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 26 September 2026, Sisters Maurícia Wimbo Jaime and Ermelinda L. Mbimbi António will take their monastic vows at the Priory of Saint Benedict in Huambo (Angola).

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 General to appoint a monastic commissary for the community of Victoria. On 4 Sept 2026 the Abbot General, with the consent of his Council and acting in the name of the General Chapter, suspended the exercise of autonomy of the community of Victoria and appointed Fr. Eugene Onyeanusi, monk of Awhum, as monastic commissary of the community, in accordance with the Statute on Fragile Communities. The appointment is effective immediately. Dom Eugene was born in Nnewi (Nigeria) in 1971. He entered Awhum in 1998 and made his solemn profession in 2005. At the time of his appointment, he was Novice Master of Awhum. This appointment brings to an end the service of Dom John Bosco Kamali, abbot of Victoria 2013-2025 and superior ad nutum since 2025. 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

In early September 2026, the Chapter of the Congregation of the Annunciation met at Tyniec Abbey (Poland). On 5 September, Father Maksymilian Nawara was re-elected President of the Congregation for a four-year term. First Councillor (appointed by the President): Fr Brendan Coffey (Prior of Sant’Anselmo); Second Councillor (elected by the Chapter): Father Abbot Bernard Lorent Tayart (President of AIM); Third Councillor (appointed by the President): Sister Immaculée Umubyeyi (Prioress of Sovu); Fourth Councillor (elected by the Chapter): Father Abbot Clement Ettaniyil (Abbot of Kappadu); First Deputy (appointed by the President): Brother Kleophas Labeur (Egmont); Second Assistant (elected by the Chapter): Father Abbot Damien Toiliolo (Abbot of Valyermo).

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 1971. He entered Cardeña in 1993 and made his solemn profession in 1998. At the time of his appointment, he was the local superior in Viaceli. ocso.org

