LOAVES AND FISHES – THE BENEDICTINE AND JESUIT
TRADITIONS AS COMPLEMENTARY FOUNDATIONS FOR
MANAGEMENT EDUCATION IN CATHOLIC BUSINESS
PROGRAMS
John F.S. Bunch, Ph.D. and Andrew G. Ochs
Benedictine College, Atchison, KS.
This Conference is focused on how Mission driven business schools in Catholic institutions have
a responsibility to provide an educational experience that is founded on, and consistent with,
Catholic Social Teaching and Catholic traditions. The importance of organizational culture and
institutional practices to the development of a strong Catholic identity and mission is highlighted
by the background papers which set the stage for the discussion in this paper.12
Grassel3 suggests that Catholic Business Schools, rather than being uniform, show a “great
diversity in structure, programs, and processes.” In addition he differentiates the cultures of
Catholic education institutions based on their Catholicity. He also recognizes the development
of a small literature on the implementation of the “charisms and educational philosophies of
various religious institutes and orders in business programs” and charts this literature according
to the monastic order of focus. 4 This literature suggests that business schools which exist within
institutions sponsored by monastic religious communities often draw from the specific charisms
and traditions of those communities to focus and further develop their interpretation of Catholic
Social Teaching as it is applied in their programs and curriculum. Porth, McCall, and DiAngelo5
found that explicit references to an institution’s religious identity (e.g., Benedictine, Jesuit,
Dominican, etc.) was found in 46% of the business unit mission statements in their sample.
Indeed, our personal experience suggests that in many institutions, the charism of the sponsoring
community has equal or even greater influence on the institution’s culture than the school’s
general Catholic identity.
1
Naughton, Michael. “Business Education at Catholic Universities: Revitalizing and Institutionalizing Mission: A
Background Paper for the Eighth International Conference on Catholic Social Thought and Management
Education.” (University of St. Thomas, Center for Catholic Studies, John Ryan Institute, 2012).
http://www.stthomas.edu/cathstudies/cst/conferences/Dayton/daytonbackground.html., 1.
2
Beabout, Gregory R. “As an Institution: Business Education at Catholic Universities in Light of MaCintyre’s
Practice-Institution Distinction. (University of St. Thomas, Center for Catholic Studies, John Ryan Institute, 2012).
3
Grassl, Wolfgang. “Catholic Business Education: State of the Art, Roadblocks, and Resolutions. “ (University of
St. Thomas, Center for Catholic Studies, John Ryan Institute, 2012),
http://www.stthomas.edu/cathstudies/cst/conferences/Dayton/daytonbackground.html., 5. This is a background
paper for the Renewing Mission and Identity in Catholic Business Education Conference, University of Dayton,
June, 2012.
4
Ibid, 9.
5
Porth, Stephen J., McCall, John J. and DiAngelo, Joseph A. “Business Education at Catholic Universities: Current
Status and Future Directions.” (University of St. Thomas, Center for Catholic Studies, John Ryan Institute, 2012).
Given the above, it is surprising that more research has not been done on the affects of charisms
on the nature and content of business programs in Catholic colleges and universities. The
purpose of this paper is to present, compare, and contrast the application of the Benedictine
traditions, and the Rule of St. Benedict, within business programs sponsored by Benedictine
institutions with the Jesuit/Ignatian tradition and practices in Jesuit sponsored schools of
business. We assert that both traditions are important but receive less attention than they should
outside of their sponsoring environments. Benedictine programs may discuss and integrate the
Rule of St. Benedict into their curriculum but rarely discuss or emphasize Ignatian spiritual
practices or Jesuit charisms. Jesuit programs may emphasize the value of the spiritual practices
and their applications to business strategy and leadership but pay scant attention to the Rule of
Saint Benedict and/or Benedictine charisms.
The conclusion of the paper presents an integration of these two traditions as complementary
approaches to the challenges of managing and leading within modern business environments.
We have chosen to focus on the Jesuit and Benedictine traditions because of their
complementarity, because each has been used as a source for management or leadership insights
in various popular books and publications, and because within the last ten years, each of these
monastic communities have been intentionally investigating and developing how their practices
and charisms should be applied to education and, more specifically, business education.
