The first sentence of St Benedict's Rule invites the would-be monk to return to God "by the labor of obedience." Here the word "obedience" characterizes the entire life of one who is faithful to God. St Benedict is not forgetting that we are saved by God's grace and favor alone but he is suggesting that growing ever more faithful to God is labor, prolonged hard work. St Benedict called today's "liturgy of the hours" the "the work of God." In this prayer God is the principal worker, but attentive sharing in it requires sustained effort. The same may be said of the more individual types of prayer and reflection on the Scriptures.

By ancient tradition Christian monks work for their living. A life in common requires a variety of practical activities, all humble ways of living a life of charity in a stable community.: St Benedict's Rule gives an emphasis to manual labor. Today's occupations are different, but we try to maintain St Benedict's spirit of reverence for all creation.

At present St Anselm's major community work is in administration and teaching at St Anselm's Abbey School. A few monks teach at Catholic University. Our ministry of hospitality brings many individuals and groups to the Abbey for retreats and other purposes. Some monks are active in spiritual direction, in giving retreats and adult education courses in spirituality. We are chaplains to two communities of Sisters. Priests of the Abbey on occasion assist in parishes on weekends.

Monks of the Abbey have also responded to pressing needs of the day. The work of Father Thomas Verner Moore is an outstanding example. After much effort Father Thomas succeeded in founding in 1926 a residential school for developmentally disabled girls. It was called St Gertrude's School of Arts and Crafts and was located in a building on the priory grounds. The School was staffed by a community of sisters from St Scholastica's Priory in Duluth, Minnesota. At the time there were only two other schools of this kind in the United States. Monks of the priory/abbey acted as chaplains and assisted the sisters in various ways.

When the school had to be closed in 1992 possibilities for schooling and assisted living for the developmentally disabled were far more advanced than they were at the time of Moore's pioneering efforts.. Today some monks of the abbey give assistance at nearby Bethlehem House, a residence for developmentally disabled adults.

Father Augustine Walsh was a member of the founding group that made its novitiate at Fort Augustus in 1923-24. In Washington he taught philosophy at Catholic University and Trinity College. From early in his monastic life Walsh was an active member of a group calling for renewal of the liturgy. In the 1930's he was active in interracial work. He directed the Clergy Conference on Negro Welfare and also the Newman Club at Howard University. Perhaps through his inspiration Brother Maurus Wolf gave catechetical instruction to a group of African American children and adults for many years.

These examples illustrate the openness of the Abbey to new ministries in our changing world. The continuing challenge is to integrate such activities into Benedictine monastic life.