Presidential Inauguration

Good afternoon, everyone! It is a pleasure to be here as we gather to celebrate the inauguration of Dr. Michael Lewis as our 12th president.

I want to start with a moment of gratitude. First, thank you to Abbot Isaac and the members of Saint Anselm Abbey. We are immensely grateful for your sustaining presence at the College. You are a model for us of community, prayer, silent reflection, and service, and you show us every day how to grow closer to Jesus Christ through a life of prayer and work. We are also grateful to have Abbot Martin from Saint Vincent Archabbey, and Bishop Labasci from the Diocese of Manchester with us today.

I also want to recognize and thank Dr. Joe Favazza for his tremendous leadership over the past seven years. Also present today is Fr. Jonathan DeFelice, who guided the college for 24 years. Because of their strong leadership, we sit here today on a thriving campus, with record enrollment, and we are now recognized nationally by US News & World Report as the 72^nd best national liberal arts institution.

This afternoon, I want to reflect on why I believe Dr. Lewis is the right leader for Saint Anselm at this point in our history.

I will touch on three things – the importance of listening, a dedication to mission, and our role going forward together.

Saint Anselm is a Catholic, Benedictine college, faithful to the Roman Catholic Church and the Rule of Saint Benedict. And if you open up the Rule, the very first word is listen. Listen. In fact, the first sentences are these:

“Listen carefully, my son, to the master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you. Welcome it and faithfully put it into practice.

These opening words tell us that we are all called to listen deeply, to discern God’s plan. So 18 months ago, when Dr. Favazza told us he would be stepping down, our search began with listening. We held 22 listening sessions across campus and received more than 1,000 survey responses from faculty, staff, alumni, students, and parents.

The number one thing we heard was the need for a leader who could –

Reinforce & Build on our Catholic, Benedictine, Liberal Arts Mission

Reinforce & Build on our Catholic, Benedictine, Liberal Arts Mission

Notice the distinction: people weren’t asking us to preserve or restore our identity or mission – they wanted to build on it! And they wanted a leader with integrity, strong operational and financial skills, and the ability to listen and communicate.

Our mission does not change: to provide all our students a distinctive education that encourages the lifelong pursuit of truth and fosters intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth. But how we bring that mission to life must keep evolving, so that it stays dynamic and relevant.

Here is a recent example.

Over the past six years, our faculty have created more than 15 new majors and programs across all three of our schools, including Sports Analytics, Health Sciences, and new Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Accounting. Each is built on our core curriculum and the liberal arts. One out of every five incoming freshmen now chooses these majors! Many of those students would otherwise have gone elsewhere. These programs are new ways to bring our mission to life and to keep making Saint Anselm College relevant to today’s societal needs and challenges. Please join me in thanking our faculty for their hard work to keep our mission relevant to today's students!

So, after listening to what our community sought in our next President, we began reviewing the candidates.

Dr. Lewis immediately stood out for his tremendous accomplishments at St. Louis University. For example –

He has won numerous awards for his excellence in teaching

He has experience in scaling online graduate programs.

He has led a collection of schools and hired many Deans…

He is an accomplished researcher with 43 publications and over 1,000 citations

Obviously, he was exceptionally well-qualified.

In our first conversations with Mike, what also stood out was how he thought and talked about mission.

He talked about how mission is the lens through which he makes every decision

He spoke eloquently about how we need to see Christ in every person

He spoke about the wisdom and richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic Social Teaching.

Then we spoke with people who have worked with Mike. Here is some of what they shared:

One said - “Mike is a tremendous listener and a steady leader. He understands how to have good dialogue; he wants to hear people’s feedback and then find a path forward that brings as many people together as possible. Yet he also recognizes that sometimes tough decisions need to be made, and he works to communicate why and how.

Another colleague mentioned: Mike is very smart. He has a lot of integrity, which is why so many people support him and like him. He’s also an operator; he wants to see the data and digs into the details just like the scientist he is! He always makes his numbers and delivers on his commitments. One of the most ethical people I’ve met.

