My memories of St. Anselm’s College are always tied to those of Father Anselm, a monk and priest. Cecil John Donahue, OSB, went home to be with the Lord on November 19, just days before his 95th birthday.
During my four years at St. A’s, I got to know Fr. Cecil first served as an advisor to pro-life organizations in Campus Ministry. Every year, Fr. Cecil led a pilgrimage to Washington, DC so we could participate in the National March for Life. We stayed at his sister’s house in northern Virginia and used not only her basement, but her neighbor’s as well. These trips were full of joy, despite their regrettable aspects (long trips in vans, sleeping on the floor, marching through the inevitable cold rain). I believe this is largely due to the spirit of Fr. Cecil accepted. He was full of energy and joy in every situation and we just tried to keep up with him. He is at least three times our age.
I knew Fr. Cecil had held various positions in the monastery and university, but I had no idea what they meant. I knew he loved history and politics. Because he never missed an opportunity to mention relevant historical events and current events (about which he had strong opinions), and at one point taught Latin, studied in Rome, and discussed politics. Because I was in charge of it. campus grounds. It seems he never abandoned this last role, and it was not unusual to see this almost 70-year-old monk carrying wood or raking dirt. I now know even more how many and how diverse the roles of a priest were. Cecil fulfilled his 75 years as a Benedictine monk. Other people can tell you those facts better than I can. But Cecil, both then and in recent years when I had the privilege of visiting him several times a year at Mount Carmel Nursing Center, loved everyone around him, especially the students he loved. He showed concern for me like a father. To pass the time.
Cecil was important to me at the time, but then I found myself thinking about this kind of fatherhood. I have to say here that I have a wonderful father who is now in his late 70s and I am very grateful to him. But when I arrived at his SAC in 1995 (without a cell phone of course), he was far away in Wisconsin and I was starting this adventure alone. The friendships I started to form with my peers were great and there was a sense of autonomy to form our own community.
Story continues below ad
But although we could not express it at the time, we now see that a community without a father is fundamentally incomplete. Father Cecil became a spiritual father to me and many of his friends. As much as we were attracted to each other, we were also attracted to him. In his presence, our conversations became just that little bit more uplifting, just a little bit kinder, more respectful of others, more aware of spiritual reality. By the way, we had even more fun lying to those who paint the life of a devoted Christian as a sad and colorless affair. No one knew Fr. Cecil might make that mistake too. I have never met Fr. I never got the impression that Cecil was happy to see me, that he wanted to talk to me (as long as I wanted to!), that he accepted and loved me no matter what.
In other words, Fr. Cecil was a spiritual father. The priest has given up on the prospect of raising his children. Cecil spiritually nurtured countless students (and others) who came into his life. Through his fatherly presence, he told them that they were worthy, that they were loved, and that their presence was good. At the same time, he helped point them towards something higher, ultimately God, but this was primarily his own testimony to his joyful faithfulness to the monastic vocation to which God had called him. It was done by the power of
I don’t know if he’s a priest or not. Cecil would have explained it this way, and I think he was pleased that this was the message that God was able to convey through him to generations of St. Anselm’s students. It must be said that the Father is pleased, because, unlike the power of natural fatherhood, the power of spiritual fatherhood does not disappear even at death. Cecil continues to exercise his spiritual fatherhood even more faithfully in the presence of a loving and caring Heavenly Father. Cecil reflected.
Requiescat at pace.
Sister Elinor Gardner (OP) graduated from St. Anselm College in 1999 and is currently a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. She received her Ph.D. She earned a degree in philosophy from Boston University in 2009 and teaches philosophy at the University of Dallas. Sister Elinor served on the board of St. Anselm’s Church from 2021 to 2024.
