Keynote Presentation
Bernardus Peeters, OCSO
13 September 2024

Dear Dom Gregory, dear brothers and sisters,

Amidst the three general superiors of the Benedictine family, I am, and I feel like the Benjamin, always surrounded by the care and love of my older brothers! At Dom Gregory’s invitation, I may share with you something of my experiences as a recently elected Abbot General. In doing so, I hope to give you an idea of the challenges we face as Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists).

On 11 February 2022, the General Chapter elected me as their Abbot General. Since then, ‘as a bond of unity’ (Cst. 82), I have been allowed to foster relations between the communities of the Order. A service that I, together with five councilors (2 nuns and 3 monks), residing in Rome, try to realize mainly by visiting the communities worldwide. Meanwhile, I have visited around 70 of the 153 communities on all continents. My ‘novitiate’ as Abbot General is over after two and a half years – and despite my short experience and the fact that I get to learn something new every day – I still make a tentative attempt to share with you some of the challenges we face.

Dreams

In late 2021, the then Abbot General, Dom Eamon Fitzgerald, asked to be relieved of his duties, after 13 years, due to health reasons. It was quite a challenge to prepare an elective chapter during the covid-19 crisis, but we still managed to get a General Chapter convened in February. In those special circumstances, the General Chapter became, more than usual, an experience of communio and the election of a new Abbot General ensured that the Order could easily join the synodal process, initiated by Pope Francis with its pillars of communio, participatio and missio. In the synodal process, we recognized St Bernard’s call to his fellow brothers in sermon 22 of his commentary on the Song of Songs to build community by listening to and loving one another.

During this elective chapter, I read Pope Francis’ booklet on the courage to dream. After my election, I invited the Superiors to share with me, each other and the communities their dreams about the Order and its future. Since we had decided to celebrate the General Chapter 2022 in two parts (in February and September), I had the opportunity to visit all 11 regions of the Order between the two parts of the General Chapter to get a first acquaintance with the life of the Order around the world and an opportunity to meet all the superiors.

With great enthusiasm, the superiors shared their dreams about the Order and its future with me and each other. In some regional meetings, this listening to each other’s dreams went very well. In other regions, it was the first time that they listened to each other in such a way. However, everywhere it became a deep experience of listening, a sharing of each other’s hopes and therefore community-building. An atmosphere of defeatism, characteristic of recent years and reinforced by the covid crisis, turned into hope and new energy. By the end of this introductory trip, I had collected 151 dreams from superiors. Only two superiors were unable to dream (for otherwise legitimate reasons). For example, a European superior envisioned an Order whose monasteries would serve as centers around which people—both Christians and non-Christians—could live in various forms of community life, with a clear ecological focus and a welcoming atmosphere. A North American superior dreamed not of “another Cistercian way of life” but of “a Cistercian life that makes a difference.” A Nigerian superior aspired to create “synergy between the Order’s Western and African monasteries” so that “the identity of both can be respected.” A superior from Chile dreamt of deepening the complementarity between men and women in the Order “so that the face of one single Order would become more complete.” All these dreams became the foundation for a program for the coming years.

I presented this program to the superiors at the opening of the second part of the General Chapter in September 2022. I organized the dreams under the three themes of the synodal process and added “formatio” (formation) as a fourth element. We were greatly surprised when, during a private audience with Pope Francis on September 16, 2022, he addressed our dreams in a very personal manner. He invited the Order to bring all our dreams back to Christ, placing the shared dream of the contemplative identity of the Order at the center of all our aspirations. It was striking that all 151 dreams highlighted the retention and deepening of the contemplative dimension of our vocation as the greatest challenge for the Order.

After the second part of the General Chapter in September 2022, I began visiting various communities. It is now a privilege to listen to the dreams of the brothers and sisters, who, from their perspectives, complement and deepen these dreams around communion, participation, mission, and formation. As a result, the dreams are gaining more concrete content and can gradually be transformed into specific actions, with the deepening of our contemplative identity remaining the greatest challenge worldwide.

