Saint Benedict

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Born at Norcia, Italy, approximately 480 AD, four years before the Roman Empire formally fell, Saint Benedict attended primary schools in Norcia and then went to Rome to study literature and law. He was drawn to monasticism and, at first, became a hermit in a cave in the mountains for three years. Some shepherds became friends with Benedict and began to follow his teaching. After founding twelve communities of monks at Subiaco, Italy, Saint Benedict traveled to Montecassino where he established a monastery and wrote "The Rule," a basic guide for living a Christian life. This guide has endured 1,500 years and continues to be followed by every Benedictine monastery and convent in the world today. “The Rule” calls for a balance of prayer, work, study, and leisure (renewal) and vows of stability (community and commitment in life), conversion (acceptance of a lifelong movement of God in our lives), and obedience (the practice of attentive listening and cultivating an intentional, disciplined life).