2026 Entrances, Vows, and Ordinations

[Luigi]

News from two Trappist monasteries: 

1. On June 13, 2026, Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sister Marie Madeleine Beverly made solemn profession at the Mississippi Abbey (USA) in Iowa. 

2. On June 13, 2026, Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Brother Kenneth Hessemer made solemn profession at the monastery of Spencer (United States) in Massachusetts.  

[Luigi]

Pittsburg will ordain 5 men to the priesthood tomorrow, June 27, including 1 who is Deaf. That is soon-to-be-Father Erik Pintar. You can watch the ordination, live, at the link below. 

 

 

[Luigi]

Conception Abbey (Benedictine monks) in northwest Missouri received five postulants today. They currently have one novice and six monks in simple vows. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1457066953129001&set=pcb.1457067079795655 

[KaytePost]

On July 4th the Sisters of Life had four first vows. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DagSY1HD5Tz/?img_index=1

[Lou]

Our Lady of the Mississippi Trappistines

On June 13, 2026, Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sister Marie Madeleine Beverly made solemn profession at the Missisippi Abbey (USA). Sister Madeleine was born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA in 1989; she entered Mississippi in 2018 and made first profession in 2021.

 

St Mary's Abbey Glencairn Trappistines

On July 11, 2026, The Solemnity of Saint Benedict, Sister Beatrice Brady made solemn profession at St Mary’s Abbey of Glencairn (Ireland).

Sister Beatrice was born in Ireland in 1995. She entered Glencairn in 2018 and made first profession in 2021

[Luigi]

Saint Anselm Abbey (Benedictine monks) in New Hampshire posted on this announcement FB on July 1, 2026:

"On Tuesday, June 30th, three men were welcomed into our community as postulants. Please join us in welcoming Mr. Thomas Canuel, Mr. Kiean Hickey, and Mr. Jacob Akey back to Saint Anselm. Fr. Augustine will serve as their postulant director. Please pray for these men as they begin their monastic life with us. Please also pray that our community will continue to be blessed with vocations."

This monastery has seen a steady stream of vocations over the last fifteen years or so.

[Luigi]

August 15, 2025 - At Saint Anselm Abbey in Manchester, NH, on August 14, Mr. Noah Manuel was received into the novitiate and clothed in the monastic habit. Abbot Isaac gave him his religious name, Bro. Dismas. He should make first vows in a few weeks, good Lord willing.

March 21, 2026 - At Saint Anselm Abbey in Manchester, NH, Bro. Joseph Nicholas Wencis, O.S.B., professed temporary vows.

June 29 - St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, IL announced that Bro. Aaron Minix, OSB had made his first vow profession the previous week. He made his novitiate at Belmont Abbey in North Carolina where Father Elias Correa-Torres served as Brother Aaron's novice master. 

July 19 - Bro. Mark Nelson, OSB was ordained a transitional deacon at Conception Abbey in northwest Missouri. 

[Luigi]

The Dominican Friars of the Central Province announce that four novices will make first vows on August 3rd. They will have 23 men in their studentate this year. The five sixth-year friars should be ordained deacons soon, but I don't find any announcement of that. The 2026 novices should arrive in Denver, CO in the first or second week of August. I'll post that when it happens. 

The Dominican Friars of the Southern Province announce that four novices will make first vows on August 8th. They will have 20 men in their studentate. Their one sixth-year friar should be ordained a deacon soon, but I don't find any announcement of that. The 2026 novices should arrive in Houston around the first or second week of August. I'll post that when it happens. 

NB: The 23 Central Province student friars and the 20 Southern Province student friars all live at St. Dominic Priory in St. Louis and attend Aquinas Institute of Theology for their classes. St. Dominic Priory was originally a girls' academy run by the Sisters of Loretto - quite a big building - that closed. It was converted to temporary living quarters for homeless women and their children, under the aegis of eight congregations of women religious. When government funding for that ran out, the building sat empty until the Dominicans bought it and renovated it into their studentate. It has rooms for 50 friars (plus refectory, parlors, etc.), and at the time, they didn't have anything close to 50 students. Some people thought they were crazy to renovate such a large building. But it's full now! Forty-three students, and the other rooms are probably for the "senior friar community" - the student masters, some of the professors from Aquinas Institute, etc. 

The Dominican Friars of the Western Province announce that three friars professed solemn vows on May 30 at their provincial house in San Francisco. Five friars were ordained to the priesthood on June 26th. Four novices will profess first vows on September 5th. The 2026 novices should arrive in San Francisco the first or second week of August. I'll post about that when it happens. 

I have nothing to report from the Dominican Friars of the Eastern Province. They used to keep their social media very up-to-date, but some of what's listed as "news" on their site is from 2024. If anyone in The Pham has up-to-date information, please share it with us. 

 

[KaytePost]

The SOLT Family is having their national American Region assembly. During which Sr. Mary Ignatius of the Holy Family professed her perpetual vows. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Da4TmTuvKxq/

During this same time, the Brothers clothed 4 novices and several of their lay members took temp and perpetual vows as part of their lay association. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbCly0-lWBq/?img_index=1

 

[KaytePost]

The Sisters of Life just clothed three novices!

