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

"Benedictine Education, a Foundation for Life" AIM-USA: aim-usa.org

This morning at 11:00 a.m., Pope Leo XIV arrived at the Abbey . It was a private visit, requiring the utmost confidentiality. From the early hours of the morning, the arrival of an illustrious figure was evident. A Head of State was suspected, a presence to which the Monastery of San Benedetto has always been accustomed. The emotion was intense when, from the dark car that had driven up to the entrance door, the white robe, symbolizing the leader of the Catholic Church, descended. The Holy Father immediately showed his availability, stopping to greet everyone, much to the incredulity of those present. @Vatican News He was welcomed by Father Abbot Dom Luca Fallica, Prior Jordi Augustí Piqué, Archbishop Emeritus of Gaeta Bernardo D'Onorio, and the entire Benedictine community. After passing through the Abbey Cloisters, Leo XIV looked out from the Loggia del Paradiso to admire the splendid view of the valley. A moving visit to the museum was also made, where the Pontiff paused in the section dedicated to the destruction of the Monastery during the Second World War. The Pope also visited the archive curated by Don Mariano Dell'Omo and the library curated by Don Alessandro Trespioli. In the Cathedral Basilica, there was a moment of prayer at the tombs of Saints Benedict and Scholastica. The Holy Father prayed at Sext with the Community in the Chapter Hall. Leo XIV wished to leave a testimony of his visit by donating a splendid chalice to the Community. Gradually, news of the Pope's presence spread among the Abbey's visitors. Groups of visitors gathered and joined in applause. The Pope greeted and blessed those present. After lunch with the Community, Leo XIV left the Abbey at 2:45 pm. "A truly beautiful surprise ,"said Abbot Fallica." Unexpected. A strictly private visit. The community was only notified today. We had been asked to maintain the utmost confidentiality. However, this made the visit even more beautiful because it was more simple, more familiar, like a father coming to visit his children." abbaziamontecassino.it Article of Vatican News : https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-07/pope-leo-montecassino-abbey-st-benedict-pray-peace.html

On Sunday 19 July 2026, at the Sanctuary of the Sacro Speco in Subiaco (Italy), the Abbot President of the Congregation of Subiaco-Montecassino, Father Ignasi M. Fossas, presided over the Eucharistic celebration to mark the feast of Saint Benedict, abbot and patron saint of Europe. Following the celebration, a Eucharistic procession took place, culminating in the blessing of the town. https://www.benedettinisublacensicassinesi.org/news/a-subiaco-per-i-festeggiamenti-di-san-benedetto-patrono-deuropa/

On 11 July 2026, the Feast of Saint Benedict, Patron of Europe, the monastic community of Montecassino marked a significant transition in its spiritual preparation for the abbey’s 1,500th anniversary in 2029. To mark this occasion, Abbot Luca Antonio Fallica, OSB, has shared an address with the Benedictine Confederation. In his address, entitled By Your Light We See the Light, Abbot Luca reflects on the famous vision of Saint Benedict recorded by Saint Gregory the Great, in which the saint beheld the entire world gathered within a single ray of sunlight. Abbot Luca contrasts our contemporary experience of a fragmented, conflict-ridden history with Benedict's expanded heart, which was enlarged to view reality through the unifying lens of God's own vision. Monastic life, he suggests, is a continuous journey of interior unification — symbolised by the early miracle of the mended sieve — where the heart is restored from division to wholeness. The address explores how the teaching of Pope Paul VI. on the Benedictine triad of the cross, the book and the plough continues to speak to our modern age. In an era dominated by digital revolution and artificial intelligence, Abbot Luca calls for a renewed monastic engagement with contemporary culture, urging communities to safeguard what is human and to foster genuine dialogue. By remaining authentic seekers of God, monasteries can serve as vital places of encounter and hospitality for all who search for truth and meaning, whether or not they possess an explicit faith. The complete text of Abbot Luca Antonio’s address, which offers rich material for community chapter, lectio divina, and personal reflection, is available for download in seven major European languages. Letter: https://osb.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Alla-luce-vediamo-la-tua-luce-11-luglio-2026-Inglese.pdf osb.org

