Our Spiritual Father–St Benedict

Our center is named after St Benedict of Nursia, a saint who pursued holiness and humility, both in himself and among the monastic communities he formed. St Benedict lived from 480-550 A.D. and has been called the ‘Patriarch of western monasticism.’ St Benedict’s communities were mostly comprised of lay Christians, which became a great source of spiritual depth and influence in the western world. St Benedict is best known for the monastic rule of life he composed for his communities, The Rule of St Benedict. Abundant in wisdom for communal life and the inner life, St Benedict’s Rule continues to influence Christians in their desire to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. Our center is not seeking to be "all things Benedictine," but to draw inspiration from the Benedictine tradition for spiritual formation in our time. Benedictine spirituality gives us rootedness in Christian tradition and orientation for the future.

Six Qualities of the Benedictine tradition

These six qualities inspire and shape the ministries we offer through the St Benedict Center.

Primacy of Heart and Prayer

The Rule of St Benedict (RB) begins with an invitation to ‘listen with the ear of your heart.’ In an age of information overload and rancorous discourse, we seek the ‘still small voice of God’; to be attuned to the presence of God above all things. Jesus also taught that ‘the pure in heart will see God.’ (Matt. 5.8) St Benedict also famously said ‘Prefer nothing to the love of Christ.’ We pray that the offerings of the St Benedict Center will equip the heart to grow in prayer and intimacy with God.

Conversion of Life

A central vow made in Benedictine communities is conversion of life (conservatio morum). One might think of conversion of life as a lifelong commitment to repentance and the way of holiness. Baptism is our entrance into the Kingdom of God, our sacramental conversion to Christ and his Church. St Paul also instructs us to ‘work out our salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2.12), to ‘grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ’ (Ephesians 4.15).

Holy Rhythms

A motto of Benedictine communities is Ora et Labora, a Latin phrase meaning ‘Prayer and Work.” St Benedict ordered the daily life of his communities according to holy rhythms of prayer and work. Spiritual matters are not separated from practical matters. Rather, we desire to foster a way of spiritual formation for all Christians that seeks a rhythm of worship, work, and sabbath rest.

‘A School for the Lord’s Service’

St Benedict composed his Rule to establish ‘a school for the Lord’s service.’ (RB, Prologue). Central to the establishment of the St Benedict Center is a training program in the ministry of spiritual direction. The Conversatio Course is a two-year training program aimed to equip spiritual directors for local church ministry. We pray that spiritual directors who complete the Conversatio Course will bring encouragement, wisdom, and love to all those entrusted to their spiritual care.

English Spirituality

You will notice an Anglican ethos in the offerings of the St Benedict Center, yet our gatherings are not exclusively for Anglicans! We’ll emphasize the role of Scripture, sacraments, liturgy, and tradition for spiritual formation, but Anglicans make no exclusive claim on these spiritual disciplines. In fact, the Anglican theologian, Martin Thornton, said that the Rule of St Benedict provides the overall structure for the Book of Common Prayer. While we are informed by traditions from English spirituality, we seek the full riches of spiritual wisdom from Christian history.

Spiritual Formation in Community

Benedictine spirituality is deeply personal, though never individualistic. Spiritual formation is a communal pursuit. Maturity in Christ requires that one increase in love of God and love of neighbor. One of the most beloved chapters in the Rule of St Benedict is the chapter on humility (RB, 7), which addresses one’s inner life and one’s relationships in spiritual community. In a similar way, we seek a way of spiritual formation that builds up the inner life of a single person and cultivates loving, spiritual community.