St. Benedict
Patron Saint of Europe and Kidney Disease
St. Benedict is known as one of the greatest influences on Western monasticism. He was born in Rome to an affluent family. During his studies, Benedict was drawn to the idea of being a hermit to leave the world behind. So, he moved to the mountains to live in seclusion. After a few years, Benedict began to see the need for a mix of community and asceticism, and soon other religious in the mountains began following him. Benedict formed many monasteries in Italy for monks to live in community with still the religious asceticism of a hermit. It was during the formation of the famous Monte Cassino monastery that Benedict wrote the influential Rule of St. Benedict, which forms the basis for the Benedictine way of life today.