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A Jubilee for the Entire Benedictine Family In 2029, the family of Orders living according to the Rule of Saint Benedict will celebrate a jubilee of exceptional significance: the 1,500th anniversary of the founding of Monte Cassino, the cradle of Western monastic tradition. This anniversary, commemorated at the initiative of the Benedictine Confederation on the site jubilee.osb.org, invites every community — Benedictine, Cistercian, and Trappist — to renew its fidelity to the Gospel and to monastic hospitality. The Associatio Internationalis Monastica (AIM), which has served the communion between monasteries throughout the world since 1961, is wholeheartedly joining this jubilee momentum. This milestone coincides with a moment of institutional renewal within AIM itself: revision of its statutes, strengthening of its governance structures, and the deployment of new digital tools in the service of its members. The jubilee of 2029 is therefore not merely a commemoration: it is an invitation to work together to build an international monastic alliance that is even more vibrant and united, so that we may bring together a little of Heaven down to earth.

Abbot Bernard Lorent Tayart, President of the AIM, paid a visit to the community of Benedictine nuns at Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi (Sorrento), on the occasion of the First Communion of a young girl whose parents are friends and oblates of the monastery. Abbot Bernard has known the community of nuns since his studies in Rome. The community, currently comprising five sisters, is one of the oldest in Italy (founded in the 9th century). The sisters are highly regarded on the Sorrento Peninsula. Their guesthouse is open and run by the guests themselves. The location is very popular with tourists.

Abbot Bernard Lorent Tayart had the opportunity to visit two former Benedictine sites in Belgium and Luxembourg: The former Abbey of Gembloux (Belgium) Founded in the 10th century by Saint Guibert, Gembloux Abbey quickly gained renown thanks to Sigebert, a learned monk of the 11th century known for his many travels. It was a prestigious abbey where the abbots held the title of count: the Count-Abbots of Gembloux. The abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution in 1796. There are depictions of Saint Benedict, his finger to his lips, thus inviting us to cultivate silence—both external and internal—in order to seek the presence of God and peace. The relic of Saint Guibert is also found there. Abbot Bernard Lorent Tayart conferred the sacrament of Confirmation in the abbey church. Procession in Guirsch (Luxembourg) On 25 May 2026, Abbot Bernard Lorent Tayart presided over the procession in honour of Saint Willibrord, founder of the famous Abbey of Echternach. The Whitsunday procession was established in 1692 to replace the compulsory pilgrimage to Echternach. The procession has taken place every year since 1692. Each year, neighbouring Belgian and Luxembourgish parishes converge on Guirsch. https://unite-pastorale-arlon.com/2026/05/26/guirsch-au-rythme-de-saint-willibrord-une-tradition-vivante-depuis-1692/

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

Bulletin 130, 2026 The OCSO General Chapter – The Jubilee of Benedictine Life If you would like to receive the AIM Bulletin by post, please contact us using the contact form: https://www.aimintl.org/en/contact See the articles: https://www.aimintl.org/en/communication/report/130 Contents Editorial Abbot Bernard Lorent Tayart, OSB, President of AIM On the subject of AIM • The New Statutes of AIM Abbot Bernard Lorent Tayart, OSB • Summary of the Financial Report Father Charbel Pazat de Lys, OSB In Memoriam Father Martin Neyt, OSB, former president of AIM The Editorial Team Lectio divina Homily on the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law (Lk 4:38-44) Dom Bernardus Peeters, OCSO Perspectives • “The Love of sharing and the sharing of Love” Dom Bernardus Peeters, OCSO • The Cistercian Charism in Today’s World Dom Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori, OCist • Intervention on the Cistercian charism at the OCSO General Chapter Mother Elizabeth Mary Mann, OCBE • Intervention on the Cistercian charism at the OCSO General Chapter Mother N. Ghijs, Bernard. Oudenaarde 529-2029: The Jubilee of Benedictine life • The Benedictine Jubilee Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder, OSB • Becoming Pilgrims in Time Abbot Antonio Luca Fallica, OSB • Introducing the Jubilee Book Mr. Adam Simon, Project Coordinator • “Awake!” Abbot Benedetto Nivakoff, OSB Great figures of monastic life • Dame Hilda Wood, OSB Benedictines of Stanbrook • Father Augustine Baker, OSB Sister Laurentia Johns, OSB News • The Holy Year at Saint Paul Outside the Walls Father Ludovico Torrisi, OSB • 13th Meeting of BEAO According to the account of Brother N. Koss, OS • 13th Meeting of EMLA Sister Cristina Lavinhati, OSB • 1300 Years of the Abbey of Novalesa Father Michael-Davide Semeraro, OSB • The Monastery of Morne Saint-Benoît Father Jacques Montfort, OSB • The Philippines during the tropical storms Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing • The Situation in Kiribati Sister Megan Kahler, OSB

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 entered the Monastery of Huerta in 2007 and made his solemn profession in 2013. At the time of his election, he was serving the community as Prior. ocso.org

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

Mass on 8 May 2026 at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris (France) to mark the 30th anniversary of the murder of the seven Trappist monks of Thibirine, presided over by Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers. Mass on 10 May 2026 at Aiguebelle Abbey (France) to mark the 30th anniversary of the murder of the seven Trappist monks of Thibirine, presided over by Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers. ocso.org

