The monks of Mount Angel Abbey elected the Rev. Jeremy Driscoll as abbot on Saturday, March 12, 2016.
Jeremy Driscoll, OSB, is the 12th abbot to lead the Benedictine community, founded at Mount Angel in 1882. He succeeds Abbot Gregory Duerr, whose resignation was effective Feb. 10.
Abbot President Vincent Bataille, of Marmion Abbey in Aurora, Ill., presided over the closed-door election and, in the tradition of Mount Angel, bestowed upon Abbot Jeremy the pectoral cross of Engelberg Abbey, the primary symbol of his new office.
At the conclusion of the election process, the Abbey bells rang for five minutes, signifying that an abbot had been chosen and inviting everyone to the Abbey church to give thanks.
Abbot Jeremy and the Abbot President entered the church together, at the end of the procession of monks. The community sang the Te Deum, a song of thanksgiving, and the Abbot President led the assembly in prayer.