Nikodemus Schnabel new abbot in Dormitio, Jerusalem

At 44, Schnabel is a young abbot. A native of Stuttgart, he has been a Benedictine for 20 years and a priest for 10. He served most recently as patriarchal vicar for refugees and migrants in Jerusalem. 

After first vows, he studied at German and Austrian universities, getting a doctorate in liturgy for his dissertation on the veneration of Old Testament saints in the Roman tradition. He has also written about liturgical clothing in the Eastern churches. Most of his writing is for popular audiences and seeks to explain Benedictine monasticism to a contemporary audience. 

Abbots have come and gone frequently at the Dormitio. After Abbot Gregory Collins left the abbey and became an Anglican, the small, historically German community entrusted Schnabel with the position of prior administrator in 2016; he served as such for a year and a half. Abbot Bernard Maria Alter then served as abbot from 2018 until 2023.