"On July 19, 2026, our postulants were invested in the religious habit of the Sisters of Life and received their religious names: (L-R) Sr. Gabriella Maria, Sr. Anna Wiktoria, and Sr. Mary Bethany."

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbGxtFQFB7x/?img_index=1

[KaytePost]

Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa had a first profession and perpetual profession recently! 
Gallery of each in the link on their website below. 

https://www.mariansisters.com/blog/profession-of-vows-photo-gallery

[KaytePost]

Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist had 3 perpetual professions.

"Congratulations to Sr. Fulton Marie, Sr. Joseph Lucia, and Sr. Catherine Paul on your perpetual profession! We are so grateful you're with us "for all your life!"

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1LDmWV7yhk/

Edited Tuesday at 11:59 PM by KaytePost

[Luigi]

I'm a little late with this one - the entrance happened on April 25th, the feast of St. Mark, in Clyde, MO, at the monastery of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration: "For more than 150 years, the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri, have been woven into the heart of northwest Missouri – and that story continued April 25 when they welcomed a new postulant into the congregation. Vanda entered during a Day Hour prayer service on the Feast of St. Mark, taking a sacred and exciting step on her journey of faith. She will spend the next year to 18 months fully participating in communal life and prayer while developing her personal prayer life, taking classes about monastic life and working in the monastery. She is originally from Minnesota and is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. She joins fellow 1980 graduate Benedictine Sister Nancy Rose Gucwa, OSB."

That last part intrigued me, so I clicked on the link (in the original story, Sister Nancy Rose Gucwa is hyperlinked), below. It has a couple of interesting stories - one about Sister Nancy Rose, the other about four chaplains who gave up their life jackets to sailors and went down with their ship during World War II (a story I've never heard before). Sister Nancy Rose also draws interesting parallels between military life and religious life. I thought the whole story was interesting and worth sharing. https://benedictinesisters.org/duty-to-god-and-country/

[Luigi]

All of the information below is taken from the web site of the American Cassinese congregation of Benedictine monks. I've grouped the announcements in chronological order within monasteries. 

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January 15, 2026~ Brother Thomas Lutz, O.S.B., Brother Atanasio Gacha, O.S.B., Brother Adam Stevens, O.S.B. and Brother Bruno Ramirez, O.S.B. were clothed in the monastic habit and received into the novitiate at Mary Help of Christians Abbey, Belmont, N.C. on January 14, 2026.

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May 24, 2026 ~ Father Francisco Whittaker, O.S.B and Father José Rosa, O.S.B. were ordained to the priesthood and Brother Bosco Hough, O.S.B, Brother Finnbar McEvoy, O.S.B, and Brother Bede Maxson, O.S.B were ordained to the transitional diaconate on May 23, 2026 in St. Vincent Basilica in Latrobe, PA by the Most Rev. Edward Lohse, D.D., Bishop of Kalamazoo and a 1988 alumnus of St. Vincent Archabbey Seminary. 

11 Jul 2026 - Brothers Lazarus (Emmanuel) Cacio, O.S.B. and Brother Wolfgang (Michael) Imboroni, O.S.B. were clothed in the monastic habit and received into the novitiate at St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, PA on July 10, 2026.

11 Jul 2026 - Father Gabriel St. Hilaire, O.S.B., Brother Christian Riley, O.S.B., Brother Casimir Stynchula, O.S.B. and Br. James Manzer, O.S.B. made their simple (first) profession of monastic vows at St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, PA during First Vespers for the Feast of St. Benedict on July 10, 2026. 

11 Jul 2026 - Brother Aidan Sheridan, O.S.B. made his solemn (final) profession of monastic vows on the Feast of St. Benedict, July 11, 2026 at St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, PA.

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February 11, 2026 ~ Brother Denys (Robert) Janiga, O.S.B. made his solemn (final) profession of monastic vows at St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, MN on February 10, 2026, the Feast of St. Scholastica. 

May 25, 2026 ~ Brother Felix Martin Mencias Babian, O.S.B., a monk of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN who is studying theology in Rome, was ordained to the transitional diaconate on May 23, 2026 in the Primatial Abbey Church of Sant’Anselmo on the Aventine hill of Rome by His Eminence Claudio Cardinal Gugernotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for Oriental Churches.

12 Jul 2026 - On the Feast of St. Benedict, July 11, 2026, Brother Jhonatan Olivan Romero, O.S.B. made his simple (first) profession of monastic vows, and Brother Hang Geum Augustine Oh, O,S.B. made his solemn (final) profession of monastic vows at St. John’s Abbey Church, Collegeville, MN. 

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13 Jul 2026 - On Sunday evening, July 12, 2026 during Evening Prayer Fernando Limbo, José Muñoz and Bryan Scotton were received as postulants at St. Mary’s Abbey, Morristown, N.J.  

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13 Jul 2026 - Father Bruno Mello, O.S.B. was ordained to the priesthood by the Most Rev. Gregory J. Studerus, D.D., on the Feast of St. Benedict, July 11, 2026 in St. Mary’s Church, Newark Abbey, N.J. 

NB: The two St. Mary's abbeys in New Jersey used to be one abbey, in Newark. During the 1960s, a majority of the monks voted to move to Morristown, while a minority of the monks voted to stay in the heart of Newark. Thus, there are two abbeys of the same name, twenty miles apart.