The Fellowship of St. Columbanus

St Benedict of Nursia by Perugino As far-reaching as the influence of towering figures like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas has been in the west, it is our holy father St. Benedict of Nursia who is, arguably, the true father of western Christianity. I would go so far as to say that western Christianity is fundamentally Benedictine Christianity. The life of St. Benedict is reasonably well known, how he was born in central Italy near the end of the fifth century, went to Rome to study as a young man and, disillusioned with life in Rome, left the city to become a hermit in the hills nearby. After several misadventures, he relocated further south and there founded his renowned abbey at Monte Cassino. He remained there until his death in 547. Benedictine monasteries quickly spread across Europe, and communities grew up around them. They settled and served a tumultuous western Europe, operating as centers of education and trade, as well as giving aid and hospitality to the poor.