St. Benedict, abbot

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By Living with Christ Staff

St. Thomas, abbot
Feast day: July 11th

Born in Nursia in Italy, Benedict was sent to Rome to be educated, but after a few years he left to live a life of solitude. He became a monk at Subiaco and lived alone in a cave. He soon attracted followers and built 12 small monasteries for those wishing to share his lifestyle. Between 520 and 530, he and a few companions founded the monastery of Monte Cassino. There he spent the rest of his life and wrote his Rule, which became the primary influence on Western religious life for the next 600 years and is still followed today. This remarkable guide reflects Benedict’s fatherly concern and charity as he adapted the austere rule of the desert fathers for community life. He emphasized moderation, humility, obedience, prayer, and manual labor as the way to holiness. St. Benedict is considered the Patriarch of Western Monasticism, and was proclaimed Patron of Europe in 1964.

Living with Christ Staff

A publication of Bayard, Inc.

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