Abbatial Ritual: Electing and Blessing the Abbot

The bell rings and people grab their umbrellas. Professors, recent graduates, groundskeepers and vice presidents all hurry in a soft, June rain toward the Abbey Church. Inside the church, the

Electing the Fifth Abbot

On June 5, 2012, an important period of monastic and college leadership comes to an end. Abbot Matthew Leavy, O.S.B., will step down as abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey and

Abbas IV (The Fourth Abbot): Plain and Simple

The Bronx grammar school he attended had no playground; recess was held on a screened-in roof. The neighborhood was a few subway stops from Yankee Stadium, a few thousand miles …