Orval

November 27, 2019 5:04 pm

The Holy Father has appointed as bishop of the diocese of Ghent, Belgium, the Reverend Father Lode Van Hecke, currently Abbot of the Abbey of Our Lady of Orval, in the diocese of Namur, Belgium.

Dom Lode Van Hecke was born 16 March 1950 in Bruges, Belgium. He entered the Abbey of Orval 1976, made solemn profession in 1983 and was ordained priest in 1995. He was elected Abbot of Orval in 2007.

The Abbot General and the Council, on behalf of the Order, offer our sincere congratulations to Dom Lode on his nomination. We assure him of our prayers as he takes up this new ministry for the people of the diocese of Ghent and for the Church in Belgium. And we hope that his availability to the service of the Church will also be a special source of blessing for the community in Orval and for our Order.