefactors helped us to raise funds and our wish is to share the fund with other religious communities or organizations to support their work. That is for this reason, I am contacting you to find out how we can send you our contribution to support your work . If necessary, I can send you an official letter with the letterhead and stamp of our Priory I remain at your disposal for any further information. Peace and Blessings Sr Mary Elizabeth Schweiger OSB Prioress ocist.org