GOFFSTOWN — Benedictine monks at St. Anselm College are set to elect a new abbot this week, who will serve as both the spiritual leader of the Abbey and chancellor of the college.

The new abbot, the fifth since the Abbey’s status was confirmed in 1927, will replace Abbot Matthew Leavy, who will retire Tuesday.

The new abbot will be elected in a process that spans two days and includes up to six ballots, Assistant Vice President of Communications and Marketing Barbara LeBlanc said in a prepared statement.

“There are 21 monks eligible to be abbot and 25 eligible to vote in the 28-member community,” LeBlanc said.

“They will follow an electoral process laid out in the Guide for Abbatial Elections whose guidelines conform with the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church,” she said.

According to an article in the spring issue of the college’s magazine, candidates must be ordained priests, at least 20 years old, and have been in solemn vows for at least seven years.

This morning, the abbots will meet in the choir chapel and will nominate up to two candidates. The candidates will then leave the room and be evaluated in an open discussion among the rest of the group.

Unlike many other offices, monks don’t campaign for the position ahead of time.

After the evaluations, the monks will take time to pray and reflect on the process overnight and will meet for elections Tuesday morning.

Up to six ballots are in place. The first three must be a two-thirds majority, and the second three must have a 50 percent-plus-one vote. If a clear majority is not reached, an interim abbot may be appointed for up to three years.

LeBlanc said when the community elects a new abbot, if the elected monk accepts the honor, he is confirmed immediately and the group proceeds to the Abbey Church.

According to LeBlanc, the tolling of bells will notify the larger community of the decision; everyone will gather in the Abbey for a service of thanksgiving.

The Order of Saint Benedict was founded in the sixth century by Saint Benedict of Nursia and is one of the oldest monastic orders in the western hemisphere.