St Benedict
St Benedict whose name is of Latin origin which means “he who is blessed”, was born in Norcia in Umbria, Italy. There were no records that he was ever a priest but rather an abbot in a monastery.
St Benedict is considered the father of Western monasticism. He founded the first great order of monks, the Benedictines in 527, based on liturgical prayer and manual labour. It is well-known for its Latin motto: Ora et labora, meaning pray and work.
The kind of person St Benedict was can be gleaned from his text, the Holy Rule. He was single-minded, very upright, a man of peace and moderation, very insistent on good discipline and yet respected human personality and individual capabilities.
Before he founded the Order of Benedictines, he was already well thought of and his abilities well-regarded, so much so that he was requested by a community of monks to be their abbot. However some profligate monks were dissatisfied with the high standard he brought into the community; it was alleged that they tried to poison him.
He returned to Subiaco, where he once lived a solitary life during his early twenties after his studies in Rome.
At first he started to organise twelve little communities of monks until he founded a community in Monte Cassino under his own direction which later became the Order of Benedictines.
When his end was imminent, he was carried into the chapel and remain upright, supported by his disciples, to receive his last communion.
He was buried on the same grave as his sister St Scholastica.
St Benedict has been the Patron Saint of Europe since 1964.
He is the protector of farmers, Italian architects, chemists, peasants, engineers and speleologists (cave explorers).
Prayer of St. Benedict – (one version)
Gracious and holy Father,
grant us the intellect to understand You,
reason to discern You, diligence to seek You,
wisdom to find You,
a spirit to know You, a heart to mediate upon You.
May our ears hear You,
may our eyes behold You,
and may our tongues proclaim you.
Give us grace that our way of life may be pleasing to You,
that we may have the patience to wait for You and the perseverance to look for you.
Grant us a perfect end – Your Holy presence,
a blessed resurrection and life everlasting.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
St Benedict with a raven with bread on its beak
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