Florida-based Ave Maria University will open its first international campus this year at Mount Melleray Abbey, a nearly 200-year-old Cistercian monastery in southern Ireland that shuttered in January 2025 due to declining vocations and an aging monastic community, Waterford & Star News reported Feb. 10.
The Catholic university said the new campus will welcome students in fall 2026, offering a semester-long study abroad program rooted in Ireland’s Catholic heritage. On its website, the school described the initiative as combining “rigorous academics, intentional spiritual formation, and immersive cultural experiences.”
“This is a unique pathway to ground the faithful, rigorous, and joyful Catholic liberal arts program of AMU [Ave Maria University] in an ancient tradition of Cistercian prayer, work, and study,” said Sam Shephard, a biology professor and the Ireland study abroad program coordinator.
Mount Melleray, located near Cappoquin, closed last year after its remaining monks relocated to Our Lady of Silence in Roscrea, consolidating the Cistercian presence elsewhere in the country.
The monastery, founded by Irish and English monks in 1832, marked the return of the Cistercian Order to Ireland after its monasteries were largely suppressed during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. The Cistercian Order was established in 1098 in France and is known for its emphasis on contemplative prayer, manual labor, and strict observance of the Rule of St. Benedict. The Cistercians maintained a significant presence in medieval Ireland before the dissolution of monasteries.
Ave Maria stated on its website that Mount Melleray stands “at the heart of Ireland’s Catholic revival” and announced it is working in partnership with the local bishop and the Cistercian community to continue the monastic “legacy of faith and learning — bringing students into a place where tradition is not just remembered but lived.”