The contemplative identity

Our Constitutions describe the nature and purpose of the Order as follows: “This Order is a monastic institute wholly ordered to contemplation. The monks/nuns dedicate themselves to the worship of God in a hidden life within the monastery under the Rule of St Benedict. They lead a monastic way of life in solitude and silence, in assiduous prayer and joyful penitence …, thus rendering to the divine majesty a service that is at once humble and noble.” (Cst 2)

This monastic way of life of seeking God and following Christ is characterized by a cenobitical nature under a rule and an abbot. “Christ is formed in the hearts of the brothers/sisters through the liturgy, the abbot/abbess’s teaching and the fraternal way of life. Through God’s Word the monks/nuns are trained in a discipline of heart and action to be responsive to the Holy Spirit and so attain purity of heart and a continual mindfulness of God’s presence.” (Cst. 3.2) To this end, solitude, silence, humility, obedience but also hospitality are means to “to bringing the monks/nuns into close union with Christ, since it is only through the experience of personal love for the Lord Jesus that the specific gifts of the Cistercian vocation can flower.” (Cst. 3.5)

During my travels, I have had the privilege of meeting brothers and sisters who strive to live in close union with Jesus and their brothers and sisters. The contemplative identity of our communities is clear and strong. However, this ideal of an undivided heart is increasingly challenged by a world in turmoil—a turmoil that has infiltrated even the deepest corners of our monasteries. In many communities, concerns arise due to aging members and dwindling numbers, making work a significant source of anxiety. The much-needed balance between work, prayer, and reading is under immense pressure.

The reasons for this imbalance are varied, but globally, communities and individual brothers and sisters struggle to find time for prayer and reading. Unfortunately, some have abandoned this struggle in favor of work, prioritizing the survival of the community at great personal and spiritual expense. Our greatest challenge is to seek a renewed appreciation for communal and personal prayer and reading. These practices are integral to the Cistercian tradition and are not merely private affairs; they substantially contribute to community building and give meaning to the community’s mission.
It is precisely the support that comes from communal and personal prayer and reading that can help us restore a balance that is often lost. By revaluating and recommitting to these core activities, we can strengthen our contemplative identity and ensure the spiritual vitality of our communities.

Our contemplative identity is, of course, most visible in the celebration of the liturgy. What a wealth to be able to pray together with brothers and sisters all over the world! The liturgical renewal of Vatican II has fortunately not led to divisions in our Order. Of course, there are communities that adhere more to a traditional way of celebrating the liturgy and others that have found their own forms. Yet everywhere the silence and simplicity speak from the liturgy. In the young churches, the challenge of the monastic liturgy is mainly to find its own specific character while in the secularized western world, the monastic liturgy struggles to connect with secular people who are no longer familiar with the liturgical language and symbolism of the church.

As Trappists and Trappistines, we are intimately connected to creation through our strong tradition of manual labor. The effects of climate change are visible and palpable worldwide, challenging our contemplative identity. Many communities are thus compelled to seek ways to align their daily life, living, and working practices with the preservation of creation.

However, this concern for God’s creation also reveals a stark dichotomy. While communities in the more affluent northern hemisphere have the financial means to take action, those in the southern hemisphere struggle and lack the resources to find adequate solutions. Even within our Order, the effects of climate change highlight an underlying problem of inequality between rich and poor communities.

A great challenge we face is the need for transparent and more collegial management of our financial resources in service of our charism. This approach could help address the imbalance and enable all communities to participate in creation care efforts more equitably.
Furthermore, our commitment to environmental stewardship must be rooted in our spiritual tradition, viewing it not just as a practical necessity but as an integral part of our vocation to honor God’s creation. This holistic approach can strengthen our contemplative identity while addressing pressing ecological concerns.

The challenge of communion

The major challenges we face can be articulated through the concepts of communio, participatio, missio, and formatio. The COVID-19 crisis has left many communities isolated, disrupting the previously strong structure of biennial visitations, friendly visits, joint formation sessions, regional meetings, and General Chapters. Despite efforts to maintain digital connectivity, nothing has been able to replace the tangible experience of belonging. A negative consequence of the COVID-19 crisis has been the reinforcement of the idea of autonomy, leading to a mindset of “I must and can do it myself.” After the covid crisis, re-establishing mutual ties has proven to be a significant challenge. As Abbot General, I resumed writing circular letters to the communities to provide spiritual encouragement and restore our connections.

The ongoing challenge lies in promoting a new understanding of autonomy. Pope Francis’ encyclicals, Laudato si and Fratelli tutti, guide us toward a more relational approach to autonomy. Unfortunately, we still encounter communities that insist on strict autonomy, which can lead to isolation and even sectarianism. Such communities have no future!

The challenge of participatio

Since 2011, our Order has officially been recognized as a Religious Institute composed of both monks and nuns. Although the two General Chapters of abbots and abbesses began meeting together in 1989, they remained legally distinct. The full participation of nuns in the life of the Order has grown slowly, albeit sometimes laboriously, over the years. Today, the unity between monks and nuns within the Order is no longer a contentious issue, and we are often unaware of the exceptional position we hold within the Church.

