Life of St. Benedict

The future, “Father of Monks,” was born in 480 A.D. at Norcia, about 70 miles from Rome. At a young age he left his studies at Rome in pursuit of a life of sanctity and spiritual perfection. He soon settled in the remote area of Subiaco and lived in a cave for three years under the direction of a hermit named Romanus. After the death of Romanus, Benedict accepted the invitation of some nearby monks to be their abbot. The monks, however, were quite wayward and would not take the counsels of Benedict and conspired to poison him. Saint Benedict suspecting their evil intent blessed the goblet of poisoned wine offered him, whereupon it shattered. He then went back into his solitude for a short period of time.

At the age of 31, he began founding monasteries and by the age of 39 there were twelve monasteries to his credit. The most renowned is Montecassino where he wrote for his monks a rule somewhat tempered from the severity of Eastern Monasticism. The “Rule of Saint Benedict” became the norm for all Western Monasticism and is still practiced today by Benedictines the world over. The Benedictine Order has given the Church over 57,000 known saints and 35 popes, of whom 17 are Saints or Blesseds.

Saint Benedict’s twin sister, Saint Scholastica, founded an order for nuns based on the same rule of life. While praying one day, Saint Benedict saw in a vision the death of his sister and her soul rising toward Heaven in the form of a dove. She died on February 10, 543 A.D., 40 days before his death on March 21st. They are both buried in the Cathedral of Montecassino. Pope Saint Gregory the Great-a Benedictine-wrote the life of Saint Benedict.