Father Martin Neyt OSB, a monk and former Prior of Clerlande Monastery (Congregation of the Annunciation, Belgium), passed away during the night of 25 November 2025. Fr. Martin entered the monastery in 1963. He served as President of the AIM for 16 years. Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder OSB honoured the deceased with these words:

“I am saddened by the departure of Fr. Martin. He had a heart for monasteries all over the world, especially in Africa, and will be sorely missed by many. We share and join the grief of his confreres and friends. We also declare our faith in that which is still to come: may God’s mercy and glory embrace him now.”

Fr. Martin was appointed President of the AIM in 1997, at a time when the institution was undergoing fundamental restructuring under the new Abbot Primate, Marcel Rooney OSB. The goal was to better adapt the organisation to the international service to which it was called. In collaboration with the Secretaries General Fr. Jacques Côté OSB (Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, Quebec) and later Sister Gisela Happ OSB (Eibingen, Germany), Fr. Martin oversaw the expansion of the Secretariat into an effective tool for supporting new and developing foundations. Under his leadership, the key aspects of the AIM were gradually organised and strengthened, including the International Team, formation programs, the newsletter, monastery visits, and regional and national centres. The Jean XXIII Centre for students, founded in 2005 at the monastery of Vanves (now closed), was another concrete sign of this growth, offering Benedictine nuns a place for theological studies in Paris.

A particular focus for Fr. Martin during his presidency was the AIM newsletter. Since 2000, the publication’s focus shifted to more in-depth articles by various authors on central monastic themes, such as lectio, governance, and formation. These contributions were published alongside chronicles of monasteries and news items related to monastic life and the life of the Church and the world. Reflecting on the profound vocation of the monastic life and the mission of the AIM on the organisation’s 50th anniversary, Fr. Martin wrote: “Building together the Body of Christ and making mutual love a school of service to the Lord are unmistakable signs. But the road is long, and AIM, like the Good Samaritan, accompanies, discerns, takes risks and constantly recalls the heart of the monastic tradition.”

The AIM is a nonprofit association of Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries, founded in 1961 on the initiative of Abbot Primate Benno Gut OSB and the General Chapter of the Benedictine Confederation. Its mission is to promote cooperation and fraternal solidarity between older and newly founded monasteries worldwide, especially those facing material or spiritual difficulties. Under the canonical authority of the Abbot Primate, the AIM supports communities by fostering international support, favouring monastic formation, facilitating dialogue and visits, and encouraging the sharing of resources and experiences. The organisation embodies the conviction that, in a world where each community strives to form its identity, the fundamental call remains to: “Listen… to the precepts” of the Rule.

The Benedictine Confederation thanks Father Martin Neyt for his humble and effective service in strengthening the AIM as an indispensable instrument of communion and support for the worldwide monastic family. His conviction that the AIM “is there to contribute to the construction of a new world” leaves a lasting legacy. May Father Martin rest in peace and reap the full fruits of his labour.