Anselm of Canterbury

Saint Anselm of Canterbury

Also known as
Anselm of Aosta
Anselmo d’Aosta
Anselmo of Canterbury
Doctor of Scholasticism

Memorial
21 April

Profile

Our Saint for today is one of the 36 Doctors of the church named by Pope Clement XI. He is one of the most profound theologians of the Middle Ages.

Anselm was born to the Italian nobility. He felt called to the religious life but his arrogant noble Italian dad would not hear of it. He took away the keys to the IROC Z, cut off his pizza allowance, took away his hair gel and did other things to keep young Anselm in line. When his mother died Anselm ran away to a Benedictine monastery in Normandy, and fulfilled his own desire for the vocation.

Anselm was in repeated contact with Church officials across the Channel. In 1092 Anselm reluctantly, accepted elevation to the Seat of Saint Augustine; the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is said that Church Officials in England waited until Anselm got the flu or the ague or the grippe or some such malady, in the middle of his illness in a physically weakened state, he could not really put up a fight and so he agreed just to get them out of the garderobe.

As bishop he fought the Kings of England, William II and Henry I, who tried to wrestle power from the Church, this story is repeated over and over throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. Anselm was exiled twice for his independence. He went to Rome where he was the advisor to Pope Blessed Urban II. In 1100 King Henry I invited Anselm to return to England, but they disputed over who gets to choose the new bishops, and Anselm was exiled again only to return in 1106 when Henry agreed not to interfere with the selection of Church officials.

Historically, Anselm opposed slavery, and through his work and writings obtained English legislation prohibiting the sale of men; Anselm was a man truly ahead of his time.

He died Wednesday of Holy Week in 1109. No one is sure but his mortal remains are believed to be in the cathedral church at Canterbury

Born
1033 at Piedmont, Italy

Died
Holy Wednesday 21 April 1109

Representation
Benedictine monk admonishing an evil-doer
archbishop
performing an exorcism on a monk
ship
with Our Lady appearing before him
with a ship