As a young man, Benedict went to Rome to study. It was the sixth century and the Roman Empire was disintegrating. Upset with the paganism he found there, he went to live in solitude in a cave at Subiaco. He was soon recognized as a holy man and others began to look to him for leadership. Over a period of twenty years he established twelve small monasteries.

The kind of monastic life Benedict developed is described in The Rule of St. Benedict. His Rule is a manual for community life and has remained the living code for most of the monastic communities in the west. It is a call to Gospel living, easily adapting itself to all forms of Christian living.

Benedictine Medal

Scholastica was the twin sister of Benedict. They were born in 480 A.D. and lived in Norcia, a small town nested in a valley in the Umbrian mountains northeast of Rome. They were both dedicated to God early in life. After Benedict established a monastery at Monte Casino, about eighty miles south of Rome, Scholastica founded a monastery for women nearby at Plombariola.

Many scholars believe that Scholastica had great influence on her brother, accounting for the many instances of feminine compassion in his Rule.

Today there are Benedictine monasteries all over the world, including ours in Chicago.