The Monks of Norcia in the Earthquake
Our friends from the Benedictine monastery at Norcia have been affected by the terrible earthquake yesterday in Italy. Norcia is the birthplace of St Benedict and St Scholastica, and a new and vibrant community of monks has been there again since the Holy Year 2000, to restore monastic life in its primitive form.
The monks have been painstakingly restoring the monastery and basilica, which have now both suffered grave damage in the earthquake.
It being the feast of St Bartholomew, the monks were already up at the time of the tremor. They led the people of Norcia in the Rosary in the main square.
The community is unable to occupy its buildings at present, because they may be unsafe, and so they are being sheltered at Sant'Anselmo in Rome. Two monks have remained behind to stay in tents near the monastery, to protect the monastic buildings and the basilica.
This Sunday we will have a second collection for the monks of Norcia, to help them to return home and rebuild their monastery as soon as possible
.