How do Benedictine monks elect a new abbot?

“He is believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery, since he is addressed by a title of Christ, as the Apostle indicates: You have received the spirit of adoption of sons by which we exclaim, abba, father (Romans 8:15).” – Rule of St. Benedict, 2.2-3

The election of an abbot is one of the most consequential events in the life of any monastic community. The Rule of St. Benedict devotes a great deal of space to the abbot—his requisite qualities, his election, his duties and conduct.

On Saturday, July 11, 2026, the monks will elect the eleventh abbot in Conception Abbey’s 153-year history. The community will spend the coming days studying, discussing, and praying about the next abbot.

An abbatial election is a rare event, full of monastic tradition. The process is outlined in the Constitutions of the Swiss American Congregation, the branch of the Order of St. Benedict to which Conception Abbey belongs. Monks who are solemnly (fully) professed in the community make up the monastery’s chapter and have voting rights on several issues, including the election of the new abbot. 

Following the Constitutions, our chapter has decided to meet the day before the election and engage in an exercise called the scrutinium, a Latin term meaning “scrutiny” in the sense of “careful consideration.” The chapter members will take a straw vote and then discuss – in a spirit of fraternal charity – the qualities of that vote’s leading candidates.

The chapter will convene in the monastery chapter room for the election on the Feast of St. Benedict on July 11, following a Mass of the Holy Spirit. The election is carried out by secret ballot, and all capitulars are eligible to receive votes. A series of ballots is taken until a new abbot is elected, by a two-thirds majority on the first three ballots and by a simple majority on the remainder.

The election will be conducted by the Abbot President of the Congregation, currently Abbot Justin Brown, OSB, of St. Joseph Abbey in Louisiana.

When the eleventh abbot is elected, the entire monastic community will proceed to the Basilica for prayer and thanksgiving to God, and for the sign of peace with which the monks welcome and pledge allegiance to the new abbot. They will then gather for a private meal and fellowship. 

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