The council meets each year in May and November. The meeting in May is always in Europe and the meeting in November in one of the various monasteries elsewhere in the congregation.

Abbot President Dom Bruno Marin was accompanied by the Procurator General, Fr Ambrose Flavell (who spent some months in New Norcia in 2003), and the eight Abbot visitors who travelled from Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Philippines, the USA and Vietnam.

They met for a few days of intense work, and then enjoyed activities to experience what New Norcia and Western Australia have to offer.

The group of Abbot visitors represent the provinces within the Subiaco Congregation.

The Subiaco Congregation of the Order of St Benedict is an international congregation of 64 monasteries of men located on the five continents, to which also belong 45 monasteries of women.

New Norcia belongs to this particular congregation. The Abbot President is one of the two abbots who visited in January to conduct the canonical visitation and preside at the election of the new abbot.