The Benedictine Tradition
St. Benedict, along with his sister, St. Scholastica, lived in Italy during the later part of the 5 th
and early 6th century. This was a time of great social upheaval and challenges to the early
Church. We know of the life of St. Benedict through the writings of Pope St. Gregory the Great,
who mentions Benedict’s rule in his discussion of Benedict’s life.6
The Rule of St. Benedict establishes a set of guidelines for monastic life that focus on the
stability and structure of an organized community. It has been used as the organizing framework
for many monastic orders and communities within, and outside of, the Catholic Church. The
Rule is a short book. It is comprised of 73 short chapters that cover a wide range of topics
important to both living in an organized monastic community and the management of other types
of organizations.
The first seven chapters discuss the different types of monks, the desirable characteristics,
attitudes and behavior of an abbot, and the desirable characteristics of monks. Here we find
prescriptions for, in today’s terminology, leadership by example and servant leadership where
the Abbot avoids favoritism, seeks the council of his community, and leads with the best
interests of his followers at heart. Also presented for the monks to follow are the standards of
obedience, restraint of speech, and humility. Chapters 8 – 20 present the orders of hours which
outline the daily rituals and schedule of the monastic community. The Benedictine focus on a
balanced life derives from this section of the Rule. Chapters 21 – 30 present the equivalent of
today’s human resource and discipline policies for the community discussing how to manage
discipline problems amongst the monks. Chapters 31 – 52 discuss other details of life in the
6
Fry, Timothy (ed.) The Rule of St Benedict in English. (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1982).
monastery including the requirements for various positions, when the community should eat and
how meals should be managed, and how to make arrangements when monks traveled on short
journeys. Chapter 53 focuses on the reception of guests and establishes the principle of
hospitality within the Benedictine tradition. Discussion of hospitality is continued through
chapters 54 – 61. Chapter 62 discussing the ordination of monks and the qualities that monks
who become priests should embody. Finally Chapters 63 – 73 conclude the rule with a
discussion of organizational governance issues such as community rank, the election of an abbot,
the roles of the Prior and Porter in the monastery, and the serious matters of how, and when, to
replace community leaders (the Abbot, the Prior, the Porter) who are not effective.
The charisms of the Benedictine tradition derive from the Rule but also reflect traditions that
have developed over time. These principles have been codified into ten hallmarks that have also
been recognized as the hallmarks of Benedictine education by the Association of Benedictine
Colleges and universities.7 The Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities is
comprised of 14 American and Canadian institutions. Over the last 20 years, it has become
much more active in working to define principles of practice that characterize a Benedictine
education. Following the report on the Benedictine intellectual tradition referenced above, it
began an annual pedagogy conference in 2007.8 Beyond the application of Benedictine values
to education, however, many books and articles have been written about how the Rule can be
used as a guide for leadership or business management.9 Longenecker 10 identifies 4 principles
for business success that derive from the Rule. They are: (1) Every successful business begins
with a strong foundation; (2) People are your most valuable resource; (3) Treat all your material
resources as gifts from God; And (4), transform yourself to transform your workplace.
In Summary, the two ideas that probably most succinctly characterize the Benedictine tradition
are: “That in all things God be glorified;” and “Ora et Labora” (or Pray and Work.). In addition,
the Benedictine tradition focuses on:
 Stability, which is reflected in the distinctive nature of Benedictine monastic
communities such that each is anchored to its home Abbey and the traditions of stability
and community this generates.
 Hospitality such that all guests and visitors to the community should be “welcomed as
Christ.”
 Obedience and respect for leadership (the Abbot) balanced by a call for leaders to listen
to and respect their followers (the monks).
 Listening and Humility. A commitment to the common good and community.
7
Reinhart, Dietrich. “Report of the Committee on Benedictine Intellectual Tradition” (The Association of
Benedictine Colleges and Universities, June 2005.)
8
Benedictine Pedagogy Conference 2012. http://www.anselm.edu/Faculty-and-Staff/Campus-Ministry/BenedictinePedagogy-Conference.htm. Accessed May, 2012.
9
For example: Dollard, Kit, Anthony Marett-Crosby, and Timothy Wright, Doing Business with Benedict,
(Continuum, New York, 2002). And Turak, August. “Business Secrets of the Trappists” (Forbes, April 14, 2009.)
10
Longenecker, Dwight. “What St Benedict can teach you about business success.” (Crisis Magazine, Aug. 17,
2010.) http://www.crisismagazine.com/2010/what-st-benedict-can-teach-you-about-business-success.
The Jesuit/Ignatian Tradition
The Society of Jesus, (whose members are also known as the Jesuits) was established by St.
