STORY: Saint Benedict was born around 480 to noble Roman parents. He had a twin sister who is also a Saint – Saint Scholastica. During his studies, he saw many of his classmates ruin their lives in sin, so he withdrew to live a life of solitude. Despite persecution, he set up what was to become the foundation of monasticism – monks and nuns living in community. Many current religious communities still follow the guidelines he created, the “Rule of St. Benedict”.

PATRON OF: students and Europe

FEAST DAY: July 11

BDAY: c. 480 – 543

SOURCE: St. Benedict at Catholic.org

READ MORE: St. Benedict at Catholic Encyclopedia

Image attribution: Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons