Anselm was an only child; born of noble parents. His mother was devout, and Anselm learned to love prayer and serve God from her. His father was very hard on him. Anselm was very smart and made rapid progress in his learning. At the age of 15, he attempted to enter a Benedictine monastery, but his father stopped him. Soon after this, his mother died and Anselm took this very hard. He spent the next 12 years in worldly living until all of his money was spent. He was about to die of hunger when the abbot of the Monastery in Bec took him in. There, his love of God rekindled as he saw the tender compassion of the monks. He eventually joined the monastery and, 15 years later, was chosen to be its abbot. During these years, his community requested he begin publishing his theological works, including one now-famous philosophical argument for the existence of God. Anselm always held an intrinsic connection—not opposition—between Faith & Reason. He coined the phrase Faith seeking Understanding as the driving principle of his intellectual work. Anselm was elected archbishop of Canterbury, England, at the age of 60. He loved his brother monks, so it was difficult for him to leave. The monk-turned-bishop dedicated his pastoral ministry in serving the poorest people of Canterbury and in fighting against the religious persecutions present at that time. St. Anselm died on April 21, 1109 and is honored as one of the Doctors of the Church today.