In February 2026 the Abbot General, assisted by M. Fiachra Nutty (abbess of Glencairn), carried out the special visitation at Bethlehem Abbey (Northern Ireland) requested by the General Chapter of September 2025 (vote 49).
On 27 February 2026, the Abbot General, with the consent of his Council and in the name of the General Chapter, suspended the exercise of autonomy of the community of Bethlehem and appointed Fr. Joseph Tedesco of Mepkin Abbey as monastic commissary of the community, effective 17 March 2026.
Dom Joseph was born in Philadelphia, USA in 1944. He was a diocesan priest when he entered Mepkin Abbey in 2008. He made his solemn profession in 2010 and was superior ad nutum of Mepkin from November 2018 to January 2026.
This appointment brings to an end the service of Dom Aelred Magee as superior ad nutum of Bethlehem.
