St. Benedict of Nursia

Benedict was a young student in Rome who fled the city’s corruption to live as a hermit in a cave at Subiaco. Disciples gathered around him, and around 529 he founded the monastery of Monte Cassino. The Rule he wrote there, with its balance of prayer and work, became the pattern for monasteries across the West. His twin sister Scholastica was also a saint. His life was written by St. Gregory the Dialogist, Pope of Rome.

• Feast: March 14 (New Calendar)
• Lived: c. 480–547
• Place: Monte Cassino