From 6 to 13 July 2026, a group of Vietnamese monks and nuns from monasteries belonging to the Congregation of Subiaco-Montecassino undertook a pilgrimage to Rome and to the main Benedictine sites in Lazio. These monks and nuns, who are living in France whilst pursuing their studies, were welcomed by the Abbot President, Father Ignaci M. Fossas, at the Curia of Saint Ambrose. During this pilgrimage, they visited the Abbey of St Paul Outside the Walls, the Abbey of Subiaco and the Abbey of Monte Cassino, accompanied by the Exarch-Hegumen of the Abbey of Grottaferrata, Monsignor Manuel Nin, OSB. https://www.benedettinisublacensicassinesi.org

General Chapter of Monastic Congregation of Saint Scholastica: June 25 - July 1, 2026, at Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center, Marriottsville, MD (USA). The Monastic Congregation of St Scholastica is happy to announce the election of Sr Kimberly Porter as Congregation President. Sr Kimberly is a member of St Walburga Monastery in Covington, Kentucky. The Congregation Council was also elected. They are Sr Andrea Westkamp (Bistow, Virginia), Sr Charlotte Zalot (Erie, Pennsylvania), Sr Susan Quaintance (Chicago, Illinois), Sr Tonette Sperando (Cullman, Alabama) and Sr Elaine Fischer (Atchison, Kansas). https://www.monasticcongregationss.org/ Kimberly Porter.

Press Release Conception Abbey Communications Department On Saturday, 11 July 2026, the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey, in Conception, Missouri, elected Fr Paul Sheller OSB, as their new abbot. He becomes the 11th abbot in Conception Abbey’s 153-year history, succeeding Abbot Benedict Neenan OSB, who has retired after 10 years of abbatial service. The election of Abbot Paul took place within a private meeting of the monks of Conception Abbey on Saturday, 11 July. Before the election, the monks of Conception Abbey gathered in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit, invoking the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance in the election process. The Right Rev. Justin Brown OSB, president of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation, was the principal celebrant for the Mass and oversaw the election. The new abbot assumes his responsibilities as the spiritual and temporal leader of the community immediately; as is custom, a formal blessing will take place at a later date. Abbot Paul, 44, was most recently assigned as Director of the Abbey Guest Center in 2024, in addition to his roles as Vocation Director and Master of Ceremonies. After spending his formative years in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Abbot Paul professed vows as a Benedictine monk on 15 August 2006, and was ordained a priest on 16 May 2013. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Conception Seminary College in 2005 and a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology from Saint Vincent Seminary in 2013. He later earned a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University in 2020. Since joining the monastery, Abbot Paul has served in various roles, including Abbey Subprior; Admissions director, Spiritual Formation director, chaplain, and instructor for Conception Seminary College; Planned Giving director; Tower Topics editor; and most recently Abbey Guest Center director, Vocation director, and Master of Ceremonies. Founded in 1873 from a monastery in Engelberg, Switzerland, Conception Abbey strives to continue its mission of prayer and service to the Church. The 51 monks of Conception Abbey operate Conception Seminary College, which educates future priests and permanent deacons, the Abbey Guest Center, and Altar + Home, a retail ministry for the domestic church. osb.org https://www.conceptionabbey.org/