And finally, one shared that Mike cares deeply about students and has invested heavily in additional student resources for mental health and well-being. He loves teaching and engaging with students and the whole community.

That sounds like the strong, collaborative leader we need.

One final thing made Mike stand out, and it is something you don’t often see in a search. Several of his references went out of their way to talk about his wife Heather and their family life with Jack and Grace. They talked about how important Mike’s family is to him as a leader, and how special it is to have the whole family as part of a college community.

In Mike’s final interview, he spoke with passion about how he and Heather have dedicated their lives to Catholic higher education, and see it as their shared vocation, as individuals and as a married couple.

So please help me welcome Heather, who is here, as well as their two children, Jack and Grace.

We are so grateful to welcome you as a family to our campus community, and we are thrilled that you as a family have chosen to join Saint Anselm.

Mike, you and your family join us at a critical point. Across the country, in boardrooms, classrooms, and at kitchen tables, on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and the editorial page of the New York Times, people are asking whether higher education is worth it. Saint Anselm is not immune to the pressures: rising costs, fewer students nationally, financial instability, federal funding uncertainty, mental health concerns, and the growing influence of AI.

I believe this moment presents an extraordinary opportunity for Saint Anselm and its mission. Here, we can confidently say that higher education is worth it. Our faculty, alumni, and students tell the compelling story of how a Saint Anselm College education transformed their lives. And the age of artificial intelligence will need leaders formed exactly as we form them: leaders who can use AI well in their work; leaders with the reasoning and judgment to weigh what it produces; and leaders steeped in the humanities, who understand what it means to be human, and who can help shape how AI serves society and the dignity of every person. That is why a Saint Anselm education matters—now more than ever.

Finally, Dr. Lewis has come to Hilltop to serve. To serve our community. Today, I have a simple ask of each of you. I am asking everyone here to step up, join in that service, and support Mike as he leads the College. Being a college President is hard, and it is especially hard to be a NEW college president in today’s environment.

How do we do that? By seeing ourselves as partners in mission.

Our roles are different, but our mission is shared. Each of us has a contribution to make, and that contribution deserves to be heard with respect. Every one of us is a partner in the mission of this College.

We needMike’s leadership to build on our successes - and to keep evolving the College. And as we evolve, how we do it matters.

As we evolve, we can take our inspiration from the Rule of Saint Benedict again, especially Chapter 3, “Calling the Brothers to Counsel.”

Benedict notes that, for important business, all community members must be informed of the issues. The young are not to be ignored. The brothers – that’s all of us - are to offer their opinions with humility and avoid stubborn arguments. And, in the end, once a decision is made, all are called to come together in such a way as to build up the community rather than tear it down—even when our own view has not prevailed.

This is a call to dialogue, followed by a decision. It is an invitation to listen carefully, to speak honestly and respectfully, to seek wisdom from one another, and to recognize that disagreement can be part of a healthy community.

That, I believe, is the spirit in which we should welcome Dr. Lewis and begin this next chapter together.

And so, Dr. Lewis, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to offer you our full support. The Board will bring our broad experience, our perspective, our energy and our fiduciary responsibility to the work as part of its role in shared governance.

I know you can count on this Anselmian community as well—to join you in attentive listening and reflection, to renew its dedication to our mission, and to support you in your leadership.

Together we will use mission as our guide and keep bringing it to life in new ways. We promise you our support, our candor, our partnership, and our prayers.

The future of Saint Anselm is not one person's responsibility. It is a responsibility we share as a community, with you as our leader. I know you will make sure everyone feels heard. And once decisions are made, let us come together and build up our community on the Hilltop.

That is the Benedictine way.

As Bishop Bradley said to the monks who came here to New Hampshire in the 1880’s, so I can confidently say to you, and to everyone here: Saint Anselm has “a good future before it.”

Thank you.

Joseph Parodi-Brown

It is both an honor and a privilege to stand before you today as President of the Alumni Association and, on behalf of the 24,000 Saint Anselm alumni around the world, to offer my congratulations and best wishes to Dr. Lewis.

