At Saint Anselm College, it is very apparent among students that the monastic community is alive and well on campus. The friendly nature that they all convey creates a bridge between the monastery and students, which is especially shown through some of the monks being active in the Anselmian environment.

Students are able to connect more with monks through school-wide structures that are run

by them, such as Father Francis in Campus Ministry, Father Bernard in the classroom, and Father Aloysius in the S.E.A.L. office. Entering his freshman year at Saint Anselm College in 2013, Father Aloysius knew from the start that he wanted to become a priest – not in the monastery, but a diocesan or parish priest. While that may be true, after spending more time with the monks on campus and attending similar services, he began to fall in love with the monastic way of life, along with priesthood. During his junior year here, he spoke with then-Abbot Mark about joining the community and officially entered a year later. By serving in the monastery here, Father Aloysius is able to be part of both the Benedictine Rule and priesthood.

Before he started in the monastery, there were some expectations that he initially had that

did not follow through as reality. The strict behaviors he had previously heard about were not as big of an issue as he had originally assumed they might be. In fact, they were a good thing in Father Aloyisuis’s eyes, as all of the rules and regulations were something that he chose to go after and would know to be certain. These rules and having a schedule to follow are what he sees as having a way to keep himself accountable. However, the strict feeling is not evident on a day-to-day basis, and it has actually become quite a normal part of the monastic routine.

Aside from rules, the monks are also able to be as involved as they wish with campus life

and activities, being able to serve the students on a more personal level. Father Aloysius, expressed a desire to work in the Student Affairs division, not in Campus Ministry, as there were already a few monks working there. From there, Abbot Mark reached out to Dean Finn about a possible new addition to the department and he was welcomed into the S.E.A.L. office, which was actually unexpected. He started his position there in August of 2022 and has been loving it ever since, even being promoted to Assistant Director of the office! He is the first monk to work in this office specifically, which he sees as a huge step in the right direction of expanding the monastery beyond Campus Ministry.

As far as a bridge between the monastery and students goes, Father Aloysius believes that

the monk’s mere presence is enough. The more involved that they become with student life, the stronger that bridge stands firm. It is important to see Saint Anselm College as one community and not one that is separate from the religious life that the college has to offer.

Being involved in Student Affairs is not all that Father Aloyisius has to offer on campus. He also works part-time in the Campus Ministry office reading confessions, he is the master of ceremonies for liturgical events, and is the acting infirmarian in the monastery, where he takes care of the ill monks. His work as infirmarian is a skill he gets to utilize, as Father Aloyisius has also been a registered EMT in the state of New Hampshire for the past 10 years. While he may not spend much time directly in the medical services, it is helpful to him to be able to exercise his abilities elsewhere.

In the upcoming school year, Father Aloyisius is most looking forward to meeting new

students and getting to know the campus life better. He loves his job for several reasons, one of them being that he is able to meet all different kinds of students in his office. It allows him to connect on a deeper level in a space that is unique to Saint Anselm College.