On 11 July, the Abbot of Le Barroux established a new dependent priory at Bellefontaine Abbey. Bellefontaine was previously inhabited by a Trappist community that has now left the monastery and made it available to the Benedictines. In a message, Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder thanked the Trappists for their generosity and emphasised the clear witness of the monks of Le Barroux, who live out their attachment to the traditional liturgy in clear fidelity and obedience to the Holy See. On 8 July, the General Chapter of the English Benedictine Congregation elected Abbot Robert Igo of Ampleforth as the new Abbot President. He succeeds Abbot Emeritus Christopher Jamieson of Worth, who had held this office since 2018. During the first week of July, Abbot Primate Jeremias, together with the abbots of Montecassino, Pannonhalma and Einsiedeln, the Abbess of Bastia Umbra and monks and nuns from Vienna, Berlin and Dumenza, visited several Russian Orthodox monasteries in the Moscow region. The visit follows the tradition of Benedictine ecumenical commitment and represents an effort to build a monastic bridge between the Churches during a difficult time. On 30 June, the osbatlas website was taken offline. The site was the fruit of the work of Fr. Stefano Visintin OSB, former Rector of Sant’Anselmo and current Abbot of Praglia. For many years, it was the only internet platform where all the monasteries of our Order could be found. This role has now been taken over by the jubilee website jubilee.osb.org/monasteries, which already includes all monasteries for men and will soon incorporate monasteries for women as well. On 29 June, Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder signed a cooperation agreement with representatives of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. The museum's researchers are investigating the background to the persecution and rescue of Jews in Rome during the German occupation of the Eternal City. They discovered around 1,000 pages of documents on these subjects in the archives of Sant’Anselmo. The agreement regulates the access, digitisation and use of these materials. On 28 June, Abbot Melvin Valvano of Newark passed away. He served as Abbot of the monastery for 47 years and was also Abbot President of the American-Cassinese Congregation from 1989 to 2001. On 25 June, Sister Maura Zatonyi was appointed Pro-Coordinator of the Monastic Institute at Sant’Anselmo. Sr. Maura belongs to the community of Eibingen Abbey (Beuron Congregation) and is an expert on Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church. 24 June: The earthquake in Venezuela, which claimed the lives of several thousand people, also damaged the former Benedictine Abbey of San José in Caracas. The current monastery in Güigüe (Congregation of Saint Ottilien) was shaken, but sustained no damage. The collapse of another former Benedictine building near Caracas airport resulted in the deaths of 147 people who had recently been deported from the USA. On 21 June, the General Chapter of the Swiss-American Congregation voted in favour of the provisional admission of Weston Priory (Vermont), which had previously been directly subject to the Abbot Primate. On 11 June, new regulations for the officials of Sant’Anselmo came into force. The service of the confreres in our Roman house regularly ends upon reaching the age of 75. On 29 May, Saint Mauritius Priory in Bakonybél (Hungarian Congregation) attained independence. On 1 June, Father Izsák Baán Zsolt OSB was elected as the first Conventual Prior. Prior Izsák also serves as a professor at Sant’Anselmo. osb.org

A few months ago, in response to the Jubilee theme "Places of Hope Since 529", I received an email from confreres asking me to write about "hope without hope". They were hoping for a word for those communities whose history is foreseeably coming to an end. And indeed, there are quite a few of them in our Order. The decline of monastic communities is part of history. We know this, of course, but we sometimes push it aside. Recently, I was leafing through the Monasticon Italiae and noticed that over various centuries there have been a total of around 170 Benedictine monasteries in Rome. Currently, there are about ten! We are naturally delighted, and not a little proud, that there are some monasteries with a genuine history of more than a thousand years. But the monasteries that no longer exist were also important. There, brothers and sisters lived out their faith and their vows for decades or centuries, shaping their time and land with their prayer and radiating an influence on their surroundings. Finitude and mortality are part of human life. The Rule exhorts us to keep death daily before our eyes. This is primarily said for each individual. But monasteries are not promised eternal life either, unlike the Church as a whole. Benedict himself foresaw the destruction of Montecassino. A fresco in Montecassino shows him with tears on his face at the vision of the destroyed monastery. The demise of a monastery is not merely a catastrophe or a failure. Above all, it is also a task that must be shaped. What should remain? What can be passed on from the monastery's heritage, and how? How can we help the brothers or sisters remain faithful to their vocation until the very end? I do not wish to minimise this. There is pain and often, no doubt, the gnawing doubt: What did we do wrong? Letting go as a virtue also means being able to detach oneself from these questions. It is the hour of the Nunc Dimittis, understood in an Easter sense. The discernment of spirits is also important here. When should a community really seriously prepare for its end? If you are only driven by circumstances, it is too late. Then it often becomes miserable, or one becomes a caricature or a plaything of the media, as recently happened to a convent of nuns in Austria. However, I am also against giving up too early. Monasteries that actually still have strength, but perhaps out of a misunderstood resignation to fate, block their own path to the future. One should always leave a loophole open for the grace of God. There is the beautiful story of Sigebert Buckley, the last monk of Westminster Abbey, the last English monastery. The 90-year-old, who had to spend the twilight of his life under house arrest after the dissolution of the monastery, clothed two young Englishmen in 1607, who became the nucleus for the renewal of the English Benedictine Congregation. One cannot count on such things, but the Succisa Virescit—this motif of our monastic tradition featuring a tree stump from which a new branch grows—has more than once allowed new blossoms to grow from very unpromising disruptions and transitions. Though monasteries may decline, Benedictine life carries much vitality within itself and is still needed in our Church. Therefore, I am not anxious about the future of our Order. In Montecassino, opposite the fresco of the weeping Benedict, is another image: the vision of the passing of Saint Scholastica. Alongside the continuation or decline of our monastic communities, there is always the individual. Our Benedictine life paths are closely interwoven with our monasteries and communities, but we also remain monachos—solitaries, persons and individuals on the way to God. This is the deepest mystery of our life, before which even the history of our institutions loses its significance, however important and moving it may be. This is where the deepest hope has its place, and here, perhaps even more than in monastic historiography, Benedict's maxim applies: Never despair of God's mercy. This sounds like a commandment, but it is actually a promise, and the deepest ground of our hope. At the beginning of July, I was in Russia with some confreres and sisters. This journey, which took place under difficult circumstances, was entirely monastic in its focus: It was about meeting monks and nuns who have hardly any international contacts left. When I returned, our students had already left, and the last professors are now also departing for their monasteries. What remains is a small core team that maintains the life and prayer in the house and accompanies the various summer programmes—oblate studies, leadership course and sabbatical. I myself will be in Germany and Austria a few times, but there will only be enough time for a short holiday in the autumn. Before that, we will celebrate the CIB Symposium here in Rome, and then in mid-September the Synod of Presidents in Rwanda. By then, it will already be two years since the Congress of Abbots at which I was elected—time for an interim review. In many places, the holidays have now begun, and I wish everyone a few weeks that are somewhat more peaceful than the usual annual cycle. Among us Benedictines, it is no secret that, as children of the 21st century, we also experience the rhythms of our contemporaries. Hopefully somewhat more moderately than many others, so that we too can be "places of hope" in this regard, since 529. With warm greetings from Rome, Jeremias Schröder, OSB, Abbot Primate