Ignatius of Loyola in 1534, about 1000 years after the life of St Benedict. The organizational
plan for the order was formally approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 with the publishing of the
order’s “Formlua of the Institute.” From inception, the Jesuits and the Society of Jesus have
been radically different from the monks and type of monastic order envisioned by St. Benedict.
The order was created to be based in Rome and operate globally. The Jesuit Constitutions
(1554) created a centralized organization answering to the Pope, and it is a mendicant order
organized for apostolic work and relying on donations for support.
Dulles11 quotes the prolog of the Formula as the foundation for the Jesuit tradition: “whoever
desires to serve as a soldier of God… and to serve the Lord alone and the Church his spouse,
under the Roman Pontiff, … should, after a vow of perpetual chastity, poverty, and obedience,
keep the following in mind”. He continues to identify ten characteristics of the Jesuit charism
similar to those of the Benedictines but different in emphasis and focus.
According to Alphonso12, central to the Jesuit charism is a focus on individual persons and their
development given their personal circumstances and conditions. He also identifies the Spiritual
Exercises as “the soul of the constitutions.”13 The spiritual exercises are a collection of prayers,
meditations, and contemplations designed to be engaged in over about a 30 day time period with
the purpose deepening one’s relationship with God and discerning the course of action that best
serve Jesus and God’s purposes.14
From their inception, the Jesuits have been focused on education, and the Jesuit tradition is often
associated with exploration and the establishment of Catholic teaching in remote corners of the
world. Through the spiritual exercises, the tradition prepares members of the order to travel as
individual ambassadors or agents of the Church out in the world, rather than being anchored in a
specific location or community. In this sense, the Jesuits, fully formed, could be labeled a
society of “anchorites” based on St Benedict’s classification of monks, who “… without support
of another are ready, with God’s help to grapple single-handed with the vices of the body and
mind”. Because Jesuits are not anchored to specific independent monastic communities,
coordination between and across Jesuit institutions has been a hallmark of Jesuit education. The
structure of the order allows for member to be transferred from institution to institution where
they are needed. It also creates the foundation for cooperation across Jesuit colleges and
institutions. This has resulted in the formation of, for example, the Colleagues in Jesuit Business
Education which holds annual meetings where ideas about how to incorporate Catholic
principles into business education are presented. This has resulted in a rich literature of how
Jesuit principles and practices can be applied to business leadership and strategic management.
11
Dulles, Avery. “What distinguishes the Jesuits?” (America: The national Catholic Weekly, January, 2007).
Alphonso, Herbert. “The Jesuit/Ignatian Charism: A personal synthesis and tribute to Fr. P. Arrupe.” (Review of
Ignatian Spiritualiity, March 2007).
13
Ibid, 67.
14
Ignatian Spirituality.com. Accessed May, 2012.
12
Probably the best articulation of Jesuit traditions applied to leadership is the book Heroic
Leadership by Lowney.15 Lowney suggests that the Jesuit pillars of leadership success are self
awareness, ingenuity, love, and heroism.
Loaves and Fishes
The two traditions, as reviewed above, were created and reflect very different historic
circumstances. Even so, they share an emphasis on obedience, love, and service to others. More
interestingly, however, is how each tradition defines these concepts and how the traditions differ
in practice and application.
The Benedictine tradition provides insights on how to organize and manage/build a community
or stable organization system. The emphasis is on stability, the balancing of obedience and
subsidiarity, the development of standard practices, rules and procedures, and leadership within a
community.
The Jesuit/Ignatian tradition provides insights on how to discern the correct path when faced
with strategic choices, and the importance of leadership with courage and by example. Rather
than focusing on how to structure and manage an established community, the Jesuit tradition
provides guidance on how to operate in new territory and how to establish a new community or
organization.
Other differences between these two traditions will be discussed in more detail in the final paper.
Examples are listed in the following table.
Benedictine
Jesuit/Ignatian
Local
Global
Stability
Flexibility
Stewardship/ Management
Leadership
Community/ Community Development
Self Development
Ora Et Labora
Spiritual Practices / Discernment
Obedience and servant leadership
Self Management
Cenobites
Anchorites
“… those who belong to a monastery, where “Self-reliant …without the support of another,
they serve under a rule and an abbot.”
they are ready with God’s help to grapple
single handed with the vices of body and
mind.”
Conclusion
Business programs at both Benedictine and Jesuit institutions will be advantaged by
incorporating the presentation and discussion of both of the above frameworks and traditions into
their curriculum.
15
Lowney, Chris. Heroic Leadership: Best Practice from a 450-year-old company that changed the world. (Chicago:
Loyola Press, 2003).