However, the release of the apostolic constitution ‘Vultum Dei Quaerere’ and the subsequent instruction ‘Cor orans’ in 2016 unexpectedly put the unity of the Order under pressure. Fortunately, the Dicastery for Religious Life acknowledged the value of this unity and allowed nuns to remain within the single Order. This situation, however, has turned ‘Cor orans’ into a topic of discussion for both nuns and monks.

The General Chapter of 2022 made a clear decision that monks and nuns would strive for the same constitutions as much as possible. This meant that the monks voluntarily accepted the guidelines of ‘Cor orans’, with the exception of the duration of formation. Historically, it was not the men who moved toward the women, but the reverse! In terms of complementarity, for example, women superiors can now serve as “acting Fathers Immediate” for both communities of nuns and monks.

The complementarity of monks and nuns is vividly illustrated by an initiative we have been developing for four years at the Abbey of Tre Fontane in Rome. According to tradition, this is the site where St. Paul was martyred, and a community of monks from our Order has resided there since the time of St. Bernard in the twelfth century. However, the community of brothers had become small and fragile. An international community of six sisters, known as Aqua Salvie, has now been established to collaborate with the brothers in embodying Cistercian life at this location. While the communities live in separate areas of the complex, they come together for communal prayers, daily chapters, and Sunday meals, supporting each other’s work and collaborating wherever possible.

Another challenge regarding participatio is the involvement of non-Western brothers and sisters in the life of the Order. Since the 1950s, the Order has expanded rapidly through new foundations in the southern hemisphere. Previously, the Order was predominantly European and American, with Japan being an exception due to its strong presence since the late 19th century. The founders of these new monasteries in young churches have passed away, as has the first generation. The newest generation is now asserting its presence and seeking its place within the Order, a complex development coinciding with the decline of Western monasteries. Are we welcoming our brothers and sisters from the south based on their capabilities or out of necessity? At the last General Chapter, it was still challenging to refrain from appointing familiar Western names to commissions and to opt for greater diversity. The challenge of achieving a more multicultural composition in the various structures of the Order is significant but essential for our future. A formation program focused on living together in a multicultural world and community is currently being initiated within the Order. For the first time in our history, we have held the preparatory meeting for the General Chapter 2025 on the southern hemisphere. Going to the peripheries was for many participants of this meeting going out of the box.

The challenge of missio

Based on the Union of Superior Generals’ consultation for the synod on synodality, our communities were encouraged to reflect on the mission of our lives. This discussion was met with great enthusiasm in many communities. From these conversations emerged the theme of co-responsibility within the community, the Order, the Church, and the world. Many communities grappled with the concept of ‘missio’, which highlighted the importance of our contemplative identity and its relevance for today’s Church and world. This struggle with the notion of ‘missio’ indicates that we are experiencing an identity crisis.

The challenge of formation

The aspirations of the superiors reveal the high value placed on comprehensive formation for monks and nuns. In recent years, significant attention has been devoted to this theme, resulting in numerous collaborative initiatives within regions, particularly regarding initial formation. Many regions are closely collaborating with the larger Cistercian family and the Confederation of Benedictines. Our Order is grateful for these collaborations, and I would like to express special thanks to Dom Gregory, your abbot primate, for his unwavering support and encouragement of these formation initiatives worldwide. I would also like to acknowledge the A.I.M. These valuable initiatives illustrate how much we need one another as sons and daughters of St. Benedict. We will do everything possible to continue this collaboration.

Formation, especially ongoing formation, remains a pressing concern. In regions with young churches, resources are often insufficient to organize events, distances are vast, and there is a lack of experienced teachers and wise fellow brothers and sisters. In Western regions, time and energy for community formation are often lacking, leading to a decline in manpower.

However, the COVID crisis positively demonstrated that online formation programs are feasible and can be effective despite their limitations. These online programs can also assist older monks and nuns in staying current with formation. Organizing such online sessions for larger groups requires knowledge and skill. Since June 2024, we have appointed a new general secretary for formation, who also serves as a councilor to the Abbot General. We hope this will enable better coordination and direction of formation programs from Rome and the council.

Conclusion

The primary challenge for our Order is to strengthen and deepen the contemplative identity of Cistercian life, which is our attachment to Jesus Christ, by continuing to listen to and love one another. The synodal process has provided us with the tools of communio, participatio, missio, and we have added formatio. Deepening our attachment to Jesus Christ will also enhance our connections with one another and with the Church and the world. Only in this way can the praying heart of the Church, which shapes our communities, become a listening, humble, and welcoming heart with a clear mission. I commit myself to this challenge, and with the prayers of my brothers and sisters around the world, I trust that God will complete the work He has begun. I am confident that I can do this in collaboration with all the sons and daughters of St. Benedict, so that God may be glorified in all things!