Missionaries of Mariannhill Elected New Superior General

On 10 October 2022, the 17th General Chapter of the Congregation of Missionaries of Mariannhill (3 to 23 October 2022) held at their Curia Generalizia in Rome elected Fr. Michael Maβ CMM as Superior General for a term of six years. At the time of his election, he was Acting Superior General, a position he assumed when His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the then Superior General Msgr. Thulani Victor Mbuyisa CMM as Bishop of Kokstad in South Africa. Fr. Maβ becomes the 11th Superior General of the Missionaries of Mariannhill since its birth from the Order of the Reformed Cistercians (Trappists) in 1909.

Fr Michael was born in Landshut, Germany on 19 May 1980 and in 2007 was ordained a priest in Würzburg. He worked at the Mariannhill Youth Center in Maria Veen near Münster. From February 2014 to October 2016, he was Provincial Superior of Germany. He served the Congregation as the Vicar General from 2016 to 2022.

The General Chapter also elected Fr Matthew In Jun Kim (Vicar General), Br Hansel Jaison, Fr Kevin Mapfumo and Fr Vukani Mbuso Masango as General Councilors. They will assist Fr Michael in his ministry of leadership to the Congregation for the next six years