Fr. Brendan Freeman, OCSO is now the superior of Holy Trinity Abbey. Toward the end of July, 2013, Fr. Brendan, who was the eleventh abbot of New Melleray Abbey in Peosta, Iowa, reached the age at which he was required by law to retire. No sooner had a new superior been appointed at New Melleray Abbey than Fr Brendan’s retirement was cut short, and he was appointed superior of Holy Trinity Abbey in early August, 2013. Officially he is a major superior without any restrictions, having been appointed by our Father Immediate, who is the abbot of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky.
Fr. Brendan is a native of St Louis. He entered New Melleray Abbey in 1958 at the age of twenty. He received a masters degree in liturgical studies from The Catholic University of America in 1973. Fr. Brendan was elected abbot of his community in 1984 and served in that position for twenty-nine years. He is the author of Come and See: The Monastic Way for Today (Cistercian, 2010).
Fr. Brendan brings to Holy Trinity Abbey an enormous amount of pastoral experience, monastic wisdom, good humor, and fascinating stories. Under his guidance, we will be making plans for the future.