Month: July 2019

“… My revered Predecessor, St Gregory the Great, a Benedictine monk and celebrated biographer of St Benedict, invited us to discern the basis of a life wholly dedicated to “seeking and serving Christ, the one true Saviour” (Preface of the Mass of St Benedict), in the atmosphere of great faith in God and intense love for his law which motivated the original family of the saint from Norcia. This spiritual striving, which grew and developed as he faced the challenges of life, soon led the young man to foresake the illusions of worldy knowledge and possessions to devote himself to learning the wisdom of the Cross and to being conformed to Christ alone. From Norcia to Rome, from Affile to Subiaco, Benedict’s spiritual journey was guided by the one desire to please Christ. … At the heart of St Benedict’s monastic experience is a simple, typically Christian principle, which the monk adopts in all its radicalness: to unify one’s life around the primacy of God. …”

“Benedict of Nursia was a monk and abbot who lived in the 5th and 6th century AD. He founded several monasteries and wrote a rule for monasteries which became fundamental for Western Monasticism. The Catholic Church venerates him as Patron of Europe. …”

“… Now that the miracle has been confirmed … the Diocese of Peoria can formally begin planning for the Beatification of Archbishop Sheen, which will take place in Peoria. …”

“… ‘Let’s pray this Independence Day for the moral and spiritual strength of our country,’ Archbishop Gudziak said. ‘There are many challenges to the founding principles of our country. Let us pray that each of us can continue upholding the openness, the welcome, the generosity, the open-heartedness, the willingness to help, that this country stands for.’ …”