Benedictine saints & blesseds: March 2013 Archives

passing of Benedict.jpgThis day blessed Benedict in the presence of his brethren ascended directly from his cell toward the East into heaven; this day, his hands raised, he breathed forth his soul in prayer; this day he was received by the Angels into glory. (Vespers Mag. Ant.)


Our prayer today is for all who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict and the gifts given to the Church and world by the Benedictines. Most especially our prayer today is with the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation who counts Saint Benedict as one of the co-patrons of the movement. May we who live the path given by the Servant of God Father Luigi Giussani to "incline our heart" unto the Lord's.

Father Giussani once said to the Benedictine monks of Cascinazza (Milan), "Christ is present! The Christ announcement is that God became one of us and is present here, and gathers us together into one body, and through unity, His presence is made perceivable. This is heart of the Benedictine message of the earliest times. Well, this also defines the entire message of our Movement, and this is why feel Benedictine history to be the history to which we are the closest."


Prayer to Saint Benedict

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Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in prese...

Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in presence of God Father and the Holy Spirit (Annakirche, Vienna). Adam and Eve are represented below Jesus Christ Ceiling painting made by Daniel Gran (1694-1757).

Father, you revealed in Benedict your desire to live and die in grace that transcends all earthly cares; listen to our supplications as we strive toward salvation.

 

Benedict, blessed in name and grace, lived a holy life; may we follow worthily in his footsteps by praying and working to glorify you.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Benedict, desiring to please you alone, left home and patrimony to found his religious family; may we live in peace in his family to add luster to your monastic way of life.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Benedict withdrew from the world, knowingly unacquainted with its ways, and wisely unlearned in its wisdom; may we learn your wisdom, and guide our actions by it.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Benedict, filled with the spirit of all the just, left us a rule of life in Christ; may we remain faithful to his teaching and come to prefer nothing whatsoever to Christ.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Benedict, the patron of a happy death, showed us how to live in order to die in you; may he obtain this reward from you for each of us.

 

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

 

Through Christ our Lord.

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The order of prayer

San Benedetto2.jpg
Let us rejoice in the Lord, celebrating the memory of the holy abbot, Benedict. (antiphon)


Pray Psalm 9


The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.


Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, You freed the man of God, Benedict, from the prison of the flesh and bore him up to heaven to enjoy the vision of Your glory. Grant us, through his merits, the spirit of penance, forgiveness of our sins, so that we may one day share the joys of eternal life with him and all the saints. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The order of prayer

St Benedict and bread.jpg
Those who offered him food for his body received from his lips the Word of God, the food of life. (antiphon)


Pray Psalm 19: 1-7


The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Lord God, it is Your will that the whole world look to You for salvation and deliverance from the slavery of sin. Grant us a sense of mission, such as Saint Benedict had, and fill us with an apostolic spirit that we may, by the example of our life, help to draw others to You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The order of prayer

San Benedetto da Norcia2.jpg
The holy monk Benedict could not have lived differently from what he taught. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 34: 11-16

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God of wisdom and of counsel, raise up in Your Church the Spirit which guided the man of God, Benedict, so that, filled with that same Holy Spirit, we may seek to love what he did, and to practice what he taught. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The order of prayer
St Benedict in esctasy.jpeg

By the light of contemplation his spirit was lift heavenward. (antiphon)

Pray Luke 1:68-75

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

All-seeing and all-knowing God, grant us the gift of holy contemplation, so that we may see and understand life on this earth as You see it, and as Saint Benedict describes it in his Rule for all who seek God. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
San Benedetto & raven.jpg
The order of prayer


No one can work these signs, unless God be with him. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 96:1-16

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God of power and might, You have shown forth Your goodness by the many miracles which You wrought through Your holy servant Benedict. Grant us the final grace of eternal blessedness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The order of prayer

Regola di S Benedetto.jpg
A wise man's teaching is a fountain of life (antiphon)


Pray Psalm 19:8-12


The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.


Let us pray.

God our Creator and supreme Legislator, You inspired Saint Benedict to compose a Christ-like rule of life, with the Gospel as his Rule, may we persevere to the end in keeping Your commandments. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The order of prayer

San Benedetto3.jpg
I will make you a great nation, and will bless you; and you shall be blessed. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 23

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God, our Father, may Saint Benedict be our special patron in heaven so that what we cannot achieve by our own merit, we may obtain through his merits and prayers and Your loving grace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St Benedict icon.jpgThe order of prayer

The man of God, Benedict, forsook the glory of the world, for the Spirit of God was in him. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 15

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Mighty God, the source of all perfection, by the gift of Your grace, the blessed Benedict left all things that he might dedicate himself more fully to Your service for the salvation of the world. May all those, who strive to walk the path of perfection, not go astray, but run without stumbling and be rewarded by You with the gift eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St Benedict detail.jpgToday begins nine days of prayer to Saint Benedict, ending at First Vespers of Saint Benedict's Transitus (March 20). On March 21, many Benedictine monasteries around the world will observe the death of Benedict (+547) with solemnity, if you follow another liturgical calendar other than the Roman one, while other monasteries will celebrate July 11 as a feast, the translation of Benedict's bones.


The order of prayer

There was a man of venerable Life, Benedict, blessed by God both in grace and in name. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 1

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Almighty and eternal God, may the example of blessed Benedict urge us to strive for holiness of life and, by celebrating his memory, may we be inspired to follow him in the spirit of his Rule. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Frances of Rome

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S Francesca Romana Clothed by the Virgin.jpg

O God, Who in Saint Frances of Rome, has given us a model of holiness in married life and of monastic conversion, make us serve You perseveringly, so that in all circumstances we may set our gaze upon You and follow You.


This painting given here for today's lectio is attributed to Antonio del Massaro da Viterbo, depicts Saint Frances of Rome (1384-1440) being clothed by the Mary in the white veil of her Benedictine movement that, even today, characterizes the Olivetan Benedictine Oblates of Mary she founded in 1425.


Mary, Mother of God wears a mantle of gold, which Saint Paul at the left wraps around Frances Romana. The presence of certain saints is instructive: the great evangelizer, Saint Paul, Saint Mary Magdalene (the Apostle to the Apostles and dressed in red) and Saint Benedict,  the Father of Western Monastic Life, with the various ranks of angels, including Francesca's Guardian Angel.  Magdalene and Benedict wrap/invest the mantle on the gathered Oblates.


The angel below the Gothic windows is busy carding golden threads with a warp and loom. Nearby are two frisky dogs and two cats, a frequent sight in Rome. The Oblate Congregation, commonly thought to be woven together by heavenly graces and harassed by evil spirits. The evil one is given flesh in the form of cats and dogs. As a testimony of grace the Oblates flourish today at Tor de'Specchi. Several years ago I had the privilege with many others to pray in this monastery opened to the public only Saint Frances' feast day.


I have longed hoped that the Oblates of Saint Frances of Rome would found a house in the USA. We are ready for this witness.

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About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

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About this Archive

This page is a archive of entries in the Benedictine saints & blesseds category from March 2013.

Benedictine saints & blesseds: February 2013 is the previous archive.

Benedictine saints & blesseds: April 2013 is the next archive.

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