Père François Lear Elected as Ninth Abbot of Maredsous

The Benedictine monks of Maredsous have elected Père François Lear as their ninth abbot on 19 December 2024, following the decision of Père Abbé Bernard Lorent to assume the presidency of the Alliance for International Monasticism beginning 1 January 2025. The community expressed profound gratitude to Père Abbé Lorent for his 22 years of dedicated leadership.

Père François Lear, born in Texas, United States, in 1962, has been a monk at Maredsous Abbey for more than 40 years. He became a Belgian citizen and made his monastic profession in 1984. After studying pedagogy, philosophy, and theology in Lille, he was ordained a priest in 2001. He serves as a religion teacher and chaplain at Collège Saint-Benoît and leads retreats for children, youth, and young adults, preparing them for sacraments such as confirmation, profession of faith, and marriage.

Interesting side note: The first abbot primate of the Benedictine Confederation, Hildebrand de Hemptinne, came from Maredsous and in fact governed Sant’Anselmo and Maredsous jointly for some years.

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