As an undergraduate Spanish major, I learned early about the power of stories. Stories unite us, lift our spirits, help us make sense of complex realities, and, perhaps most importantly, help create and shape communities. Passed from one generation to the next, stories give us a way to understand where we have come from, who we are, and what we might become.

Stories have power. They can inspire, connect, and transform the way we see ourselves and one another. A story is more than words—it is a bridge between one heart and another, carrying ideas, memories, and meaning across time and distance.

As alumni, we tell stories. We love our stories. And whether you graduated 50 years ago or just last May, the stories of Saint Anselm College create a shared experience and shape our collective imagination. How many conversations have begun with the words, “Remember when…”?

Every institution has a story. But Saint Anselm’s story is written by its people—students, faculty, monks, staff, and generations of alumni. We carry those stories with us, and together, we carry them forward.

Dr. Lewis, today you join your story to the Saint Anselm story.

But this is not the story of one person, or even one generation. It is the story of all those who have helped make Saint Anselm what it is today.

Join your story to the story of Abbot Hilary, Abbot Gerald, and Bishop Joseph, whose vision and leadership helped establish the Saint Anselm we know today. Join your story to the story of Brother Joachim and Father Jonathan, presidents who helped bring Saint Anselm into the modern era and helped shape the College for generations to come.

Join your story to the stories of alumni like Miles Dortch, Roger Jean, Joyce Clifford, Bob Collins, and Alice Dunfey. Join your story to Don Healy, who had the incredible skill of seeing great potential in even some of the most colorful applicants. Join your story to Professors John Romps and Barbara Stahl. Join your story to the countless others whose names and stories have become part of the history we carry with us.

And then join your story to the students who are writing the next chapters right now—to an excited member of the Class of 2027, and to a nervous and unsure member of the Class of 2030.

Because they, too, are part of the story.

That is the remarkable thing about Saint Anselm: the story does not belong to any one generation. Each generation inherits it, adds something of its own, and passes it forward.

And the next chapters are waiting.

Congratulations, Dr. Lewis. I can’t wait to hear your Saint Anselm story.

Speech details coming soon.

Speech details coming soon.

Inauguration Address

Introduction/History

This afternoon I stand before with you with gratitude. Thank you. I appreciate all of those who have offered such kind words of welcome. To our elected officials (if any attend – confirm with Fr. Benet), and college and university delegates, thank you for sharing this day with the Saint Anselm community.

Dr. Joe Parodi-Brown, Dr. Nicole Eyet, Mr. Steve Quinn, and Mr. Mike Riegel, thank you for your kind words. Heather and I are deeply grateful for the support our family has received from this community.

Saint Anselm trustees, and members of the monastic community, thank you for your trust in me and for being part of today’s celebration. And I am grateful we are joined by President Emeritus, Dr. Joe Favazza and President Emeritus, Fr. Jonathan DeFelice. I have the great privilege of coming into a College that, contrary to national trends, is a remarkably strong organization, and this is due to the incredible leadership of these two predecessors.

Fr. Tim, Abbot Martin – thank you for sharing this day with us, and for your inspirational words. And Bishop Libasci – thank you for being with us today and for your partnership in the critical relationship between the College and Diocese of Manchester.

If I have learned one thing in the time since I was announced as the next President of Saint Anselm College, and the three months since I formally joined the community, it is the incredible privilege I have to be in my role. This College, in this place, at this time, with the wonderful community of people working to advance the mission, is an opportunity –I do not take it for granted. I’m truly humbled to be in this position, and to be here with you today.

And while the privilege of this opportunity is certainly at the top of the list of what I have learned during my first few months, there is a central theme that is clear in this College’s history that remains pertinent today.

The monks who founded and led Saint Anselm College for most of its history responded to times of extraordinary change by remaining faithful to an enduring mission. Today, that mission gives our students three essential foundations: the capacity to think critically – across multiple disciplines; the experience of genuine belonging; and the moral foundation to recognize the dignity of every person.

In 1889, at the invitation of the Bishop of Manchester, Bishop Denis Bradley, monks from Saint Mary’s Abbey in Newark, NJ, which was led by Abbot Hilary Pfraengle, were sent to our city to form a preparatory school and college to educate the local Irish and French-Canadian immigrant communities.

