On Thursday 19 December 2024, the community of Maredsous (Belgium) elected Father François Lear as its 9th abbot. Dom François Lear was born in Corpus Christi, Texas (USA), in 1962; he made his profession in 1984 and was ordained a priest in 2001. maredsous.com Dom François Lear. Front row, centre: Dom Bernard Lorent Tayart, outgoing Abbot and now President of AIM; Dom François Lear, new Abbot; and Dom Maksymilian Nawara, President of the Congregation of the Annunciation.

By Jeremias Schröder, Abbot Primate Dear Confreres and Sisters, Greetings from Rome! Today we are sending you the first installment of NEXUS, a news bulletin from the abbot primate for the Benedictine family. This is not a circular letter, and is probably not suitable for reading in the refectory. Rather, NEXUS wants to be a tool which brings our monasteries closer together by sharing news and information. It will be distributed via the abbot presidents to the monasteries. If you can, please share this with all members of your communities so that those who are interested can follow the different links and explore the many topics. We hope to produce NEXUS roughly once a month. One feature of NEXUS will be the necrology. Once a month we want to list all those confreres who have died since the last issue came out, so that their memory remains alive and prayers can be said for those you knew. Please help us to keep this necrology complete by sending your obituaries and death notices also to necrologium@anselmianum.com . *** Here in Rome, the last month was dominated by the Synod on Synodality. The final document of the synod has been accepted by the Pope Francis as part of his ordinary magisterium, and it will be exciting to see how this gradually begins to transform attitudes and our way of being church. Benedictines could be heard quite often saying that there is not much that is new for us. After all, synodality is part of our heritage and it is the way we have made decisions in the monastery since the time of Saint Benedict. While there is truth in this, it sounds a bit complacent. I believe that the way we live the traditional elements of synodality in our communities can probably be improved with the help of these more-recent insights, for example with the method of spiritual conversation. There is now also an attempt to strengthen synodal structures on the level of the Benedictine Confederation. Recently, we have established a regular joint meeting between the leadership of the Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum , the organisation of Benedictine women, and the Benedictine Confederation of monks. The moderator of the CIB and her vicaress come together with Abbot President Christopher Jamison at regular intervals to disuss issues that concern us all. The AIM, almost 60 years old now, is also being reviewed. During a meeting of its council at Poblet Abbey in late November, a number of proposals we elaborated may help us strengthen an organisation that provides a unique link between Benedictines, Cistercians and Trappists across the continents. *** I am writing this on the first Sunday of Advent. The Gregorian melody of the antiphon Iucundare with its drawn-out melisma still resonates with me. It is a sigh, but a sigh of hope. Hope is also the topic Pope Francis has given us for the Holy Year that will begin in a month’s time. May this Advent season find you hopeful, and may our houses be beacons of hope for those who look to us for inspiration! osb.org

Elections and nominations At the abbey of Pluscarden (Scotland, Subiaco-Cassinese Congregation), Fr Simon Piatkowski was installed as Prior Administrator for 2 ½ years. Prior Simon is 45 years old and was born in Poland. A longer report can be found on the website of Pluscarden . Inkamana Abbey (South Africa, Ottilien Congregation) elected Fr Boniface Kamushisi on 30 November. Abbot Boniface comes from Namibia and is 48 years old. He has previously been novice master and bursar of the community, and prior administrator since 2021. Inkamana currently has 33 members. The community runs one of the best schools in the country, and is responsible for several parishes. Abbot President Ignasi Fossas of the Subiaco-Cassinese Congregation appointed a new president for the Congregation of Ste Bathilde, Mother M.-Fabienne Huyon , prioress of St Thierry. Ste Bathilde is a Congregation with nine monasteries and almost 200 nuns according to the 2014 Catalogus. A good number of the nuns live in Vietnam. The monastery in Paris-Vanves hosts the secretariate of the AIM. The Dicastery has recently appointed pontifical commissaries for two communities deemed in need of such an intervention. Archbishop em. Ignazio Sanna (born 1942) was appointed to this function at the monastery of Farfa (Italy, Subiaco-Cassinese Congregation). In early October, Cardinal Fortunato Frezza rather suddenly replaced Abbot Luigi Tiana as papal commissary for the Congregation of the Oblates of Santa Francesca Romana, an ancient and venerable Benedictine community here in Rome at the monastery of Tor de’ Specchi. AIM council looks to the future In late November, the Council of the Alliance Inter-Monastères met at Poblet, a Cistercian Abbey in Catalonia, Spain. The incoming new president, Abbot Bernard Lorent of Maredsous Abbey, chaired a meeting for which some 27 participants from the Benedictines, Cistercians and Trappists had gathered. With a new president, an outgoing general secretary, a new abbot primate and major developments in the Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum , as well as a world that is undergoing significant transformation, it seemed a good time to start a review of the tasks and structures of the AIM. During a creative meeting, the council collected ideas and proposals that will help us to develop the AIM as a hub for communion and cooperation among Benedictine men and women, Cistercians and Trappists. Expect to hear more about this! Congress 2024 follow-up The Congress of Abbots 2024 left us with many tasks, including a deeper study of aspects of brothers as abbots, the preparation of The Benedictine Jubilee 529-2029, and a draft Benedictine calendar that must be submitted to the Holy See. Work on these is slowly starting, but “slow” is the operative word. One project that is already well under way is a training program for new abbots. The working group has already made some proposals and you will soon hear more. Patience, please! The other tasks are not forgotten, they simply require more time. osb.org AIM Council.