On 18 April 2026, the new Benedictine mission center was inaugurated in Dodoma. Rooted in the Gospel and Benedictine spirituality, the mission integrates education, sustainable agriculture and pastoral care to serve the local community. The Benedictine mission continues to unfold across regions and contexts, integrating social, spiritual and pastoral work rooted in the Gospel. In Tanzania, Ndanda Abbey is expanding its presence to meet urgent local needs. On 18 April 2026 the Archbishop of Dodoma, Most Rev. Beatus Kinyaiya OFM Cap, officially inaugurated the new Benedictine mission-center in Dodoma. The ceremony was attended by Abbot Christian Temu, the Regional Commissioner of Dodoma, superiors and delegates from the Ottilien Congregation in Africa. At the congregation level the occasion was graced by the presence of Fr. Maximilian Grund (procurator of the congregation who also represented the Abbot President), Fr. Maurus Runge — mission procurator from Königsmünster Abbey — and Fr. Noach Heckel from the council of the congregation. Blessed Isidore Bakanja is the patron of the new community, which is in the national capital. Despite assumptions that urban centers are well served, Dodoma faces considerable social deficits: limited schooling, poor health infrastructure and advancing desertification. In five months on the ground the community has already encountered many children who have never attended school. These realities underscore the urgency of a modern, sensitive evangelization that combines pastoral care with practical development. Education is a central focus. The Abbey’s secondary school currently educates 97 learners, fostering Benedictine spirituality alongside academic formation. Pastoral outreach expanded in December 2025 when Ndanda Abbey was entrusted with St. Francis Xavery Michese parish, five kilometers from the community house. The parish serves an estimated 2,000 active faithful and includes an outstation still under construction. Fr. Samwel Njau OSB serves as parish priest, living within the community. Practical projects directly improve daily life: the community has completed a borehole to provide year-round clean water to villagers who previously walked up to seven kilometers. Restoration of gardens, rainwater-harvesting techniques, tree planting and catechetical renewal are strengthening pastoral care while addressing environmental decline. Ecology and agriculture form a distinct dimension of Benedictine witness. Embracing the “Make Dodoma Green” initiative, the community has planted thousands of trees over three years, transforming parched land and combating desertification. Agricultural projects include bananas, maize, groundnuts, cassava and various fruit trees with an acre of grapes expected to yield juice by January 2027. These initiatives model sustainable food production, foster food security and teach stewardship of water, forests and soil as God’s creation rather than commodities to be exploited. The Benedictine approach — ora et labora (prayer and work) — integrates Benedictine spirituality, education and environmental stewardship. The new mission promotes holistic growth through an Eco Club, vocational formation in the school under the motto “Learn, grow, succeed,” and community engagement that prioritises teamwork and Gospel values. Despite challenges — illiteracy and lack of primary schools in the vicinity — the establishment of the Dodoma mission is timely and strategic. Supported by Benedictine confrères, benefactors and local partners, the community trusts in Providence and aims to continue proclaiming the Gospel through practical service, ecological renewal and education, bringing tangible hope to Dodoma’s people. Fr. Damian Msisiri OSB Dodoma Community Superior https://abbey.ndanda.org/

The Benedictine Confederation has formally opened its global journey towards the 2029 Jubilee, which will mark 1,500 years since the foundation of Montecassino by Saint Benedict in 529. The opening celebration took place on Saturday 25 April in Norcia, the birthplace of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica, with the participation of Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder, Archbishop Renato Boccardo of Spoleto-Norcia, Abbot Benedict Nivakoff of Norcia, 100 monks and nuns from more than 20 countries and local dignitaries. Entitled “Places of Hope since 529”, the Benedictine Jubilee will follow the locations and themes that shaped Saint Benedict’s life: 2026: Norcia — “Awaken” 2027: Rome — “Listen” 2028: Subiaco — “Grow” 2029: Montecassino — “Flourish” The year 2026 marks the beginning of preparation for this jubilee, starting from Norcia where Saint Benedict and his twin sister, Saint Scholastica, were born, baptized and raised. “Norcia brings us back to what is essential: to baptism,” said Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder. “When we speak of family, we do not mean only our monastic community, but the universal fraternity of all Christians, the great family of God.” Abbot Benedict Nivakoff drew a parallel between the destruction caused by the 2016 earthquake in Norcia and the rebirth he hopes and prays for all Benedictines. “I think of a rebirth that awaits every monk of our Order — whom you represent here today from all over the world,” he said. “In Christ, every day can be a rebirth. Ten years ago, after the earthquake, we thought our future had come to an end. Yet often it is only when we think there is no future left, when in our monastic life we feel that our strength is exhausted, that God can intervene. It is then that our life can truly become His”. Archbishop Renato Boccardo affirmed the importance of Benedictines in the life of the Church and of his diocese. “I feel moved to entrust to you, to your prayer and to your dedication, the daily journey of our Church and of the diocese, so that we may preserve the memory of Saint Benedict, interpret it in the light of our present time, and continue offering men and women today, amid the uncertainties of our age, orientation and direction for their lives”. osb.org https://jubilee.osb.org/en

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 Vietnamese, English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Polish and Portuguese. Participation in the study day is free of charge. To register, please email: liturgia@ocist.org => please provide your NAME, LANGUAGE and EMAIL ADDRESS. You will receive the participation link in good time. 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