Monastic Partnership Update

We are delighted to share with you this update of our announcement of last year regarding the collaboration between the Monastery of St. Gregory the Great in Portsmouth and St. Louis Abbey. On September 28, 2016, Portsmouth Abbey School and Monastery reported that Right Reverend Dom Matthew Stark, O.S.B., had been appointed administrator of the Monastery of Saint Gregory the Great for a period of one year, renewable annually for up to three years. The appointment was made by Dom Richard Yeo, O.S.B., then Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation.

Subsequently, Dom Christopher Jamison, O.S.B., was elected to succeed Abbot Yeo as Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation for a four-year term. At this time, Abbot Matthew's one-year term was nearly complete; therefore, our newly elected Abbot President Dom Christopher traveled to Portsmouth Abbey in September 2017 to be present at the Board of Regents meeting for the opening of the school year. Having previously informed the monastery of unfolding events, Abbot Christopher shared the following news with the regents:

1.  Father Gregory Mohrman, O.S.B., of St. Louis Abbey has been appointed, effective immediately, as the Prior Administrator of the Monastery of St. Gregory the Great in Portsmouth for the next two years. Father Gregory currently serves as the headmaster of St. Louis Priory School and has served on the Portsmouth Abbey School Board of Regents for four years. He will continue to reside in St. Louis with periodic visits to Portsmouth. All issues related to the future development of Portsmouth Abbey School and relations with the Board of Regents will go through Father Gregory.

2.  Abbot Matthew will continue to be the local superior responsible for liturgical and domestic matters.

Abbot Christopher thanked Abbot Matthew for his commitment to the Monastery and School and for generously serving for the last year as the administrator. He also pointed out with gratitude that Father Gregory is accepting a great burden as headmaster of one school and the superior of another monastery, but he assured the regents that the Portsmouth monastic community understands the challenge and is committed to helping and supporting Father Gregory in his role.

We offer our thanks to Abbot Matthew and our gratitude to Father Gregory and Abbot Christopher, and we look forward to a continued partnership between our two abbeys.
















Father Gregory Morhman, O.S.B