The Good Samaritan Inn marked a significant milestone in August this year with the turning of the sod for the construction of the Good Samaritan Village, a purpose-built crisis accommodation facility in Melbourne for women, children and gender-diverse people escaping family violence. By Debra Vermeer Supported by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and funded through a $6.9 million Australian Government Safe Places Inclusion Round grant, the Good Samaritan Village represents the next chapter in The Inn’s mission to provide compassionate, holistic support to victim-survivors of family violence. The Good Samaritan Inn’s CEO, Jemma Mead, said The Village had been purposefully designed to respond to the growing demand for crisis accommodation by combining safe, contemporary housing with the therapeutic and practical supports families need to recover and rebuild their lives. “It will cater for a similar target group as we have for The Inn in terms of people who are experiencing family violence, are in imminent danger and need to be in protective hiding,” she said. “But rather than being a communal facility like The Inn, it will be what is referred to in Victoria as a ‘core and cluster’ refuge. “After the Royal Commission into Family Violence it was recommended that communal refuges transition to a setting where each family has their own independent living unit with their own kitchen and bathroom, which provides them with more privacy, more autonomy. “The Inn is one of the only remaining communal refuges in Victoria, but we think it holds a special place and has a strong benefit for a range of folk, where the communal setting provides more peer support from other families going through similar situations. It is a very valuable model. “However, there are some families that it doesn’t suit, so it’s great for us to be able to have that choice in terms of what The Village will provide.” The turning of the sod ceremony brought together representatives from Federal, State and Local Government as well as the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, architects, construction and community partners, Catholic Social Services Victoria Executive Director Joshua Lourensz and local leaders, including the local Catholic school principal. The Chair of the Good Samaritan Inn Board, Patricia Bergin, said the ceremony recognised not only the beginning of a building project, but the continuation of a mission that had served vulnerable women and children for almost three decades. Sr. Catherine McCahill. “Almost 30 years ago, the Sisters of the Good Samaritan recognised a need in their community. Women and children escaping family violence needed more than emergency accommodation – they needed safety, compassion and the opportunity to rebuild their lives,” Patricia said during the ceremony. “They responded with courage and generosity, establishing what has become the Good Samaritan Inn. Today, that same spirit brings us here. “The Good Samaritan Village is the next chapter in that story. As the Good Samaritan Inn celebrates 30 years of service, it is fitting that we begin building a place that will extend our capacity to support women and children for many years to come.” The Good Samaritan Village joins not only the Good Samaritan Inn, but also the recently opened Good Samaritan Haven, which is located in a redeveloped former convent, and accommodates survivors transitioning from immediate crisis support to longer-term support to help them heal and recover from family violence. Designed by ClarkeHopkinsClarke, The Village will provide ten self-contained apartments with 22 bedrooms. The apartments are a combination of one, two and three bedrooms, with swing rooms allowing flexibility to adapt configurations depending on the size of families. The site will also include a communal therapeutic garden, program room, counselling rooms and office space. Families will be provided with risk assessments, safety planning, case management support, family violence counselling, art therapy, garden therapy and referrals to a range of other wraparound services. “Three of the units will be designed to meet the needs of people with different abilities: one for people with physical disabilities and mobility issues, one for people with hearing impairment and one for people with vision impairment,” Jemma said. “Priority will be given to Aboriginal women and children and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly women without permanent residency. “The Village will be completed and operational by July 2027, with the support of our Project Managers, Affordable Housing Solutions, and our builders, Stemcon.” Five Sisters of the Good Samaritan were present at the turning of the sod ceremony, including Congregational Leader Catherine McCahill, along with Kerin Caldwell, Meg Kahler and Grace Marcelo. Also present were Sisters Anne Dixon and Helen Mills, who together founded The Inn in 1996 as a modest shelter for homeless women in the suburbs of Melbourne. At the ceremony were Good Samaritan Sisters (from left): Grace Marcelo, Meg Kahler, Helen Mills, Anne Dixon, Kerin Caldwell and Congregational Leader Catherine McCahill. Photo credit: Good Samaritan Inn. Catherine spoke about the long tradition of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan in caring for women and children on the margins, dating back to the Congregation’s first work, a women’s refuge established in Sydney in the 1880s. She offered a prayer at the Blessing of the Site and Meg gave a closing prayer at the conclusion of the formalities. The ceremony also included an Acknowledgement of Country, the placement of a time capsule containing letters to commemorate the historic milestone, and the planting of a tree representing new life. In her contribution to the time capsule, Good Samaritan Inn Board member Kerin Caldwell reflected on the symbolism of the tree that was planted. “As it grows strong, spreads its branches and flowers, bringing joy to many, so may The Village be a place where women and children find shelter, can grow, spread their wings in hope, and flourish as they take up this new direction in their life journey,” she wrote. Blessing of the Site of the Good Samaritan Village. Speaking later, Kerin said the Sisters remain committed to supporting ministries like the Good Samaritan Village, working in collaboration with others. “We continue to plant the seeds that will one day grow, but we do it through the Board and the staff and our partners in ministry, because we Sisters are no longer the ones at the coalface,” she said. “We could not be here without government funding, the support of Catherine McCahill and her Council, and without good, committed people who work in the social welfare area and our generous volunteers. We’re dependent on these wonderful people to help those seeds to grow and flourish.” Patricia said that along with the construction of The Village and the ongoing operation of The Inn and The Haven, the Board was now focused on talks with the Victorian Government to try to secure operational funding for The Village once construction is complete. Information about how you can support the Good Samaritan Inn is available via the website. This article was published in the August 2026 edition of ‘The Good Oil’. https://www.goodsams.org.au

