Benedictine
- This article is about the Roman Catholic order; see also Benedictine Confederation and Benedictine.
- for the article on Orthodox Benedictines, see Order of Saint Benedict (Orthodox)
- For the Anglican order of the same name, see Order of St. Benedict (Anglican)
A Benedictine is a person who follows the Rule of St Benedict. Such a person may live the Consecrated Life (that is, as a monk or nun) or not (for example, as an oblate). The Order of Saint Benedict was founded in the sixth century in the Western Latin Rite of what was then the undivided Church. Both the Catholic Church and many separated ecclesial communities embrace the Benedictine monastic tradition to this day.
In the English Reformation all monasteries were dissolved and their lands confiscated by the throne. Since the Oxford Movement there has been a revival of Benedictine monasticism in the Anglican Church and other Christian Churches. Some Anglican Abbots are welcomed guests of the Roman Catholic Abbot Primate at Abbatial gatherings.
Outside a monastic context, "Benedictine" may also refer to a follower of another Benedict, especially a Saint Benedict or a Pope Benedict. "Benedictine" is also used as a more general adjective; thus, the papacy of a particular Pope Benedict may be called the "Benedictine era" or an abbey of the Order may be referred to as "Benedictine". Also, a student of a Benedictine school, may also be considered as "Benedictine" as in the case of Benedictine College, Saint Anselm College, San Beda College and Bede College.
The Order of Saint Benedict — full Latin name: Ordo Sancti Benedicti , initials: OSB — sometimes referred to as the Benedictine Order, is a term used to denote the independent monasteries that observe the Rule of St Benedict, supplemented by later constitutions and modern customaries. The monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy established by Saint Benedict of Nursia ca 529 was the first of the Benedictine monasteries. Most monasteries of the Middle Ages were of the Benedictine Order, even though it has been said Benedict himself did not intend for his Rule to become the standard for Western Monasticism. However, it has also been argued that he made this inevitable because he provided so efficient an institution. In fact, the Benedictine Monasteries made so great contributions to religion, econcomics, education, and government in their day that the years from 550 to 1150 can be called the Benedictine centuries. The original purpose of the monasteries, though, was not to contribute to culture, or even save it perhaps, but to ensure salvation for its members. Therefore, the Black Monks, as well as the Benedictine nuns (monastic women) had to take extremely strict religious vows of Stability (to remain in the monastery), of Conversation Morum, a Latin phrase still debated, and of Obedience (to the superior, because (s) he holds the place of Christ in their community) in accordance with ch. 58.17 of the Rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia. The abbots of the monasteries had absolute authority over the other monks; to assign them duties, punish them, and take charge of their comings and goings. All Benedictine monks and nuns are members of the Laity among the Christian Faithful; only those Benedictine monks who have been ordained priests are also members of the Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. In daily life, the monks were held to the strictest discipline of unvarying routine. Silence was regular.
General
The "Order of St Benedict" is fundamentally different from other Western religious orders: there is no legal entity called the "Order of St Benedict", run on similar lines with other Roman Catholic religious orders with their Generalates and Superiors General. Rather, the various autonomous Houses (that is, communities) have formed themselves loosely into Congregations (for example, Cassinese, English, Solesmes, Subiaco, Camaldolese, Sylvestrines) that in turn are represented in the Benedictine Confederation.
Benedictines are usually Roman Catholics or members of one of the churches of the Anglican Communion, although they are occasionally found in other Christian denominations as well.
Benedictine monks (monastic men) and Benedictine nuns (monastic women) publicly profess the three Benedictine Vows of Stability (to remain in the monastery), of Conversion of Manners, and of Obedience in accordance with ch. 58.17 of the Rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia. According to the Code of Canon Law a Benedictine abbey is a "Religious Institute", and its professed members are therefore members of the "Consecrated Life", commonly referred to as "Religious". All Benedictine monks and nuns are members of the Laity among the Christian Faithful.
