Father Shawn Matthew Anderson, O.S.B.

How did you become aware of your calling to the monastic life at Saint Vincent?

The thought that God was calling me to the priesthood was present when I was very young, around ten years old or so, but when I grew older, I began to think about marriage and raising a family of my own, so I put the thought of the priesthood out of my mind for a while. Then, when I was around twenty-eight, the prospect of priesthood began to tug at my heart once again. Although I knew that I had to look more deeply into the validity of the call, I was terrified of mentioning it to anyone connected with the Church. I guess I thought that if I mentioned an interest in the priesthood, the Church Police would come and haul me away somewhere! But seriously, once I had the courage to publicly ask the question, "Is God calling me to share in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ?" I began to dialogue with Fr. Fred Byrne, who was the campus minister at Penn State and a monk of Saint Vincent. He encouraged me to begin a deep life of prayer that would allow my heart to hear and respond to God's call. Eventually, Fr. Fred invited me to attend prayer at Saint Vincent, and my honest first reaction to the prospect of devoting myself to a life of stability in a monastery was, NO! However, the Holy Spirit prompted me to join these men in prayer time and again, and eventually I was able to hear more clearly God's call to become a monk of Saint Vincent, and I said, Yes!

What have been your greatest struggles so far?

The call of obedience in imitation of Christ, who was obedient unto death, death on a Cross. To take a vow of obedience in today's modern society probably seems ludicrous, with individual freedom and liberty holding primacy in most peoples hierarchies of need. Conversely, obedience is an unquenchable font of freedom, because as the Lord more generously opens my heart to accept His will (which usually runs contrary to my own), the more I am able to experience the true joy and peace of Christ that is truly manifested in love of God and neighbor.

How has God blessed your monastic journey?

I have been graced to grow and mature in ways that I never thought possible before coming to Saint Vincent. First and foremost is that I have grown tremendously in my personal relationship with God. I have also had the opportunity to experience monastic life through various work assignments as a junior monk, such as working for our development office, being a socius (companion) of novices, baking Saint Vincent bread for the community and working with Fr. Fred in the vocation office. Finally, I was very blessed to have the support of so many brothers when my father died in the spring of 2003. About twelve monks made the two-plus hours drive to the funeral home for my father's viewing, and an additional sixteen came up for his funeral. The support moved my family very much, and made an impression upon my hometown that will not soon be forgotten. That is the Body of Christ Incarnate in our world as it was meant to be.

However, the greatest grace I have received since coming to Saint Vincent is the gift of a wounded heart that is able to love once again.  When I reflect on how God has brought me over such a vast distance, I am overwhelmed to be loved so intensely by anyone, let alone the Creator of the Universe!  He has brought me to His pools of living water and allowed me to drink to my heart's content and beyond.  So wonderful has God been, so beautiful, so merciful, so loving.  I have learned that true brotherhood doesn’t begin until the heart is able to love.  The heart is not able to love until it is wounded.  The heart can not be wounded until we engage one another in communion with one another. Communion is not possible without union with God that results from a deep personal prayer life with Him, and Saint Vincent is a place where one can truly seek the Lord and listen quietly for His voice.  I have been healed so tremendously by the waters that flow here and I would be foolish not to sink my roots more deeply and partake of the delightful stream of love and peace that flows in this place.

What have been/are your duties as a monk of Saint Vincent?

Other than my work assignments as a junior monk, I am also studying in our seminary for the priesthood.

Do you have a concept of what the future may hold for you?

I do not really know at this point for sure. There are several avenues down which the Lord may take me. I can only trust that He will lead me down the right path through personal prayer and the direction of Archabbot Douglas, my father and representative of Christ in this monastic family.