“On this mountain, for all peoples, the Lord is preparing a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of succulent food, of well-strained wines.” (Isaiah  25:6)

This was the first reading the participants of Benet Melk 2026 listened to at the Vigil Mass which closed the 5-day encounter for Benedictine educators from around the world. And how true those words rang after experiencing the rich hospitality from the Melk community, whose abbey school on a rocky outcrop overlooks the Danube. For the more or less 150 participants hailing from 24 different countries across all continents, the meeting was an opportunity to live out “Learning to Live! Stability and Hospitality - An Invitation”, the theme for the 10th World Conference of Benedictine Educators (Benet) from the 6th-10th October.

As at previous Benets, participants were divided into smaller groups called deaneries, which met once a day to pray together and share their thoughts on the conference so far. These moments of shared Lectio Divina, an encounter with Christ in scripture, were key to building community amongst participants. Other important moments for networking and meeting one another occurred during the shared meals and numerous coffee breaks, aided by delicious Austrian food and many homemade pastries (very impressively prepared by the school’s teaching staff).

The two keynote speakers, Sr Manuela Scheiba OSB and Prior Jakob Deibl OSB, helped unpack the theme of the conference. Sr Manuela explained how stability and hospitality are present in the Rule of St Benedict and their importance in the welcoming of others to our homes, monasteries or schools, and how the act of listening is crucial to this. Prior Jakob’s talk made the connection between stability as friendship which requires hospitality and the art of reading as learning. A panel of four teachers from Australia, Kenya, Colombia and India also shared their experiences of being Benedictine educators. The teachers panel highlighted how much Benedictine schools have in common, not only through the invitation to a life with Christ which they offer their students and many shared values, but also in the way things are done and how relationships between students, staff and parents are lived out. 

This concrete aspect of what makes a school truly Benedictine was explored in the workshops hosted by participants for those attending the conference. 24 different workshops, in English and Spanish, dealt with a range of subjects from “How to get staff onboard with the Benedictine project” to “Benedictine retreats for boys”, “The Benedictine Jubilee” and “Student testimonies from the IBYC”. The keynote lectures and teachers panel as well as some workshops are available to view in the Resources section of the website, under Benet Conference Literature. 

For many attendees of Benet Melk, the highlight was undoubtedly the Friday afternoon boat trip down the Danube to discover the Wachau region and a visit of Göttweig Abbey, where a sunset aperitif was enjoyed with views over the valley. The conference rounded up on Saturday with participants attending regional meetings followed by a closing session attended by Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder, who also presided at the closing Mass.

The delegation who attended Benet Melk from Sao Bento school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have shared a moving testimony of what the conference meant for them. You can watch it here. You can read Melk’s thoughts on the conference here and view the photos they posted here.

The ICBE would like to thank the community at Melk once again for all the work they put into preparing such a beautiful meeting. May their generosity be repaid through many blessings for the school and monastery.

Photo credits: Fr Alois Köberl and Carmen Schöberl, Melk Abbey and Lilian Areias, Colégio de São Bento.