Sr. Lynn McKenzie, OSB
Moderator, Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum

The Spirit is alive and moving among the Benedictine women of the CIB! The next meeting of the CIB will be its quadrennial Symposium in September 2026, to be held at Sant’Anselmo. We expect just under 100 participants from around the world, including many congregation and federation presidents (as well as members of the Synod of Abbot Presidents). More to come on that in our next issue.

Currently, the CIB Moderator is visiting monasteries in South America, primarily those of the Cono Sur Congregation in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. Sister Gabriela Ramirez, of Sister Lynn’s monastery in Cullman, Alabama, USA, is fluent in both Spanish and English and was able to accompany Sister Lynn on this journey. Her presence has been invaluable, allowing for more effective communication in both languages.

First on the itinerary was a visit to Abadía de Santa Escolástica in Buenos Aires. Though it is a monastery of 32 nuns situated within the city, it feels as if it were set apart in a quiet rural area. The architectural vision of the monastery helps achieve a sense of peace, facilitating their round of monastic prayer, silence, and lectio divina. It was a joy to be with this community, experiencing their beautiful sung prayer and the "healthy joy" of celebrating Abbess María Cristina Moroni’s birthday. (Abbess María Cristina is the CIB delegate for Region 12, which includes Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile.) Her birthday coincided with our arrival in Buenos Aires.

We also visited Abadía de San Benito de Luján, a small monastery of monks within an hour’s drive of Buenos Aires. We first stopped at the famous Basilica of Our Lady of Luján and truly enjoyed praying there. We then joined the monks for Midday Prayer and lunch, followed by a tour of the monastery led by Abbot Jorge and Father Santiago. I had known Father Santiago at Sant’Anselmo when he served as Abbot Primate Gregory Polan’s secretary. Father Santiago graciously served as translator so that Abbot Jorge and I could converse more easily. It was a wonderful experience! We also had the opportunity for Midday Prayer and lunch with the Tutzing Missionary Benedictines in Buenos Aires, for which I was also very grateful.

From Buenos Aires, we traveled to visit the nuns of Abadía Sta. María Madre de la Iglesia in El Palmar (Canelones, Uruguay). We took the ferry across the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires to Montevideo before driving to the monastery. I was amazed at the power of the river; the waves crashed more like the ocean. The Abbess of Sta. María Madre de la Iglesia, Mother María Margarita Maillot, and her community warmly welcomed us. I was able to give a presentation on the CIB to the nuns, and we had a fruitful discussion, including some shared tears as we pondered the ongoing war in Ukraine and its impact on our Benedictine sisters there.

From Uruguay, we drove back to Argentina to visit the Priory of Nuestra Señora del Paraná. As always, I was welcomed with great openness. I was able to visit their factory where they produce high-quality jams and other fruit products. I was most impressed with the entire production process and their attention to excellence. I also saw the ongoing construction of their new church and monastic cells. They are a community of great vitality, characterized by many activities and beautiful Gregorian chant.

After leaving Uruguay, I traveled by car to Abadía Gaudium Mariae in Córdoba, Argentina. There, Abbess Mother Juana Inés and her sisters greeted me, even though we arrived much later than planned. We enjoyed a wonderful feast-day meal together, followed by a presentation on the CIB. The sisters were very engaged and asked many insightful questions.

At the end of my time in Argentina, I flew to Santiago, Chile, to visit monasteries in Rautén and Rengo. I found meaningful connections with both. First, I had only recently learned that St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, Minnesota, has called the monastery in Rautén its “twinning monastery” since 1996—a relationship of sharing and friendship. As one of the sisters in Duluth explained, “it is a way of being connected and appreciating a beautiful Benedictine community of another culture by visiting, corresponding, and helping support their needs.”

Second, I was already familiar with the motherhouse of Rengo: Monasterio de San Pelayo in Oviedo, Spain. The Abbess in Oviedo, Mother Rosario del Camino, had been the CIB Region 2 delegate, and I have visited there on several occasions. While I was aware of this founding relationship with Rengo, I never expected to visit it personally. I am so glad to have had this opportunity in Chile all these years later. What a gift!