IMPORTANT NOTICES

Very Rev. Brad Vanden Branden, O. Praem. Elected Abbot of St. Norbert Abbey De Pere on January 15, 2026

Fr. Shillcox, O. Praem. appointed as prior of St. Norbert Abbey

Norbertine Website has a new name: opraem.org

Pope Leo XIV Addressed Global Conflict

The Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey elected the Very Rev. Bradley R. Vanden Branden, O. Praem., 
as the eighth abbot in its 133-year history!   Congratulations to our new Abbot and his family!  We are so proud of you!
What began as ‘what do I want to be when I grow up’ in the second grade at the Catholic Schools in West De Pere, to a journey of 
St. Boniface and New St. Joseph’s, which merged into his home parish of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, continues on at the Abbey.
Watch Abbot Vanden Branden’s First Mass on June 12, 2016 at OLOL:   OLOL Mass 06.12.2016

FEBRUARY 9, 2026 – The Rt. Rev. Bradley Vanden Branden, O. Praem., Abbot of St. Norbert Abbey, has announced the appointment of Fr. Timothy Shillcox, O. Praem., as Prior of St. Norbert Abbey, effective on February 10, 2026.

The role of Prior is that of a religious superior and vicar of the Abbot. ln the absence of the Abbot, he functions with full authority. The Prior’s position is primarily pastoral in nature, reaching out to those who serve and live within the Norbertine context and ministering to them on a one-to-one basis. He also represents the Abbot and Norbertine Community at religious and civic events, meetings and celebrations.

“I welcome the opportunity to offer pastoral care to the Norbertine Community and to support Abbot Bradley,” said Fr. Shillcox.

Fr. Shillcox, son of Wayne and Germaine (Siebers) Shillcox, was born and raised in Appleton, where he was a member of St. Pius X Parish.

He is a graduate of Appleton West High School (1972) and Lawrence University (1976). Fr. Shillcox earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art and a M. Div. from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1987.

Fr. Shillcox spent 10 years teaching art and religion at Premontre / Notre Dame High School. He then served as a parish priest for 30 years within the Diocese of Green Bay at St. Agnes in Green Bay, Holy Cross in Bay Settlement, Our Lady of Lourdes in De Pere, Resurrection in Allouez, and St. Rose in Clintonville / St. Mary’s in Bear Creek.

For the past four years. Fr. Shillcox has served as the Director of Formation at St. Norbert Abbey. He will continue in that role as well.

Fr. Shillcox succeeds Abbot Vanden Branden as Prior. Abbot Vanden Branden served as Prior from 2018 until last month, when he was elected Abbot. Abbot Vanden Branden, who turned 39 earlier this month, is the youngest Abbot in the Abbey’s 133-year history, and he is the first member of the community to serve as Prior and then become Abbot.

As of the first full week of April 2026, the worldwide website for the Premonstratensian (Norbertine) Order went from premontre.org to our new log in name opraem.org. 

The reason for the domain name change was that we were experiencing many computer problems with our weekly updates, Norbertine communication and our Newsletter which has not been sent out for almost a year. We are working on bringing the Newsletter back very soon! 

Keep up to date on all of the programs, Abbeys and Norbertines by now using opraem.org to get all of your information! We hope to see you soon!

Pope Leo XIV addressed global conflict and the misuse of faith to justify warfare during a profound moment in the liturgical calendar. As the first American-born pope approached his first Easter, he confronted the troubling gap between religious rhetoric and the actual teachings of Christ.
In his Palm Sunday homily, Leo presented Jesus as the ultimate King of Peace, a figure who refused to arm Himself or engage in violence despite the chaos around Him. The Pope emphasized that Christ revealed God’s gentle and nonviolent nature, fundamentally rejecting war and those who seek to invoke the divine in its justification.
The pontiff’s words carried particular weight as they spoke to contemporary conflicts and the question of how faith traditions are weaponized to support military aggression. He insisted that God cannot be conscripted into service of human warfare, nor will divine ears receive prayers from those engaged in violent conflict.
Leo’s message reflected a broader Vatican concern about religious institutions being used to sanctify violence. The Pope tied contemplation of Christ’s Passion—His suffering for humanity—to the actual suffering of people caught in modern wars, especially Christians in the Middle East facing brutal consequences of ongoing conflict.
This stance positioned the Vatican as a distinct moral voice calling for ceasefire, dialogue, and laying down of weapons, even as geopolitical powers invoked religious and strategic justifications for military action. The Pope’s Easter message emphasized that the Christian message, at its core, is fundamentally incompatible with the logic of warfare.
Source: Pope Leo XIV. (2026). Palm Sunday Homily, March 29, 2026. Vatican.