An important part of the DNA of the institution is the fact that Bishop Bradley ultimately sought out Abbot Hilary and the Benedictine monks of Saint Mary’s Abbey because they were of German descent; this allowed them to build and foster trust, and therefore build community, across the ethnic differences of the local Irish and French-Canadian immigrant populations. From our very beginnings, one of our primary purposes was to be a place where groups from different cultures, where people with different worldviews, could convene. Where they could see each other’s humanity. Where they could see God in the other.

The idea of respecting the dignity of all humans is a central tenet of the Catholic faith, and based on Bishop Bradley’s implied concerns, and the very explicit challenges we see today in regards to respecting the dignity of all humans, I see this responsibility of Saint Anselm College being as important now as it was in the time of Bishop Bradley and Abbot Hilary.

I want to make one more through-line comparison about the history of the College, the early College, and our current time. Saint Anselm College is thriving, and given our history, this is a story of incredible resilience and innovation.

The 1890s were a challenging time. The initial College building burned to the ground shortly before we were set to open, delaying when our first students could join the College. There were numerous financial crises during our first decade, internationally and here in the US, and that impacted families’ ability to afford our education. In the 1930s we made the difficult decision – strategic, but difficulty – to close our preparatory school to concentrate our resources on the College. One of our graduation ceremonies during WWII had 3 graduates. Three. In the 1950s we started our nursing program.

Imagine the stress, the grit, the perseverance, and the resilience that are woven throughout our history. We almost closed multiple times. We closed major parts of the institution, started new programs that were far outside what the College had historically been known for. The monks who have led this College sacrificed and innovated to ensure that our mission would endure and lives would continue to be transformed. We build upon this extraordinary legacy, one from which we must continue to learn.

Present Strength of College/Personal History

The Benedictine charism, which has propelled the college since its inception, remains the basis for the current successes the College enjoys.

Students are choosing Saint Anselm in growing numbers. This is counter to national trends and no coincidence. Our faculty and staff deliver exceptional student outcomes, including equitable success for Pell-eligible students – something that is quite rare. Alumni and benefactors are investing in the College’s future; our recent fundraising is truly impressive and has strengthened the College broadly. Further, Saint Anselm College is in a strong financial position, and far more important, we have a community that does not take that for granted. We remain open to the necessity of change.

We are in the final stages of transitioning from a single College structure to having three Dean-led Schools within the College. We have committed to adding graduate programs to our portfolio. The College made the decision to transition from D-II to D-III from a position of strength. Each is a significant change. Together, they demonstrate a community willing to adapt so that our mission will thrive for generations to come.

The trajectory of our College is impressive. But you, the Saint Anselm community, are not resting on your laurels. You recognize the need to continue down a path of change so that we can sustain our momentum and grow even stronger.

Importantly, this spirit of change must continue to be in service to the core transformative education and experience our students receive. One where they gain the capacity to integrate knowledge across fields, find a community in which they are known and supported, and encounter others with respect.

The Catholic Intellectual Tradition emphasizes the notion that rays of God’s wisdom are found in all disciplines, in all peoples, in all traditions. And this is why you see the liberal arts as central to the education at Catholic institutions – a broad education is necessary to living a full and meaningful life, regardless of major.

This is something I stumbled into in my own educational journey, and I have only realized – many years later – the value and power of my own experiences. It is why I find so much meaning in Catholic higher education.

I was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I stayed there for my undergraduate studies – at Saint Mary’s University. When I think about that time, I am grateful for my parents’ willingness to let me wander.

Saint Mary’s, like most Canadian institutions, did not have a liberal arts curriculum in the manner we have at Saint Anselm, or as is common at most Catholic colleges in the US. Once you chose a major, you focused on courses that hewed close to that area. However, I liked chemistry, and I liked anthropology. So, I pursued a course of study in both. With no intention other than studying two areas that I found interesting, I ended up taking a fairly broad course of study.

As I entered my final year, I found myself in the position where the capstone for each major was offered at the same time. I had to choose. I remain a course shy of a BA in Anthropology.

