The founders of St Anselm’s had a sense that there was an opposition and tension between our culture and Catholicism, and they took as a central part of their vision for St Anselm’s that it would address this, primarily by research and higher education. This tension is still an issue. Pope Paul VI said that, “The split between the Gospel and culture is without doubt the drama of our time” (On Evangelization in the Modern World, 20).

Addressing this issue is still central to the ministry of St Anselm’s Abbey, but it is approached by broader means than it was initially. Not all the men who had a vocation to St Anselm’s had the interest or those specialized talents necessary for higher education, so, while some monks continued to carry on the initial vision, the means to do this were broadened. At St Anselm’s Abbey School the monks seek to help young men overcome the split between Christianity and culture in their lives and, in their maturity, help our nation to do likewise.

Hospitality, spiritual direction, the giving of retreats, adult education in spirituality and theology, and help for neighboring parishes serve the same purpose. And there are the services to one another within the monastery that are necessary to sustain our life together and our work for the larger world. These ministries benefit others, but they also are a discipline that, engaged in with genuine love and balance, builds up the one who serves and the community.