About us
Who we are
"If we want to have a good society, we must concentrate all our efforts on educating the youth in Christianity. Experience has taught me that caring for young people is the only way to achieve a sustainable civil society" said the great Salesian St John Bosco.
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We all know how vital it is for the future of the Church and Christian society that our children are fully formed in our Catholic faith.
St Benedict's offers its students a solid traditional education and a Catholic training, under the guidance of the Canons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
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Many homeschooling families are looking for such a formation for their children, and we want to meet their needs.
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Imagine a Centre of Catholic formation where classical style education is allied with character formation in the spirit of Saint Francis de Sales. It is about forming the Catholic adults of tomorrow - what could be more important?
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Little stories about...
Saint Benedict
2 March c. 480 AD
+ 21 March c. 547 AD
Benedict was born in Nursia, Italy, about 480. His parents were wealthy, so they sent him to Rome to be educated. When he was about 17, he decided to become a hermit. He was disgusted with the wild life of the students. With the help of an old monk, Benedict found a cave on Mount Subiaco about 50 miles south of Rome. He lived there for three years. Men recognized his holiness and joined him.
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Sometime around 529, Benedict led a group of monks farther south, where they built Monte Cassino. He wrote his Rule based on Scripture. The monks’ first duty was liturgical prayer. The Benedictine monasteries that spread over Europe became centres of learning, agriculture, hospitality, and medicine. Benedict’s monks created illuminated manuscripts. They helped repair the damage caused by the Barbarian invaders. Benedict probably died in 547. In art, he is usually shown with his Rule. In 1964, the Pope named him patron of Europe.
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Benedict’s name means “blessed.” His most famous monastery, Monte Cassino, has been destroyed and rebuilt three times. His monks follow the motto Ora et Labora, which means “Pray and work.”
Saint Francis de Sales
21 August 1567 AD
+ 28 December 1622 AD
Francis, the eldest of 13 children, was born into a family of nobility in France in 1567. His father sent him to study at the University of Paris. After six years, Francis was intellectually competent in many areas. Francis was also a skilled swordsman who enjoyed fencing and was an expert horseman. Then Francis studied at the University of Padua and received a doctorate in civil and canon law. His father wanted him to marry, but Francis desired to be a priest. His father consented, and Francis was ordained to the priesthood in 1593.
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Francis and his cousin Louis, who was also a priest, volunteered to work in Chablais, where religious wars were taking place. After four months, Louis became discouraged and left. Then Francis began to write and distribute a weekly essay, explaining some doctrines of faith. For two years, he and his friends had these essays printed. Francis preached with power and charm in simple, clear language. His gentleness and love drew many hearts to God. The majority of the Chablais inhabitants accepted the Catholic faith.
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When Francis was appointed Bishop of Geneva, he not only wrote for and encouraged priests, but he also took an interest in the candidates for priesthood. Francis even conducted the examinations to see if the candidates were fit for this vocation. He also trained laypeople to teach the catechism. Francis often gave spiritual guidance to people.
In 1610, Francis helped Jane Frances de Chantal found the Visitation convent. He wrote a book called The Introduction to the Devout Life. It shows that everyone can grow in holiness. Among his other writings is the Treatise on the Love of God, a history of his own love for God. Francis was declared a Doctor of the Church and the patron of journalists and writers.
Saint Thomas Aquinas
1224 AD
+ 12 March 1274 AD
Thomas Aquinas came from a wealthy Italian ruling family in the 13th century. At age five, he was sent to a Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino in hopes that someday he would be Abbot. But King Frederick III sent his troops to occupy the monastery as a fortress. Thomas then transferred to the University of Naples, where he came into contact with the Dominicans. Their life of prayer and study fascinated him, and he was determined to join them. His family was shocked that Thomas would join a group of poor friars. His mother sent his brothers after him. They kidnapped and imprisoned him for more than a year at a family castle. Nothing would shake his resolution to enter the Dominicans. Finally, Thomas’s family gave up on discouraging him from becoming a priest, and in 1244, he joined the order.
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Thomas studied under Albert the Great. In class, his silence during discussions and his large size earned him the nickname “the dumb ox.” Thomas became well known for his writings in philosophy and theology. His most famous work, the Summa Theologiae, contains five volumes of thought on all the Christian mysteries. It is said that no one has equalled the depth of understanding and clear reasoning that Thomas showed. His love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament led him to write prayers and hymns that are still used to honour the Eucharist.
But this brilliant man was very humble. He knew that all his gifts came from God. While celebrating Mass on December 6, 1273, he received a revelation from God. After that, he stopped writing. He said that all he had written was so much straw after what he had seen in the revelation. Thomas died at age 49 on his way to the Council of Lyons, France. Pope Gregory X had asked him to come. Saint Thomas Aquinas is a Doctor of the Church and patron of Catholic schools.