Maredsous Abbey, a Benedictine abbey located in Denée, in the municipality of Anhée in the Province of Namur, is one of Belgium's leading spiritual and tourist destinations. The site employs more than 200 people during the high season and is also home to a school and a visitor centre. The Maredsous Sound Festival is organised by the monastic community in partnership with the Diocese of Namur. For its very first edition, held on 28 and 29 August 2026, the Maredsous Sound Festival exceeded all expectations. More than 10,000 people came to Maredsous Abbey over the course of the weekend, and Friday night, headlined by Portuguese priest and DJ Padre Guilherme, sold out several days in advance. An international figure at the crossroads of electronic music and faith, Padre Guilherme delivered a set that will be remembered as the defining moment of this first edition — one that saw Benedictine monks join him on stage, in an image that has since travelled far beyond Belgium. One of the most memorable moments of the weekend came when several members of the monastic community joined Padre Guilherme on stage, in the middle of his set, accompanying his music with a sung prayer. Brother Benoît spontaneously coined the expression "techno-prayer" to describe the moment, while Father Abbot François Lear also joined Padre Guilherme behind the DJ booth — arguably the single most talked-about image of the entire festival. Never before had Benedictine monks taken part in one of the Portuguese artist's concerts in this way: a genuine world first, made possible by the relationship of trust built beforehand between Padre Guilherme and the Maredsous community. maredsous.com

The community at the General House of the Benedictine Missionary Sisters of Tutzing, in Rome, joyfully celebrated the feast day of their Superior General, Mother Rosann, on 23 August 2026. The day began with a Eucharistic celebration, giving thanks to God for the gift of her life and her Benedictine religious vocation. This celebration was followed by warm greetings and festive meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) shared by the community. In the evening, the community gathered in the common room for a short programme prepared in her honour. The gathering was marked by joyful greetings, expressions of gratitude, as well as moments of laughter and conviviality. Messages of good wishes from the various priories were also presented, making the celebration even more special and reminding us of the bond that unites our communities within the Congregation. It was a wonderful day of gratitude and joy, during which the General House community, together with our communities around the world, celebrated Mother Rosann’s feast day and gave thanks to God for the gift of her life, her vocation and her presence within the Congregation and the community. https://www.osbtutzing.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 that these steps can be better attained through the structure of affiliation than through the regime of a monastic commissary. Therefore, in accordance with the Statute on Affiliation, Dom Thomas Getti, abbot of Sept Fons and Father Immediate of Latroun, asked the Abbot General to approve the affiliation of Latroun to Sept Fons. At the same time, Dom Guillaume Jedrzejczak offered his resignation as monastic commissary of Latroun, in view of the proposed affiliation. On 20 July 2026, the Abbot General, with the consent of his Council, acting in the name of the General Chapter (Cst. 82.2): accepted the resignation of Dom Guillaume Jedrzejczak as monastic commissary of Latroun, to be effective on 1 Sept 2026; approved the affiliation of Latroun to Sept Fons, to be effective on 1 Sept 2026; named the following as members of the Commission for the Future of Latroun during the time of affiliation (Stat. Aff. #5): Dom Thomas Getti (Sept Fons); Mgr. Rafiq Nahra (auxiliary bishop of Jerusalem); Dom Emmanuel Cottineau (Council of the Abbot General); M. Maria de Nazareth Munganyiki (Clarisse, Jerusalem); Mme Manuella Affejee (Advisor for Religious Affairs, Consulate General of France in Jerusalem); Dom Guillaume Jedrzejczak. The exercise of autonomy of the community, suspended during the regime of monastic commissary, remains suspended during the time of affiliation. By this affiliation, Dom Thomas Getti, abbot of Sept Fons, becomes major superior of Latroun. Since the General Chapter of 2025 (vote 69) asked the Abbot General to assume the functions of Father Immediate for the community of Sept Fons until the General Chapter of 2028, by this affiliation the functions of Father Immediate of Latroun also pass to the Abbot General (Stat. Aff. #14). The Abbot General has delegated the functions of Father Immediate of Latroun to Dom Loris Tomassini of Frattochie for the time being. ocso.org

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

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