April 21
Saint Anselm
Archbishop
Doctor of the Church
(Around 1033-1109)
“The Mother of God is our mother. May the good mother ask and beg for us, may she request and obtain what is good for us.”
Saint Anselm
Saint’s Life Story
His Early Life
Anselm, also known as Anselm of Aosta and Anselmo of Canterbury, was born around 1033 in Aosta, Piedmont, Italy to his father, Gondulf, and his mother, Ermenberge, from a noble family. Like many other saints, Anselm learnt the first lessons of piety from his mother, and at a very early age he was fired with the love of learning.
Anselm was a poet and a dreamer, who carried always about him something of the grandeur of his native hills. It seemed that Anselm’s native intelligence might have died on the vine had he continued his education at home, but he was allowed to study later at the abbey at Aosta, where he flowered.
At the age of 15, Anselm desired to enter religious life. But his father, Gondulf, prevented him from doing so, causing Anselm to fall gravely ill as a result. Then, unable to fulfill his dream and without spiritual support after the death of his mother, for several years, Anselm become involved in worldly pursuits which his father introduced to him.
Fled to France
Upon the death of his mother, Ermenberge, Anselm argued with his father who had professed his new faith and entered a monastery. In 1056, at the age 23, Anselm left home with a single attendant, crossed the Alps, and wandered through Burgundy and France for three years. His fellow countryman Lanfranc of Pavia was then prior of the Benedictine abbey of Bec in Normandy. Attracted by Lanfranc’s reputation, Anselm reached Normandy in 1059.
Benedictine Monk
There, he became a Benedictine monk at the monastery of Bec in Normandy in 1060. Under the guidance of Lanfranc, Anselm studied passionately. Eventually, despite the initial hesitation of some on account of his youth, Anselm was elected as prior of the monastery in 1063. Fifteen years later in 1078, Anselm was appointed as the abbot.
Under Anselm’s direction, Bec became the foremost seat of learning in Europe, attracting students from France, Italy, and elsewhere. During this time, due to the close proximity and political connections between Normandy and England, Anselm frequently traveled and communicated with Church officials in England.
Archbishop of Canterbury
In 1092, he was reluctantly chosen as the Archbishop of Canterbury, England. It is said that officials had to wait until Anselm was too sick to argue before he agreed to take on this role. As Archbishop, Anselm found himself resisting King William Rufus’s encroachment on ecclesiastical rights and the independence of the Church.
In addition, Archbishop of Canterbury, Anselm maintained his monastic ideals, including stewardship, prudence, and proper instruction, prayer and contemplation. Anselm advocated for reform and interests of Canterbury.
Conflict With King William II
One of Anselm’s first conflicts with King William II (William Rufus) came in the month he was consecrated. King William II was preparing to wrest Normandy from his elder brother, Robert II, and needed funds. Anselm was among those expected to pay him. He offered £500 but King William refused. The King was encouraged by his courtiers to insist on £1000 as a kind of bribery for Anselm’s elevation to archbishop.
Anselm not only refused, he further pressed the King to fill England’s other vacant positions, permit bishops to meet freely in councils, and to allow Anselm to resume enforcement of canon law, particularly against incestuous marriages, until he was ordered to silence. When a group of bishops subsequently suggested that William might now settle for the original sum, Anselm replied that he had already given the money to the poor and “that he disdained to purchase his master’s favor as he would a horse or ass”.
Exiled
Since Anselm had staunchly refused to pay bribes to assume his position, he was eventually exiled for his unwavering efforts. During his exile, Anselm traveled to Rome and became an advisor to Pope Blessed Urban II. There, he gained support from the Pope to return to England and conduct Church affairs without interference from the king.
Return and Second Exile
In 1100, King Henry II invited Anselm to return to England, but their disagreements over lay investiture led to another exile. Anselm was once again exiled. But in 1106, Anselm returned in 1106 when King Henry agreed not to interfere with the selection of Church officials.
A compromise was struck when King Henry renounced his right to the investiture of bishops and abbots and Anselm agreed to pay homage to the king for temporal possessions. The reconciliation lasted for the rest of Anselm’s life. The King grew to trust Anselm so much that he made him regent while he was away in Normandy in 1108.