The lockdowns and most of the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic were over, but Benedictine monasteries across the United States were left with a new problem. They could gather in groups inside their monasteries again, but travel and gathering in larger groups with sisters from other monasteries was still not safe, so they needed to hold hybrid meetings, where some participants were face-to-face and others joined by video conferencing. The pandemic made almost all of us able to use technology such as Zoom, especially for one-on-one communications, but hybrid meetings involving dozens or even hundreds of people are another matter, especially when the vast majority of participants are over the age of 70. These four Benedictine sisters, from four different monasteries in four different states, now travel the country — in matching polo shirts — setting up and running the technology for Benedictine gatherings, whether in person, online or hybrid. Benedictine Tech Ministries team members include, from left, Sr. Raphaela Cady, Sr. Tamra Thomas, Sr. Michelle Sinkhorn and Sr. Stefanie Macdonald. (Courtesy of Benedictine Tech Ministries) https://bentechministries.wixsite.com/ben-tech-ministries Sr. Michelle Sinkhorn, from Ferdinand, Indiana, said that once the team got started and, thanks to a Leadership Conference of Women Religious grant, bought the needed equipment, the interest in their services was immediate. "We just had this one set of equipment, and the demand was incredible. Within the first year and a half, we were having to turn down requests — we just couldn't cover everything," she said. "Having just the four sister technicians was OK, but we couldn't get the equipment from one place to another in time." So they applied for another LCWR grant and not only bought a second set of equipment, but in March also held a conference to train more sisters on how to use it and adapt the equipment for their monasteries. They're not at all worried about putting themselves out of business, as the idea was to employ more sisters to nurture their own technological abilities to help their monasteries and possibly help Benedictine Tech Ministries in the future. "We're not competitive," she said. "We very much want other sisters to be able to learn and do what we do so they can take care of their own monasteries when needed." The ministry rose out of a gathering of younger Benedictine sisters called 55 & Under. At the gathering in 2023, Sinkhorn said, they created a list of the sisters with an interest in technology, and out of that list came Benedictine Tech Ministries. Now, they affectionately call themselves "tech geeks." A year later they had the LCWR grant and a website and got to work. Benedictine Sr. Jeanne Weber, from the monastery in Yankton, South Dakota, and president of one of the federations Benedictine communities belong to, said there were many attempts by monasteries to hold hybrid meetings after the pandemic, but only limited success. "We didn't have the equipment or the knowledge to set up an effective hybrid meeting," Weber said, so Benedictine Tech Ministries "is incredibly helpful." "To have it be a quality experience, especially for the people online, that's the challenge," she said. Weber said Benedictines are focused on collaboration, so the 55 & Under attendees are encouraged to form interest groups across monasteries and come up with projects the group as a whole can consider. She said the projects are debated like the television show "Shark Tank," but since they're all Catholic sisters and far gentler than the harsh criticism that marks the TV series, they call it the "Manatee Tank." Other projects that have come out of the process are a leadership training series that is up and running, and a service project to Mission House, a ministry of the Benedictine monastery in Boerne, Texas, that serves immigrants coming into the United States and the poor and disenfranchised on both sides of the Mexican border at Eagle Pass, Texas. She said the team hopes to grow the ministry because the need is greater than they can currently fill — there have even been requests to create similar teams for areas outside the U.S. Right now, Sinkhorn said, they don't work internationally except for one global Benedictine event in Rome. "We don't like to take our equipment out of the country," she said. "It's very stressful." The services are not free, but the fees the team charges only cover their costs and a stipend for their community to cover the work and time away from their own monasteries, Sinkhorn said. "It's a ministry, not a business." By Dan Stockman https://www.globalsistersreport.org/how-benedictine-tech-geek-nuns-help-religious-communities-connect-again https://fedstben.org/

