Mother Fiachra and the 2025 General Chapter

These past three weeks, Mother Fiachra has represented Glencairn Abbey at the General Chapter of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (OCSO) in Assisi. This gathering of abbots, abbesses, and delegates from each Region is the heart of our Order’s governance — a sacred time of prayer, communion, and discerning the path forward together.

The Work of the Chapter

Under the guidance of the Constitutions, the General Chapter is a place where “Abbots and Abbesses discuss the salvation of their own souls and of those committed to them. They take measures regarding the observance of the Holy Rule and of the Order where there is something that needs to be corrected or added. They foster anew among themselves the benefit of peace and charity.” (C. 77)

Each morning began with the prayer and Mass, thus placing Christ at the centre before any deliberation. From there, abbots and abbesses entered into commissions — smaller groups of dialogue where themes such as formation, new foundations, or questions of governance were studied in depth. Later, the whole assembly gathered again in plenary sessions, to listen, to question, and to decide, always seeking consensus under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Between these formal moments ran a quieter current: the sacraments, lectio divina, chance conversations, the simple fraternity of sisters and brothers who, though scattered across the world, share one Cistercian vocation. In the evenings, the Office of Vespers and Compline gathered all things back into prayer, sealing the day’s labours in praise and thanksgiving.

At the Opening Mass of the Chapter, the Abbot General — in a homily shared with monks and nuns in their home monasteries — reminded us that bringing our vulnerability to Jesus may seem ordinary and simple, yet it is never easy. Filled with hope, we are called to entrust not only our own weakness but also that of the Church and the world to Him, journeying together as pilgrims of hope. Only in Christ can we anchor that hope, allowing Him to touch and heal our wounds and to speak His redeeming word. These words set the tone for the weeks that followed: the Chapter is not merely administrative but a communal offering of our frailty to Christ, trusting that in that very offering He renews, heals, and sends us forth in service.

Pilgrim Steps in Assisi

While much of the Chapter’s energy is in prayer and decision-making, being in Assisi added a spiritual dimension to every step. Mother Fiachra found time to move through the same streets as Saint Francis and Saint Clare, prayed in chapels marked by austere beauty, and experienced the gift of the Italian countryside.

One of the images from her journey shows the relief marking the birthplace of St. Francis, inscribed:
“Scendi le scale e troverai l’ostello dove nacque Francesco il Poverello” — “Go down the stairs and you will find the hostel where Francis, the Poor Man, was born.”
Such a place invites us to descend from our pride, to embrace simplicity, and to remember that renewal always begins in humility.

In a quiet chapel with stone walls and soft light, one senses the same spirit found in Cistercian cloisters: that our life is oriented toward God in simplicity.

Vespers in Santa Chiara

On 15 September, the capitulants gathered for Vespers in the Basilica of Santa Chiara, joining the Poor Clares who sang from their cloistered choir. After three Psalms sung in Spanish, French, and English, the Abbot General preached on Mary, Mother of Sorrows, reminding the Order to share her steadfast love in suffering with hope and courage. Monks and nuns then sang Agni Parthene, a Byzantine hymn to the Virgin — a chant of deep resonance in that holy space.

What does all this mean?

Mother Fiachra’s role at the Chapter is not symbolic. The decisions made, the texts revised, the communal discernment offered — all of this will shape how monastic life is lived here in Glencairn and in every Cistercian monastery throughout the world! Through Mother Fiachra’s participation, all of us here in Glencairn join in the universal life of the Order.

We await her return with joy. May the seeds planted in Assisi bear fruit among us: a deeper hope rooted in Christ, a clearer sense of unity in mission, and renewed fidelity to preferring nothing whatever to the love of Christ.