Dear Friends, I Am Pleased to Announce That Father Michael
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Dear friends, I am pleased to announce that Father Michael Brunner, O.S.B. has been appointed the Prior-Administrator (interim superior) of Portsmouth Abbey in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. As you may recall, I was appointed to serve in this role last year, several months before my abbatial election at Saint Louis Abbey, and I have been doing so while continuing with my responsibilities here. Abbot Christo- pher Jamison, O.S.B., the Abbot President of our English Benedictine Congregation, appointed Father Michael to his new role with my blessing. I am confident that Father Michael will serve God, Portsmouth Abbey and Saint Louis Abbey well in this role. Father Michael has been serving both on the Council of Portsmouth Abbey and on the Board of Regents of Portsmouth Abbey School, and he is very familiar with the Portsmouth Abbey community. As you may recall, the monks of Portsmouth Abbey, who have been decreasing in number and increas- ing in age, have asked for the monks of Saint Louis Abbey to help reinvigorate their monastery by send- ing a small group of our monks to live there. In response to their request, the monks of Saint Louis Ab- bey agreed to enter into a collaboration with Portsmouth Abbey in which Saint Louis Abbey would send monks to Portsmouth for various periods of time to support them in their monastic life. At present, two monks of Saint Louis Abbey — Father Francis Hein, O.S.B. and Father Edward Mazuski, O.S.B. — re- side at Portsmouth Abbey. Father Michael will take up residence at Portsmouth Abbey in the months to come, once he is able to transition to others his responsibilities as Pastor of Saint Anselm Parish and as a teacher at Saint Louis Priory School. We will share further information with parish and school families as transition plans are finalized. While we know that Father Michael will be missed while he is away from our St. Louis community, we recognize that he will serve an important role to prepare the way to formalize and deepen the collab- oration between Saint Louis Abbey and Portsmouth Abbey in the coming year. We are honored to be able to help our sister house and sister school in this way, and I ask your prayers and support for Father Michael and the monks of Portsmouth Abbey as Father Michael prepares for this new ministry. Yours sincerely in the Lord, Abbot Gregory Mohrman, O.S.B..