On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, a significant step forward was taken in building our global network for the Jubilee via a shared Zoom call. For the first time, Regional Promoters (monks and nuns leading the process) and Coordinators (monks, nuns, or laypeople in support roles) gathered to align on their shared mission: “To animate, connect and support regional contribution to the Benedictine Jubilee 2029, helping monasteries, congregations and Benedictine-inspired communities to enter freely into a decentralized process of spiritual renewal.” Abbot Jeremias Schröder opened the session, inspiring the group with a vision of the Jubilee as a profound time of renewal and hope. The rest of the meeting was a time of sharing information with the Regional Promoters to enable them to pass on the same information in their regions. A website to welcome the world – jubilee.osb.org We shared the fundamental purpose of the Jubilee website which is to encourage people to join in. The website is there so that the world can discover our monasteries, plan pilgrimages and learn about Benedictine life. As doors open, the role of our monasteries remains what it has always been: to welcome people as if they were Christ Himself. Branding assets: We shared the Jubilee logos and digital assets which are available to all Benedictine monasteries free of charge. We would love to see these appearing on your local websites, books, and souvenirs. Access to branding. Need another language? The logos are already available in 6 languages. If you need a different language, please email me and we will help create it. Update your details. An email was sent out to all monasteries (male only at this stage) at the start of May to check their details on the new Jubilee website. Around 50 of 400 have responded. Please check that the details about your monastery on the Jubilee website are correct and email me if you need help. The four-year spiritual journey We shared the Jubilee themes. The Jubilee is designed as a progressive spiritual journey following the life of Saint Benedict, rooted in gratitude, penitence, renewal and hope. Over the next four years, our focus will move through four distinct themes: Awaken (Norcia) Listen (Rome) Grow (Subiaco) Flourish (Montecassino). Articles and reflections will be posted regularly on the website to guide communities along this path. Connect with the worldwide network We shared our social media and newsletter plans. Since June 2026, our social media channels have taken on a fresh new look with consistent, regular posting. Follow us: Find us at @osbdotorg on Instagram, X, and Facebook. Tag us: Use the hashtags #placesofhope and #benedictinejubilee in your local posts so we can share your updates Newsletter: Look out for the launch of the new Jubilee newsletter this July. Get involved We are building a worldwide social media network. If you are responsible for social media or public relations in your monastery or congregation, or if you have an event to share for the Jubilee website, please contact me. An article has just appeared in OSV, a worldwide Catholic news agency, which is the type of coverage which will help to promote the Jubilee. Adam Simon 2029 Project Coordinator adam.simon@anselmianum.com P.S.: This article was written in the guest house in Montecassino. On 10 July, Cardinal Pizzaballa is coming to Montecassino to receive the Pacis Nuntius award which was announced in March. In the next edition of Nexus, I will be able to share how things are progressing with events that are being organised and the new events space on the website where these will be shared. osb.org