I earned my BS in Chemistry. The rest is history – I followed that with a PhD in Chemistry and a postdoctoral fellowship and then started at Saint Louis University. And here I am today. But, and again – with no intention – I learned the value of thinking critically and creatively across a broad array of fields, and it has served me incredibly well.

I also learned the value of genuine belonging to our own successes, though – as was the case for my learnings about the value of critical thinking across disciplines – it is something that I have only recognized long after the fact. The Benedictine hallmark of hospitality is deeply ingrained in the fabric of this College. You see this in how we welcome students to our campus, in the programs we offer to support students, in our athletics, and the community it fosters among our student-athletes, and the spirit it creates for the entire campus.

I grew up in Halifax’s western suburb of Fairview, which is probably best described as blue-collar – at least when I was growing up there. I did not know many people who had gone to college. My parents were among the first in their family to graduate high school, let alone college. And yet, like many of my friends, I had parents who understood the transformative power of education.

As was common for those from my neighborhood who went to college, I was a commuter student. Belonging was not a focus of my undergraduate experience in the 1990s. That was the case for many institutions at that time. My community during my undergraduate years was grounded in the friendships I had made long before college.

I’m 53 years old, and most of my closest friends I’ve known for over 40 years, some over 50 years. We all stayed in Halifax for our undergraduate studies – either at Saint Mary’s or Dalhousie – and we were our own support group. Belonging for us was grounded in our shared experiences and upbringings. We knew we could mess up, fail, explore, and always have people who were there for us. No matter what.

All students deserve to experience such belonging. And at Saint A’s we deliver. Our students know they belong here. They are enveloped in a community of inclusion and support. Hospitality is foundational tenet of this vibrant community. I commit to ensuring that it remains a top priority.

Present Strength of College/Promise of Saint Anselm College

While all students deserve the experience of a meaningful community, the capacity to think critically – across multiple disciplines, has never been more important than in this emerging age of AI. Further, the moral formation to recognize the dignity of every person has also never been more important. Saint Anselm College is uniquely positioned to address the desires of students and the needs of our society in these and related areas.

It is hard to exaggerate the importance of integrating knowledge across disciplines. Today, AI can propose the synthesis of a complex molecule, it can offer an interpretation of Hamlet, explain the relationship between interest rates and home mortgages – and it can produce an excellent and polished output in seconds. Our students absolutely must know how to use these tools, effectively and responsibly. But receiving an answer is not the same as knowing whether it is true, whether it is wise, or whether acting upon it serves the human good. Our distinctive responsibility goes deeper. We must prepare graduates who can evaluate what technology produces, connect knowledge across disciplines, and determine how it should be used in service of human flourishing.

With the proliferation of AI, it is absolutely essential at a Catholic, liberal arts institution that you learn how to think critically. To ask the important questions, across multiple disciplines. You will have a major, and therefore you will have a depth of knowledge in an area that will help secure your first job. But to be employable five years from now, probably less, you will need to demonstrate the ability to integrate knowledge. You can only do that if you study across multiple disciplines. That is what students learn at Saint Anselm College. And to respond to this moment we must ensure our students can demonstrate that readiness to their future employers.

What to me has been most distinctive in my first few months at Saint Anselm College is how we practice seeing the human dignity of all.

The respect for all is a central tenet of the Catholic faith, and it is lived at Saint Anselm College in ways that are distinguishing. We live in a society where, increasingly, the norm is to degrade the humanity of those who disagree with you. And not just on the profound and meaningful issues, but on any issue.

I recently had the privilege of introducing Governor Ayotte at the 25^th anniversary celebration of Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, and at the event I remarked at the surprise of visiting our college club fair a few days earlier where I met the College Democrats and the College Republicans. They weren’t simply at adjacent tables; they were at the same table. As I did with all the clubs, I asked how they engaged the community. These two groups talked about how they worked together to sponsor debates, bring speakers to campus. Together. These are students who clearly have different opinions on what is best for our country. For our world. But they respect one another. They are in dialogue with one another. They clearly cared about one another.

