St. Benedict
St. Benedict whose feast day is July 11 is very much tied to Arkansas. Benedict makes the world a bit smaller by his influence, connecting Arkansas, Indiana, and Switzerland, his influence doesn’t stop there. This influence is felt by people all over the world, fromCuraçao to Russia, to China and all over the US and back to Arkansas, by the young men that are shaped by his Rule. St. Benedict and his example have had far-reaching effects to make our world a better place by ‘Ora et Labora’- Prayer and Work. Benedict was born we believe in 480 in the mountains around Rome. Benedict went to school in Rome and after his schooling became a hermit, denouncing the corrupt secular society living in the hill region of Subiaco Rome. His fame grew and Benedict was made the abbot of a group of monks. These monks became so fed up with Benedict’s passion for reform that they tried to poison him. So, Benedict left them to their evil ways and created his small monastic communities. He wrote his Rule while at a monastery he established and we now know as Monte Cassino. The Rule, written by St. Benedict’s hand still exists today. Benedict envisioned his rule to balance life and prayer by finding God in the ordinary circumstances of daily life. Benedict stated people should not be pre-occupied by work and not make time for prayer, or spend too much time in prayer to neglect their work. Benedict believed in all things in moderation, even praying....