On 15 January 2026, the community of Mepkin (Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, USA) elected Dom Gerard Jonas Palmares as abbot for a six-year term. Dom Gerard was born in 1964 in Lipa City (Philippines). He was was ordained a priest in the Philippines in 1991 before entered Mepkin in 2010, where he made his solemn profession in 2016.
