ST. BENEDICT

c.480-547 (Feast: July 11). Considered the father of Western Monasticism, Benedict was born in Nursia, Italy of Roman nobility and was the twin of St. Scholastica. He studied in Rome, but fled the corruption of the city and lived as a hermit. His virtuous life caused him to be welcomed as the leader of a group of hermits. He eventually built an abbey at Monte Cassino where he wrote his Rule. Benedict’s Rule having as its hallmarks, “prayer and work,” is practical, balanced and compassionate. Benedictines take vows of stability and conversion of manners and were very supportive of St. Francis and his movement.

The purpose of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) laid out by its founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, is the priesthood and all that pertains to it. Now attached to this work is the life of the religious brothers. 

By their consecration to God in the religious life, the SSPX brothers, like any religious, aim to give glory to God and save souls.  The brothers of the priestly Society attain this end in a very particular manner, laid out by their founder in their Rule: “to assist the priests in all their duties, not by wishing to take their place in the priestly functions, but by facilitating their apostolic task in many ways… devoting themselves to the priesthood of Our Lord, which is continued in His ministers and on the altar.”  And so, while the brothers themselves are not priests, they nevertheless participate in the apostolate in an important, if indirect manner.  Through their various manual labors, they free the priests to focus on their sacerdotal functions; and by their prayers and continuous life of sacrifice, they earn graces to make the apostolate flourish.

Our American brothers are prepared for this beautiful vocation at Holy Angels Novitiate.  Thus, the particular mission of our apostolate in Winona is to form willing young men into holy religious.  Learning to live a life in common, practicing the virtues and counsels, gaining knowledge of and love for the liturgy – all these are important aspects of the formation of a brother in Winona.  The centerpiece of the Novitiate’s day is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in keeping with the SSPX’s mission as an intrinsically priestly Society.

Holy Angels Novitiate

21077 Quarry Hill Rd.

Winona, MN. 55987

507-454-8000

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

1182-1226 (Feast: October 4). Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. He was gallant and chivalrous throughout his life, but he regretted his mispent youth and experienced a deep conversion after a long illness as a prisoner-of-war. Francis began living simply and caring for the sick, especially lepers. Many of his early companions joined him in a life of penance and service. In 1209 his community was approved as the “Friars Minor.” Although he was never ordained, it was the long-standing custom in the Middle Ages that a brother-superior of a religious community could read the Gospel, preach, and wear a deacon’s dalmatic while assisting at the Sacred Liturgy.