Father of Scholasticism
Anselm stands out as a link between Saint Augustine of Hippo and Saint Thomas Aquinas and is called the ‘Father of Scholasticism.’ He preferred to defend the faith by intellectual reason rather than scriptural arguments.
His Works
Anselm wrote on the existence of God in Monologium and Proslogium (deduces God’s existence from man’s notion of a perfect being, which influenced later great thinkers such as Duns Scotus, Descartes, and Hegel). His Cur Deus homo? was the most prominent treatise on the Atonement and Incarnation ever written. Other writings include:
De fide Trinitatis
De conceptu de virginali
Liber apologeticus pro insipiente
De veritate
Letters, Prayers, and Meditations
Anselm’s intellectual rigor was softened by the sensitivity of his mind and the generosity of his heart. He wrote, “I want to understand something of the truth which my heart believes and loves. I do not seek thus to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order that I may understand.”
His Death
Anselm died on Holy Wednesday, April 21, 1109 in Canterbury, Kent, England. Anselm was one of the great philosophers and theologians of the middle ages and a noted theological writer. He was far more at home in the monastery than in political circles but still managed to improve the position of the Church in England.
Saint Anselm was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1720 by Pope Clement XI.
Born: Around 1033 in Aosta, Piedmont, Italy
Died: April 21, 1109 in Canterbury, Kent, England
Beatified: Not Known
Canonized: October 4, 1494 by Pope Alexander VI
Feast Day: April 21
Patron Saint: Aosta, Italy; Canterbury, England; Turin, Italy
Reflection
Saint Anselm of Canterbury beautifully embodied the idea of “faith seeking understanding.” He showed that faith and reason are not enemies, but companions on the journey to knowing God. Through his writings, he challenged believers to think deeply about their faith. As a leader, he stood firm for truth and justice, even when it cost him dearly through two different exiles from the Kings when he was Archbishop of Canterbury. His life reminds us that loving God involves both the heart and the mind.
How can you use both faith and reason to grow deeper in your relationship with God?
Prayers
Saint Anselm of Canterbury,
You sought understanding through faith and led others with wisdom and courage.
Teach us to love God with both heart and mind, to seek truth without fear, and to stand firm in what is right.
Pray for us, that we may grow in holiness, in knowledge of God, and in trust that surpasses all understanding.
May your example inspire us to pursue truth with humility and serve with unwavering faith.
Saint Anselm of Canterbury, pray for us! Amen.
Saint Links
Aleteia – Do you need to find God today? Try this prayer from St. Anselm
America Needs Fatima – Saint Anselm of Canterbury
AnaStpaul – Saint of the Day – 21 April – St Anselm of Canterbury (c1033-1109) – Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church
Catholic Culture – St. Anselm of Canterbury: Scholarship Rooted in Prayer
Catholic Exchange – St. Anselm on Seeking Satisfaction and Mercy
Catholic Insight – Saint Anselm’s Idea of God
Catholic Ireland – Apr 21 – St Anselm (1033-1109)
Catholic Online – St. Anselm
CatholicSaints.Info – Saints of the Day – Anselm of Canterbury, Doctor – by Katherine I Rabenstein
Daily Prayers – Anselm of Canterbury
Dynamic Catholic – Saint Anselm
Editions Magnificat – Saint Anselm Archbishop of Canterbury (1034-1109)
Franciscan Media – Saint Anselm
Loyola Press – Saint Anselm Feast day April 21
My Catholic Life – Saint Anselm of Canterbury
New Advent – Kent, W. (1907). St. Anselm. In The Catholic Encyclopedia
Rev Butler’s Lives Of The Saints Complete Edition – St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury and Doctor of the Church
Saint Mary’s Press – Saint Anselm (1033-1109)
The Saint Challenge – St. Anselm of Canterbury – April 21
uCatholic – Saint Anselm, Doctor of the Church
University of Notre Dame Faith ND – St. Anselm
Video Link
St Anselm, April 21 – YouTube (TheRemnantVideo)