On March 24, 2007, Father Daniël Hombergen, OCSO, a monk of the Trappist Abbey of Maria Toevlucht (‘Our Lady of Refuge’) in Holland and the Dean of the Theological Faculty at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm, was elected Abbot of his community.
Abbot Daniël has been resident at Sant’ Anselmo since 1996. He was a doctoral student in the Monastic Institute from 1996 till 2000, publishing his dissertation, The Second Origenist Controversy. A New Perspective on Cyril of Scythopolis’ Monastic Biographies as Historical Sources for Sixth-Century Origenism, in 2001. From the fall of 2000 until the present semester Abbot Daniël has been teaching Patristics and Monastic Studies, having been appointed Lecturer in 2000, and Assistant Professor of Patristics in 2003. In August of 2005 Abbot Daniël was appointed Dean of the Theological Faculty at Sant’ Anselmo. He has published numerous scholarly articles and has given lectures in several countries on the topics of the Fathers of the Church and monastic spirituality.
Abbot Daniël was born in Holland but spent his youth in the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean. He entered the Trappist community of Maria Toevlucht in 1979. He completed his seminary training in Holland, and received a Licentiate in Patristics from the Augustinianum in Rome, before being ordained to the diaconate in 1994. Abbot Daniël was ordained to the priesthood in August of 2000. Prior to entering the monastic life Abbot Daniël taught art and the history of art in a middle school in Holland.