St. Benedict Medal and Necklace

Sterling Silver St. Benedict Medal and Necklace

14KT Gold Filled St. Benedict Medal and Necklace

14KT Gold St Benedict Medal

St. Benedict

St. Benedict, the Patriarch of Western Monks, was born in 480 at Nursia, a small town in the Sabine mountains, half way between Rome and Ancona. As his father, Anicius Eupropius, was a wealthy, influential patrician, Benedict and his twin sister Scholastica enjoyed the comforts of a comfortable home under the tender care of their holy mother Abundantia. Education in Nursia seemed out of the question, so Benedict’s father decided to send him to Rome, where he could receive a training suitable to his position.

Rome was at that time a hotbed of vice. Whether Benedict was horrified at the heinousness of sin in that city, or whether he received a direct call from God to give up the world and to seek Him alone, the young Benedict resolved to leave Rome. At age 14, St. Benedict traveled forty miles until he reached Enfide at the base of the Sabine mountains. St. Benedict lived there for three months spending his days kneeling before the altar in the village church. Moved by a desire to unite closer to God, he yearned to be away from everyone, and be simply alone with God.

Journey to the Mountains

Benedict decided to continue journeying into the mountains in his search for peace. Upon reaching the ravine that connects the present Subiaco with Gender either side of which rugged, bold rocks jutted up in she precipices, he found a man wearing the robes of a monk. At first Benedict was startled, but the saint’s manner of the stranger gained his confidence, and after few words Benedict opened his heart and fully disclosed his goals and aspirations.

The holy monk felt that this was not a chance meeting, but that God had sent him as a guide to a chosen soul. He procured for Benedict the habit of a monk, and offered to show him a secret cave that would suit his purpose of seclusion with God. The cave was inaccessible from above, so Romanus arranged to provide the youth with food, to be let down in a basket by a rope, to which a bell was attached to warn of its approach Benedict was now alone with God and away from the world. He saw no one, spoke to no one. Without book, or master, or guide, he trusted entirely in God.

Alone with God in the Cave

St. Benedict lived along in this cave for the next 10 to 15 years, spending his days praying and uniting close with God. One day, some peasants climbing up the mountain discovered Benedict in his cave. Benedict graciously advised them spiritually and then soon the fame of St. Benedict spread far and wide. The days of complete solitude had passed for the sanctity of St. Benedict attracted many men, who desired to join in his heavenly life and to live near him and learn from him.

Establishing the Benedictine Order

He soon founded twelve monasteries in the vicinity of Subiaco. In 529, under a special guidance of God, St. Benedict left Subiaco and its twelve surrounding monasteries to travel a considerable distance to Monte Cassino, where on the site of an ancient temple of Apollo he erected a monastery, which was to become the glorious monastic center of the West. Here, at Monte Cassino, he wrote his holy Rule, the Rule of St. Benedict, a marvel of wisdom and knowledge of human nature. Besides monasteries for men, St. Benedict established several convents, where holy women followed his Rule. His sister, St. Scholastica was designated to lead one of these monasteries.

These men and women were called Benedictines. Early in 543, St. Benedict announced to his Brethren the day of his death, March 21st. On that very day, two of his monks at a distance, separated from each other, had the same vision. They saw a beautiful path, strewn with rich garments, decorated with brilliant lamps, leading from the Saint’s cell to Heaven. As they gazed at the sight an angel said to them: “This is the path by which the beloved of the Lord, Benedict, ascended up to Heaven”.

Wearing a St. Benedict medal serves as a reminder for us to commit our own lives in purposeful devotion, always seeking to grow closer to God through the silence.

St. Benedict Rosary
UPC: 617759870473
Brand: Bliss