Tom Monaghan is best known as the founder of Domino’s Pizza, but after selling the company he devoted much of his fortune to Catholic education and philanthropy. He went on to found Ave Maria University, a Catholic university in Florida.
Now the university has crossed the Atlantic.
In September 2026, Ave Maria University welcomed its first group of students to Mount Melleray Abbey in County Waterford, Ireland, a historic Cistercian monastery founded in 1832. The monastic community had closed in January 2025 after nearly two centuries, amid declining numbers and an ageing community.
Around 100 students arrived for the first semester, with classes beginning inside the former monastery. The new program combines university studies with a rhythm inspired by the Cistercian tradition of prayer, study, work and community life.
And on September 20, 2026, the restored abbey church was formally reopened with a special Mass, beginning a new chapter for a place that has been part of Irish Catholic life for almost 200 years.
The monks are gone, but the Catholic mission of Mount Melleray continues.