We are at a moment where contempt for those who disagree with us has become so commonplace that treating one another with dignity has become countercultural. The central Catholic tenet of encountering Christ in the other is needed as much now as it has been in my lifetime. It is something that needs to be practiced. And that is what we do at Saint Anselm College.

We practice seeing the human dignity in all. It is intentional. We do it at our New Hampshire Institute of Politics – where College Republicans and College Democrats are learning the skill. We do it through the programs offered at our Meelia Center for Community Engagement. We do it at our Campus Ministry; through the work done in our Center for Ethics and Grappone Humanities Institute.

I’ve been on campus for three months. I realize that I am just learning the depth of how human dignity is paramount at Saint Anselm College. And this is distinctive. In so many ways, our students, our faculty and staff, our community, practices seeing the human dignity in all – and most especially, seeing the humanity in those who don’t share their life experiences, or worldviews. This is so critical in the times we live.

Wrap-Up

I already feel very much at home at Saint Anselm College. I was excited to join a community that clearly has the DNA to tackle the change required in today’s ever shifting higher education landscape. We were a very different place at our founding, almost 140 years ago, and because of our adaptability we are thriving today. And thanks to our mission and Benedictine values, 140 years from now we will be a different place, but one that continues to meet the needs and challenges of the times.

My background has prepared me well for this opportunity. During my 22 years at Saint Louis University, I immersed myself in that community. Contributing to SLU’s stability through significant change was paramount to me. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have SLU Trustee, Judge Jimmie Edwards here, multiple Deans and Vice Presidents, Associate Provosts and dear colleagues, and Fr. Tim.

I left Halifax, Nova Scotia – everything I knew in life at that time – in 1996. My dear friends and I, since we were quite young, grew up together, quite literally. We have all changed dramatically, but we continue to bring stability to our collective lives. It is incredibly meaningful to have a couple of those friends – Donnie and Rob and their wives Lindsay and Debbie – here today from Halifax.

I grew up in a very tight-knit family. My mother and my sister, Amanda, are here today. As are my brother-in-law, Adam, and my nephew, Cooper. I am confident my dad is also here, just not in person. Amanda and I were very different growing up, and we continue to be different, but we were taught unconditional love of family from our parents, and we have always been there for one another, no matter the changes in our lives.

And mom – the stability you have brought to our family through so many changes is humbling to think about. Like many families, ours had its share of trials. You and dad worked hard, and through every change our family encountered you gave me and Amanda the enduring gifts of love, courage and stability. I’m obviously not here today without your love and the model you set.

Heather, Jack, and Grace. What a fun ride this life is with the three of you. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We’ve been so blessed – through all of the changes in our lives, our family is our rock. Your excitement and embrace of this considerable change – moving from St. Louis to Manchester – has been wonderful to share with you. Heather – this is the third time we’ve moved across this country. Twenty-two years of marriage, two wonderful kids, more good times than bad, many forks in the road. We keep navigating it because of the strength of our marriage. You are my rock. I love you. I couldn’t do any of this without you.

What I have learned about myself and this community over the past few months is what our students will learn during their time with us. The world will change, and Saint Anselm College will change with it. But what is most essential will endure: our faith, our commitment to truth, our care for one another, and our belief in the dignity of every human person.

With gratitude and humility, I pledge to serve that mission. I will steward it faithfully. And I commit to work alongside all of you so that generations of students yet to come may find on this Hilltop a community that prepares them not merely to succeed in the world, but to help make it more just, more humane, and more worthy of the gifts God has entrusted to us.

Thank you to the Board of Trustees and the Monastic community for the opportunity to lead this remarkable institution. Thank you to all who have come to share this day and celebrate Saint Anselm’s College. God bless you all.

Remarks at the end of the Presidential Inauguration Mass
Saint Anselm Abbey Church, October 8, 2026

It is a great pleasure for me and my confreres to welcome you to this abbey church for this celebration, the Mass of the Holy Spirit, on the occasion of the inauguration of a new college president, Dr. Michael Lewis. We welcome his family and his friends, as well as his colleagues from St. Louis University. We are happy to gather with all the members of our Saint Anselm community for this happy day, students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, benefactors, and friends of the college. And to take advantage of some ambiguity in the Latin of the Rule of St. Benedict and most of its English translations, we welcome you as Christ would welcome you and we welcome Jesus Christ who dwells in each of you. It is a great honor for us Benedictines to host this celebration.

