On November 1, 2007, Fr. William Skudlarek, OSB, of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, will succeed Fr. Pierre-François de Béthune, OSB, as General Secretary of Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique/Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. He was appointed to a three-year term by Abbot Primate Notker Wolf.

The General Secretary of DIM/MID is responsible for
•promoting the place and role of DIM/MID in the Benedictine and Cistercian Orders and beyond;
•organizing and encouraging contacts between the continental commissions of DIM/MID already in existence and fostering the formation of commissions in East Asia (Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines), South America, Africa;
•encouraging on-going information on monastic interreligious developments;
•promoting research and theological reflection on monastic interreligious dialogue; and
•working to increase financial support for the activities of DIM/MID.

Fr. Skudlarek has been a monk of Saint John’s Abbey since 1958 and presently serves as Administrative Assistant to the Abbot and Executive Director of MID. In addition to teaching in the School of Theology/Seminary of Saint John’s University in Minnesota he devoted twelve years to cross-cultural ministry in Brazil and Japan. Prior to assuming the position of Executive Director of MID in 2006 he was the Chair of MID’s Board of Directors. He recently completed Demytholgizing Celibacy: Practical Wisdom from Christian and Buddhist Monasticism, which will soon be published by Liturgical Press.