July 11 Feast of Benedict of Nursia reminds me of a time when I was known as Dom...

July 11 Feast of Benedict of Nursia reminds me of a time when I was known as Dom. Ignacio Maria, the happiest and most productive six years of my life. The opportunity to visit Benedict's cave in Subiaco, outside Rome came years after I left the monastery, I pretended to be a tourist who didn't understand the signs forbidding photos and was driven out by a cranky Italian monk who had not learned Benedictine hospitality. Monastic life taught me to find silence and solitude in a busy world. Benedictine life was about reading and reflection, a love of learning and a desire for God.


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