St. Benedict (480-543) was born to a Roman noble of Norcia and the twin to his sister, Scholastica. When he was still young he was sent to Rome along with a nurse to finish his education. Afraid for his soul, Benedict fled Rome, gave up his inheritance and lived in a small village with his nurse. When God called him beyond this quiet life to an even deeper solitude, he went to the mountains of Subiaco. Although becoming a hermit was not his purpose in leaving, there he lived as a hermit under the direction of another hermit, Romanus. After years of prayer, word of his holiness brought nearby monks to ask for his leadership. He warned them he would be too strict for them, but they insisted but then tried to poison him when his warning proved true. The story goes, the monks attempted to poison Benedict's drink, but when he prayed a blessing over the cup, it shattered. Benedict died on 21 March 543, not long after his sister. It is said he died with high fever on the very day God told him he would.
St. Benedict please pray for us to be saved from the temptations of the devil.
Patron of: Students and Europe.
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