The announcement of the abbatial election given by the Abbey has significant implications for our college and monastic community. A panel last week explained the process of electing a new abbot, mainly what April 29 and April 30 will look like for the monastic community along with different scenarios that could play out on those days.

All members of the monastic community have been summoned for the election, including those at parishes and at Woodside Priory in California. On Monday, April 29, the community will begin the process with an opening liturgy at 1:30 in the afternoon. After Mass, the monks will go to the choir chapel with the abbot president, the secretary, and all the solemnly professed members of the community. They will take their designated seats in the chapel and be handed a ballot with 27 names. This ballot contains the names of all 27 solemnly professed monks. Each elector will mark off two names.

Each name will also list whether or not they have a canonical impediment. In order to be elected abbot, the Rule of the Congregation states a monk must be solemnly professed for seven years, over 30 years old, and ordained. If one of these is not met, the ballot will note it next to the monk’s name.

After this initial round of ballots, the monks who received votes will be asked one-by-one to leave the room for scrutinies. At a panel discussion during Benedictine Heritage Week, Br. Isaac Murphy stated: “Every elector has an opportunity to indicate what are the strengths and weaknesses of that nominee, and whether he would or would not make a good abbot. Every monk is called on to speak.” The last scrutiny ends the first session and day of the election.

On April 30, the second session will begin around 9:30am. At that point, the monks will enter into official rounds of voting. There can be up to a total of six rounds of voting that day. In order for a new abbot to be chosen, a candidate must have a 2/3 majority in the first three rounds or 1/2 after.

Fr. Francis McCarthy is the secretary for the elections. According to Fr. Francis, “it’s my role to ensure that all of the procedures are followed and then all the paperwork is done.”

At the same panel during Benedictine Heritage Week, Fr. Francis laid out four different scenarios. The best-case scenario is that a new abbot is chosen and makes his profession. The second and least likely to happen is a collection refuse. This is when a candidate is chosen and “they say ‘No. I don’t want the job.’” This is an unlikely scenario as candidates are able to tell the community whether they would accept during scrutinies.

The third scenario is that the election is delayed. In this case, a new election must happen less than one month after. The final scenario is that a candidate is chosen but with canonical impediments. According to Fr. Francis, “at that point, the abbot president can confirm an election happened but cannot confirm the candidate.” In this case, special permission would be required from the Holy See at the Vatican. The pope would have to dispense with the impediment.

If it is the case that the impediment is because the candidate is not a priest, there are two options. Either the new abbot can consent to being ordained a priest or must write to the Vatican. Fr. Francis noted that since all monks are required to receive higher education degrees in theology, the process to ordain the new abbot would be easy.

After a new abbot is chosen, a Thanksgiving service will take place in the Abbey. Fr. Francis would like to invite students, faculty, and staff to the service. “We would hope that everyone would come for the service.” The new abbot will be the last monk who processes in with the large pectoral cross. The choosing of the new abbot will be made known when the bell tower on Alumni Hall goes off for an extended period of time. At that point, all are welcome to join in the service in the Abbey.