About Saint Anselm abbey · Washington, District of Columbia
Saint Anselm's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery of the English Benedictine Congregation located at 4501 South Dakota Avenue NE in Washington, D.C., within 40 acres of secluded woodland near the Brookland neighborhood and Catholic University of America. Founded in 1924 by Father Thomas Verner Moore, OSB, and sponsored by Fort Augustus Abbey in Scotland, the community lives the Rule of St. Benedict through daily prayer, common life, and work. Its apostolate centers on running Saint Anselm's Abbey School (Forms A–VI), teaching at Catholic University, and offering spiritual direction, retreats, chaplaincies, and parish assistance throughout the Archdiocese of Washington. The abbey is led by its fifth abbot, Rt. Rev. Dom James Wiseman, OSB, with Rev. Philip Simo serving as Prior.
- Established
- 1924
- Patron
- Saint Anselm of Canterbury
- Rector
- Rt. Rev. Dom James Wiseman, OSB (Abbot; fifth abbot, elected June 16, 2011)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
Saint Anselm's Abbey offers a rare gift in the heart of the capital: a working Benedictine monastery where the full rhythm of the Liturgy of the Hours is sung in church each day, and where visitors can drop in for Mass, sit in on the monks' choral prayer, or arrange a retreat and spiritual direction. Beyond prayer, the monks run the highly respected Saint Anselm's Abbey School (Forms A–VI), provide chaplaincies for religious communities, preach retreats for parishes and priests, and welcome guests on the 40-acre wooded grounds near Catholic University. The community also sustains a large lay oblate program, giving non-monastics a structured way to share in Benedictine spirituality.
Mass times at Saint Anselm abbey
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available from the monks — arrangements may be made through the abbey
History of Saint Anselm's Abbey
The community was founded in 1924 by Father Thomas Verner Moore, OSB, a Paulist priest and Catholic University of America professor who envisioned a Benedictine community in Washington devoted to prayer and scholarship. After Moore's group was sponsored by the Abbey of Fort Augustus in Scotland and the four founders pronounced vows in 1924, monastic life began in a farmhouse on Sargent Road in Brookland. A Tudor-style church and monastery were built on a hill above South Dakota Avenue at 14th Street NE in 1930; a major addition designed by architect Philip Johnson was completed in 1960. The community was elevated from priory to abbey by Pope John XXIII in 1961, and Father Alban Boultwood — superior since 1946 — became the first abbot. The abbey marked its 100th anniversary on September 15, 2024.
- Founded: 1924 (novitiate begun 1923 at Fort Augustus Abbey, Scotland)
- First monastery: 1930 Tudor building on South Dakota Avenue
- 1960: Philip Johnson-designed monastery addition
- 1961: Elevated to abbey by Pope John XXIII; Father Alban Boultwood first abbot
- Centennial celebrated September 15, 2024
Benedictine Life and Daily Prayer
The monks follow the Rule of St. Benedict, seeking God through common prayer, life together, and work. The full Liturgy of the Hours is sung in the abbey church each day and is open to visitors. Fr. Michael Hall, OSB, has written on the history of monastic life from the fourth century onward as context for the abbey's vocation.
- Morning Prayer: 5:20 AM (school year) / 5:50 AM (summer)
- Mass: 7:30 AM (school year) / 8:00 AM (summer); Sunday 9:00 AM
- Midday Prayer: 12:05 PM daily
- Vespers: 6:00 PM daily
- Compline: 7:20 PM daily
The Monks (Community)
Saint Anselm's is home to a small but active Benedictine community. As of 2023 there are roughly 10 monks in residence. The current leadership is Abbot James Wiseman, OSB (fifth abbot, elected 2011) with Fr. Philip Simo, OSB, as Prior. The monks take vows of stability, so each is attached to this one abbey for life — a distinctive feature of Benedictine life.
