The Rule of St. Benedict

A special two-part reading group led by Fr. Patrick, cosponsored by St. Thomas More Adult Ministry and the St. Thomas More Erasmus Library. 

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“If we wish to reach eternal life,” wrote Benedict in his Rule, “…then—while there is still time, while we are in this body and have time to accomplish all these things by the light of life—we must run and do now what will profit us forever.”

St. Benedict wrote the Rule (Regula) in 516 AD. It is a short but luminous guide for monastic life observed for centuries by many religious orders in addition to the Benedictines. The Rule has also inspired laypeople and families, offering spiritual wisdom and practical advice on prayer, the daily schedule, manual work, humility, mutual obedience, and leadership—-in short, on the quaerere deum— the quest for God.

You are cordially invited to join us at church from 9 - 10:30AM on two Saturday mornings—May 30 and June 13— to discuss the Rule of St. Benedict under the guidance of our Parochial Vicar Fr. Patrick Haggerty.  Fr. Patrick studied the Rule as a seminarian at Saint Meinrad’s Abbey and then lived under it as a monk at Marmion Abbey in Aurora, Illinois. He will help us explore the degree to which the Benedictine principles of stability, obedience, and conversatio morum (conversion of one’s way of life) can help us to find our bearings in the tangled circumstances in which we find ourselves these days.

Room:  St. Anthony of Padua Room

Text of the Rule of St. Benedict: There are limited physical copies available at the church office.
(If you are able, we suggest that you donate $3-4 for a copy.) 

Or…you can find here a free pdf of the Rule.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50040/50040-h/50040-h.htm
https://www.scribd.com/document/560797955/The-Rule-of-St-Benedict

Here is the link to order on your own either a paperback text or an e-book:
https://litpress.org/Detail.aspx?ISBN=0814612725

Assignments: 
May 30—Prologue through Chapter 30 of the Rule (about 39 pages) 
June 13—Chapters 31—73 (about 42 pages).

Questions? Please email: [email protected] or
[email protected]