“I could never have been a monk. Everything about monasticism is alien to myworld, including the obvious, and yet any time I have ever spent as a guest ina monastery, sharing for a few days an idealism and a rhythm of life that isthousands of years old, I have found myself wondering why anyone would chooseto live in any other way. In addition tothis, there are manuscripts, often hundreds of them.”

Thus, the English author, Christopher de Hamel, begins his latest book with Chapter One titled: ‘The Monk: Saint Anselm’ (The Posthumous Papers of The Manuscripts Club; Allen Lane, Penguin Random House, 2022). If you should find yourself dipping into this one, I guarantee that you will also enjoy his Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts: Twelve Journeys into the Medieval World, Penguin Press, 2016. Manuscripts indeed, and brought to life so lovingly and reverently.
The stories presented in this fifth edition of the EBC Newsletter represent men’s and women’s communities throughout the world. Two mentioned are namesakes of houses on both sides of the Atlantic and share the name of Mr. de Hamel’s “theologian, Benedictine monk, prior and then abbot,” Saint Alselm (c. 1033-1109). Sant’ Anselmo in Rome hosted the Abbatial Congress in September, and St. Anselm’s Abbey in Washington, D.C., held a novice clothing last February followed by a Canonical Visitation in March.
We encourage superiors to kindly suggest news stories of interest to members of the congregation, and to contribute obituaries and photographs. God’s abundant blessings to all throughout the coming Advent Season.