On December 9, 2024, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sister Wilma Chan Wai Man made solemn profession at the monastery of Macau. Sister Wilma was born in 1972 in Hong Kong, she entered in the Star of Hope in Macau Monastery in 2016, and made first profession in 2019. ocso.org

On December 8, 2024, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sister Giulia Maria Muth made solemn profession at the monastery of Valserena (Italy). Sister Giulia Maria was born in 1994 in Munich (Germany). She entered Valserena in 2017 and made first profession in 2019. ocso.org

Second letter: https://ocso.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Letter-From-Fons-Pacis-Syria-2-EN.pdf First letter: https://ocso.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Letter-from-Fons-Pacis-Syria-EN.pdf ocso.org

On 8 September 2024, Dom Santiago Maria Rios completed his six-year mandate as abbot of Azul (diocese of Azul, Argentina). On 13 September 2024, at the request of Dom Vincent Rogers, abbot of Spencer and Father Immediate of Azul, the Abbot General, with the consent of his Council, asked the Holy See for permission to name Brother Mario Arredondo as superior ad nutum of the community, in accordance with the rescript of Pope Francis of May 2023 concerning non-cleric superiors. The Holy See granted this permission on 11 November 2024, and on 8 December 2024 the Father Immediate appointed Brother Mario Arredondo as superior ad nutum of Azul. Dom Mario was born in 1955 in Rosario, Santa Fe (Argentina). He entered Azul in 1977 and made his solemn profession in 1983. At the time of his appointment, he was cellarer of the community. ocso.org

On 30 November 2024, the community of Inkamana in South Africa has elected for an unlimited period Fr. Boniface Kamushishi as their Fourth Abbot. Fr. Boniface was born on 13 November 1976, in Okakete, in the Archdiocese of Windhoek. He took his vows on 5 February 2000, and was ordained to the priesthood on 14 April 2007. For the past three years, he has faithfully served the community as prior administrator. osb.org

On 23 November 2024, at the request of Mother Rebecca Stramoski, abbess of O.L. Mississippi, who currently holds the authority of Father Immediate of the community of New Melleray, the Abbot General and his Council, in the name of the General Chapter, suspended the exercise of autonomy of the community of New Melleray (archdiocese of Dubuque, USA), and appointed Dom Joseph Wittstock , Abbot of Berryville, USA, as Monastic Commissary of the community of New Melleray (Cst. 34bis.1). This appointment became effective on 1 December 2024. By this decision, the service of Dom Brendan Freeman, abbot of New Melleray from 1984 to 2013 and superior ad nutum since 2021, comes to an end. ocso.org https://newmelleray.org/

This year, we’re introducing a new development as we prepare for the Catalogus 2025: collaboration with some sisters from the Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum (CIB)! A small team are starting to work on a digital platform to gather and manage this information more effectively for the future. In January, we’ll begin contacting the Congregations to gather the necessary information. The platform will streamline the production of the print version of the Catalogus and provide valuable services to the Congregations, such as assistance with Vatican Annuarium forms, Congregation directories, jubilee lists, statistics, and more. We look forward to collaborating with the whole Confederation and CIB and will keep you informed as the work progresses. By Fr. Patrick Carter, OSB, Secretary of the Abbot Primate osb.org

Sr. Gabrielle Marie Oestreich was elected on November 30, 2024 during the Norfolk Priory Election Chapter, which Sr. Rosann Ocken, OSB the outgoing prioress of Norfolk and Prioress General-Elect, presided. https://osbtutzing.org/sr-gabrielle-marie-oestreich-prioress-of-norfolk/ Norfolk: https://www.mbsmissionaries.org/

Shortly after his election in September, Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder appointed Fr. Brendan Coffey, abbot emeritus of Glenstal Abbey in Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland, as prior of Collegio Sant'Anselmo . Fr. Brendan will assume formal responsibility for his new role on 7 January. Joseph (Brendan) Coffey was born in Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland, in 1970. After studies in Saint Patrick’s College Maynooth and in Rome, he was ordained a priest of the diocese of Killaloe in 1995. After ordination, he pursued postgraduate studies in canon law at the Gregorian University in Rome, after which he was appointed curate in the parish of Kilrush. He entered Glenstal Abbey in 1998, taking the name Brendan. He professed simple vows in 1999 and made his solemn profession in 2002. After some years working in the abbey school as a housemaster and teacher of Classics, Fr. Brendan spent two years at Santa Giustina, in Padua, Italy, doing postgraduate studies in liturgy. On his return to Glenstal, he served as prior of the monastery from 2007 until 2015. He spent the academic year 2015-16 at the Catholic University of America where he began doctoral studies in liturgy. He was elected abbot of Glenstal in September 2016 and received the abbatial blessing in November 2016. During his tenure as abbot, he oversaw the restoration and refurbishment of the buildings and encouraged conferences, outreach programs, and interfaith initiatives, reinforcing Glenstal’s reputation as a center for both monastic and public engagement. He completed his mandate as abbot of Glenstal in July 2024. In 2018 he was appointed first assistant to the abbot president of the Benedictine Congregation of the Annunciation, a role he still holds. He was elected president of the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland in September 2021 and served the customary two-year mandate. Beyond his responsibilities at Glenstal, Fr. Brendan has been an active participant in the broader Benedictine confederation, contributing to monastic visitations, conferences and retreats. This experience and background led to his appointment as prior of Collegio Sant’Anselmo in Rome, a pivotal institution for Benedictine education and collaboration. In this role, he continues his service to the Benedictine confederation and the universal Church. osb.org Glendstal