Benedictines who are not members of the Consecrated Life (i.e., Oblates) nevertheless endeavour to embrace the spirit of the Benedictine Vows in their own life in the world.
Within the Order of Saint Benedict, other religious that use the Rule of Saint Benedict and are generally considered to be of the Benedictine tradition are the Cistercians, Bernardines, and Benedictine Sisters of Grace and Compassion, although these are not part of the Benedictine Confederation.
The Benedictine motto is: pax (Latin: "peace"), traditionally also ora et labora (Latin: "pray and work").
Benedictine Monks were nicknamed "Black Monks" because of the color of their habits.
Further reading
- Dom Columba Marmion OSB, Christ the Ideal of the Monk – Spiritual Conferences on the Monastic and Religious Life (Engl. edition London 1926, trsl. from the French by a nun of Tyburn Convent).
Benedictines in popular culture and fiction
- A stage play based on a book by Hugh Whitemore, The Best of Friends, provides a window on the friendships of Dame Laurentia McLachlan, OSB (late Abbess of Stanbrook) with Sir Sydney Cockerell and George Bernard Shaw through adaptations from their letters and writings.
- The 1975 TV film In This House of Brede, with Dame Diana Rigg in the lead role, presents a portrayal of the progress of a fictitious postulant. The film was inspired by the 1969 novel of the same name written by Rumer Godden.
- Perhaps the most famous Benedictine monk in all fictiondom is Brother Cadfael. (Friar Tuck does not qualify for this distinction, as he was a Franciscan.) Edith Pargeter, writing under the pen name Ellis Peters, created the character of Brother Cadfael as the detective hero of her series of medieval murder mysteries known as The Cadfael Chronicles.
- Although the protagonist is a Franciscan, the Umberto Eco novel The Name of the Rose is set in a fictional Benedictine monastery in Italy.
- Samples of chanting Benedictine monks were used in the song I'm Dying by V.A.S.T., from their album Visual Audio Sensory Theater.
- Joseph Knecht, the protagonist of Hermann Hesse's novel The Glass Bead Game, is sent as an ambassador of sorts to a Benedictine abbey for his first assignment.
- Benedectine warrior-monks are featured in the Legacy of the Aldenata series by John Ringo.
External links
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- The Order of Saint Benedict - Official website of the order as it exists in the Catholic church
- St Benedict's Blessing; A Website on Benedictinism
- Catholic Encyclopedia entry for The Benedictine Order
- Confoederatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti, the Benedictine Confederation of Congregations
- Links of the Congregations
- Benedictine Abbeys & Monasteries:
- St. Bernard Abbey, Cullman, Alabama, U.S.
- St. Anselm's Abbey, Washington, D.C., U.S.
- Assumption Abbey, Richardton, North Dakota, U.S.
- Belmont Abbey, Belmont, North Carolina, U.S.
- Sisters of St. Benedict at St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, Illinois, U.S.
- St. Meinrad Archabbey St. Meinrad, Indiana, U.S.
- Marmion Abbey Aurora, Illinois, U.S.
- Saint Joseph Abbey & Seminary College Benedictine Monks In Saint Benedict, Louisiana
- St John's Abbey, Collegeville, MN
- St Mary's Abbey Delbarton School, Morris Township, New Jersey, U.S.
- St. Benedict Abbey Still River, Massachusetts, U.S.
- Monastery of the Ascension, Jerome, Idaho, U.S.
- Glenstal Abbey County Limerick, Ireland
- Benedictine Sisters - Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri, U.S.
- Kansas Monks - St. Benedict's Abbey in Atchison, Kansas, U.S.
- Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica - Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, U.S.
- Benedictine Sisters of Virginia - Saint Benedict Monastery, Bristow, Virginia, U.S.
- Benedictine Sisters of Ferdinand, Indiana
- Missionary Benedictines of Christ the King Priory, Schuyler, Nebraska, U.S.
This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
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