Major celebrations often allow us to find interconnections between various facets represented at an event. What might be some various key elements of today’s celebration? I would propose three: Benedictines, Jesuits, Canadians.

In the mid 1950’s a French Benedictine monk, Fr. Jean Leclercq, OSB gave a series of lectures on education in the Benedictine tradition. In 1960 when the English translation of these lectures was published as a book, it was issued with the lovely title, The Love of Learning and the Desire for God. I’ve always thought that that title perfectly encapsulates what it is that we are trying to do here at Saint Anselm College. Fr. Leclercq was not writing about American Catholic Higher Ed, but rather about medieval monastic culture, but many of his insights from the early and high middle ages are in fact applicable to a twenty-first century college. One insight is that monastic study is oriented toward life, the whole of life, not only abstract knowledge. Benedictine monasteries as schools of the Lord’s service were interested in forming the monk, not solely in speculating about theoretical knowledge.

In those early Benedictine centuries, the only people being educated in Benedictine monasteries were monks and novices. The expansion of that educational impulse to schools for students beyond the cloister walls would develop over many more centuries. In fact, the Benedictines were seen as the schoolmasters of Europe. The spread to higher education of the Benedictine mission arrived only later in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and is almost exclusively an American phenomenon. It is especially prominent in our own American-Cassinese Congregation of Benedictine monasteries. And here we are in the twentieth-first century with our love of learning and the desire for God still intact.

Now, not only Benedictines are interested in the formation of the whole person, body, soul, and spirit. Our friends at Jesuit institutions are known for accenting Cura personalis, care of the whole person. But today I would like to focus on another facet, in fact a person, of Jesuit history and spirituality. The tie to Canada will now become clear, and no I will not be referring to St. Jean de Brébeuf or my namesake St. Isaac Jogues.

Rather I would like to focus on a twentieth century Jesuit, born in Buckingham, Quebec. His name was Bernard Lonergan, SJ. I think the ideas of this Canadian Jesuit priest can help us delve deeper into this notion of formation for the whole of life. Mike as you know worked at a Jesuit institution, St. Louis University, for 22 years, and was born and raised in Canada. Sorry – to say that I too was born and raised in Canada. In fact, Mike and I are also both graduates of colleges in Nova Scotia, he from St. Mary’s University and me from St. Francis Xavier (yes, yet another Jesuit).

In Bernard Lonergan’s two great works, InsightandMethod in Theology, he explored the connection between knowing and practical action based on that knowing, which would take human beings into the moral realm. Lonergan developed some attitudes, some things to be, that he named “transcendental precepts” associated with the various stages of knowing and acting. These attitudes, these be-attitudes, if you will, prompt one insight that “a bright idea is not always the right idea.” Here are Lonergan’s first four Be-attitudes: Be attentive, Be intelligent, Be reasonable, Be responsible. The first three are related to the areas of knowing (Be attentive, be intelligent, be reasonable), and the fourth in the moral order (Be responsible). These are derived from his first work, Insight.

And where is God in all this? This is explored in his second book, Method in Theology, but really came into its fulness in 1972 in an interview and a lecture that Lonergan gave. Lonergan put forward a fifth Be-attitude: Be in love. And what does this mean to ‘Be in love’? Tad Dunne in his study of Lonergan’s thought and spirituality writes that, “All our knowing is primarily a form of religious love, and at the same time, a form of love for one another.” (Tad Dunne, Lonergan and Spirituality, 1985)

And while the beatitudes given to us by the Lord Jesus in the sermon on the mount, which we heard in today’s gospel, always take precedence, these five Be-attitudes, from the work of Bernard Lonergan, also shape how we view globally the aims of Catholic education.

So, in your search for the love of learning and the desire for God: Be attentive, Be intelligent, Be reasonable, Be responsible, and Be in love.