- Abbot James Wiseman, OSB — Abbot; Teacher of Religion; Vocations Director
- Rev. Philip Simo, OSB — Prior
- Fr. Samuel Springuel — School Chaplain, Novice Master
- Fr. Peter Weigand, OSB — Teacher of Earth Science and Anthropology
- Fr. Gabriel Myers, OSB — Bursar; Music Director
- Fr. Ignacio Gonzalez, OSB — Director of Oblates; Director of Campus Ministry
- Fr. Joseph Jensen, OSB — Old Testament Scholar
- Br. Dunstan Robidoux, OSB — Vice-Director of the Lonergan Institute; Infirmarian
- Br. Cyprian Morales, OSB
Saint Anselm's Abbey School
Opened in 1942 as the Priory School with eighteen ninth-grade students, the school is the abbey's principal apostolate. It was renamed Saint Anselm's Abbey School when the priory was elevated in 1961, added Form A in 1990 under Headmaster Father Michael Hall, OSB, and completed a $9 million athletic and performing arts complex in 2003 under Father Peter Weigand, OSB. The school uses the English Benedictine Form system (Forms A through VI) and has been ranked by The Washington Post as the most challenging private high school in the United States. Today it serves roughly 230 students taught by more than 60 Benedictine and lay faculty, with alumni numbering over 1,500.
- Opened September 15, 1942 — original four-year high school for boys
- Forms I–VI added through the decades; Form A added in 1990
- Curriculum described by The Washington Post as 'most challenging' private high school in the U.S.
- 230 students; 60+ faculty; 1,500+ alumni
- Mission: 'to create an atmosphere of peace, a sense of service to community, and a willingness within our students to work toward a balance in mind, body and spirit.'
Abbey Apostolates and Ministries
In addition to running the school, the monks serve the Church through teaching at Catholic University, chaplaincies for sisters' convents and lay groups, spiritual direction, retreat preaching, and parish assistance throughout the Archdiocese of Washington. The abbey also hosts the Lonergan Institute and welcomes individual guests who submit a reservation request through the website.
- Teaching at Catholic University and the Abbey School
- Chaplaincies for Sisters' convents and lay groups
- Spiritual direction
- Retreats for parishes, priests, religious, and lay groups
- Parish work assistance
- Lonergan Institute (affiliated scholarship)
Lay Oblates and Vocations
The abbey maintains a 'large and active' community of oblates — lay men and women who formally associate themselves with Saint Anselm's while living in the world. Monthly meetings and ongoing formation allow oblates to share in the Benedictine life. The abbey also welcomes men discerning a monastic vocation, with a vocations director (currently Abbot Wiseman) and a formation process rooted in the Rule of St. Benedict.
- Lay oblate program with monthly meetings
- Director of Oblates: Fr. Ignacio Gonzalez, OSB
- Vocations Director: Abbot James Wiseman
- Novice Master: Fr. Samuel Springuel, OSB
Getting Here and Contact
The abbey sits on 40 acres of secluded woodland near the northeast boundary of the District, twelve minutes by Metro from Union Station and twenty minutes from the Capitol, not far from Catholic University. Individual guests are welcome to arrange visits through the guest reservation request on the website.
- Address: 4501 South Dakota Avenue NE, Washington, D.C.
- Phone: 202-269-2300
- E-mail: [email protected] (Abbot's office)
- Guest reservation requests accepted via the website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Thomas Verner Moore, OSB1924–1946
Founder and first prior; Paulist priest who envisioned a Benedictine community of scholarship in Washington; professed at Fort Augustus in 1924.
- Fr. Alban Boultwood, OSB1946–1975
Superior since 1946; first abbot of Saint Anselm's after Pope John XXIII elevated the priory to an abbey in 1961; died March 25, 2009.
- Abbot Paul (second abbot)
Successor abbot of Saint Anselm's Abbey (per Wikipedia infobox).
- Abbot (third abbot)
Successor abbot of Saint Anselm's Abbey.
- Abbot Aidan Shea, OSB1990–2006
Fourth abbot; stepped down after 16 years in June 2006.
- Fr. Simon McGurk, OSB2006–2011
Prior Administrator (came from Belmont Abbey in England) during the interim between the fourth and fifth abbots.
- Rt. Rev. Dom James Wiseman, OSB2011–present
Fifth abbot, elected June 16, 2011; previously served an earlier eight-year term as abbot and taught theology at Catholic University for 27 years.