The community of Oelenberg (Alsace, France) has been aware for some time of its situation of fragility. The monastic commissary, Dom Samuel Lauras of Nový Dvůr, with the help of the Commission for the future, has worked diligently with the brothers to consider all their options, and the Abbot General and his Council have followed the situation closely. After serious consideration it was judged that it is not possible for the community to recover from this situation, and that it must be closed.
The Central Commission, meeting at San Francisco de Mostazal, Chile, in June, and acting as Plenary Council of the Abbot General (ST 80.I), heard a report on the situation. The brothers of Oelenberg had already spent three months in different communities of the Order between February and May, with a view to possibly continuing their monastic life in those communities.
Following the process described in the Statute on the Accompaniment of Fragile Communities and the Suppression of a Monastery, on 13 June 2024, the Abbot General and his Plenary Council, in the name of the General Chapter, voted to suppress the community of Oelenberg.
On the same date the Abbot General and his Plenary Council named a Commission for Closure to implement the suppression process, under the presidency of Dom Samuel Lauras, abbot of Nový Dvůr.
Please pray for the brothers of Oelenberg at this sad time.
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