December 5, 2015

The Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM) chose Praesidium, Inc., to evaluate, train and offer accreditation to men’s religious communities in their policies and safeguards for preventing abuse of children and vulnerable adults. All the active monks of St. Anselm attended a required re-training program called VIRTUS to continue the community’s accreditation under Praesidium. The all-morning session was conducted by Dr. Paul Ashton, D. Min., using VIRTUS videos to supplement his talks. His personal stories of dealing with perpetrators, understanding their methods, the underlying emotional and psychological causes, and of the harm done to the victims brought home to us all the need for due diligence to never let it happen at St. Anselm’s.