Saint Anselm Abbey, located in

Goffstown, New Hampshire Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 18,577 at the 2020 census. The compact center of town, where 3,366 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffst ...

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, is a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

composed of men living under the Rule of Saint Benedict within the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The abbey was founded in 1889 under the patronage of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, a Benedictine

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

of Bec and former archbishop of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

in England. The monks are involved in the operation of

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889, it is the third-oldest Catholic college in New England. Named for Saint Anselm of Canterbury ( Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to ...

. The abbey is a member of the

American-Cassinese Congregation The American-Cassinese Congregation is a Catholic association of Benedictine monasteries founded in 1855. The monasteries of the congregation follow the monastic way of life as outlined by St. Benedict of Nursia in his early 6th century Rule of ...

of the

Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monasti ...

Foundation

In 1889,

Denis M. Bradley ''For the Irish former PSNI vice-chairman, former priest, and current freelance journalist, see Denis Bradley.'' Denis Mary Bradley (February 25, 1846 – December 13, 1903) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

, the first

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusett ...

, requested that

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

Boniface Wimmer send monks to his

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

to create a school for

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and Irish immigrants. The bishop thought that in order to create harmony among the people of his diocese the best educators for them should be

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

.
Monks from Newark Abbey, Saint Mary's Abbey in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, were sent to found Saint Anselm Abbey in 1889. When they arrived they founded St. Raphael's Parish in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, and they founded Saint Anselm Preparatory School, which would later evolve into

Saint Anselm College

is a nationally ranked

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

. The monks of Saint Anselm Abbey are heavily involved in the life and operation of the college. Serving as administrators, as faculty and staff members, and on the college's Board of Trustees, the monastery's approximately 30 monks fulfill their monastic calling in the work they do.

Abbots

From the time of its founding in 1889 until 1927, when it became an independent abbey, Saint Anselm was a dependent priory of Saint Mary's Abbey in

. The abbots of Saint Mary's were also the spiritual superiors of Saint Anselm. Those abbots were Abbot Hilary Pfraengle and Abbot Ernest Helmstetter. Since its elevation to the status of an independent institution, Saint Anselm has been led by five men: *Abbot Bertrand Dolan, O.S.B. - In 1927, Saint Anselm

Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

was elevated to an abbey by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fr ...

. Abbot President Ernest Helmstetter, president of the

, conducted the first abbatial election, and the monks in

solemn vow A solemn vow is a certain vow ("a deliberate and free promise made to God about a possible and better good") taken by an individual during or after novitiate in a Catholic religious institute. It is solemn insofar as the Church recognizes it a ...

s elected Fr. Bertrand Dolan, O.S.B. as first abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey. *Abbot Gerald McCarthy, O.S.B. - Abbot Gerald was elected coadjutor abbot in 1963 at Abbot Bertrand's request. Following the death of Abbot Bertrand in 1968, Abbot Gerald became the Abbot of Saint Anselm. His abbatial blessing was celebrated on September 3, 1963, by Bishop

Ernest John Primeau Ernest John Primeau (September 17, 1909 – June 6, 1989) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire from 1960 to 1974. Biography Early life Ernest Primeau was ...

of Manchester. Abbot Gerald retired from his abbatial duties due to declining health shortly before Christmas of 1971. *Bishop

Joseph John Gerry Joseph John Gerry, O.S.B., (born September 12, 1928) is an American Benedictine monk and prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Gerry served as the third abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey until he was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese o ...

, O.S.B. - Bishop Joseph professed first vows as a member of Saint Anselm Abbey on July 2, 1948, following his novitiate at

Saint Vincent Archabbey Saint Vincent Archabbey is a Benedictine monastery in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the city of Latrobe. A member of the American-Cassinese Congregation, it is the oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States and the largest in the ...

in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He was ordained to the priesthood in St. Joseph's Cathedral, Manchester, by Bishop Matthew Francis Brady on June 12, 1954. He was named Subprior of the Abbey in 1959 and Prior in 1963, a position he held until 1971. On January 6, 1972, he was elected third abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey, a position he held until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. On February 21, 1989 he was installed as the 10th Bishop of

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metro ...

. The principal celebrant was Bernard Cardinal Law, Archbishop of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

. The event took place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. Bishop Joseph retired on February 4, 2004, and returned to Saint Anselm Abbey where he currently resides.
*Abbot Matthew K. Leavy, O.S.B. - Abbot Matthew, a native of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

, New York, took vows as a monk in 1968. Ordained to the priesthood in 1975, and having held various responsibilities in the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

and at Saint Anselm College, he was elected the fourth Abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey on March 4, 1986, at the age of 35, after Abbot

's elevation to Auxiliary Bishop of Manchester. Before being elected Abbot, he was the Prior of the Abbey. Abbot Matthew retired from his position as Abbot and Chancellor of

on June 5, 2012. *Abbot Mark Cooper, O.S.B. - On June 5, 2012, Abbot Mark Cooper was elected as the fifth Abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey. By virtue of his election, he consequently becomes Chancellor of Saint Anselm College. Previous to his election he managed Saint Anselm College's finances for 33 years and was set to retire as the treasurer and vice president of financial affairs. Abbot Mark professed vows as a member of the Benedictine community at Saint Anselm in 1972 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1976. He earned his bachelor's degree in political science in 1971 from Saint Anselm College. He earned an M.S.A. in business administration from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

. He studied at Saint John's Seminary in

and St. Albert's Seminary in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. He taught at

Woodside Priory Woodside Priory School (commonly known as The Priory) is an independent, co-educational, Benedictine Catholic, college-preparatory, day and boarding school in Portola Valley, California, United States. It is located within the Roman Catholic Arc ...

in California and received an Alumni Award of Merit in 2003 for his contributions to the growth of Saint Anselm College. Abbot Mark was officially blessed as the Abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey on September 10, 2012 by his uncle

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

Joseph Gerry, O.S.B. in the presence of the Bishop of

, Peter Libasci.

Community song

On feast days and at the graveside during burial of members of the community, the monastic community sings the hymn of the

known as the "''Ultima''". The hymn is sung a cappella in Latin through once, then the final two lines are repeated.

Gallery

College Dedication, October 11, 1893.jpg, College Dedication, October 11, 1893 Alumni Hall 1889 Sun.jpg, Saint Anselm College's Alumni Hall, rebuilt in 1893 after a devastating fire, was the first monastery complex for Saint Anselm Abbey South Entrance Saint Anselm Abbey.jpg, South Entrance into the abbey's cloister garden ERIC DORM (81).jpg, Abbey Church Exterior ERIC DORM (83).jpg, Abbey Church Interior Geisel SAC Library.jpg, Geisel SAC Library Abbot Matthew Leavy, O.S.B. and Bishop Joseph Gerry, O.S.B..jpg, Bishop Joseph Gerry, O.S.B. (left) and Abbot Matthew Leavy, O.S.B. (right) walking into Saint Anselm College's 2010 commencement Coat of arms of Mark Cooper.svg, Coat of arms of Abbot Mark Cooper, O.S.B.

References

External links

Saint Anselm Abbey official websiteAmerican Cassinese CongregationBenedictine Confederation
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, state=collapsed Benedictine monasteries in the United States Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester Christianity in New Hampshire Saint Anselm College Educational institutions established in 1889 1889 establishments in New Hampshire