Both tap into a wisdom with roots in the ancient, Benedictine monastic tradition. Combining ora et labora, prayer and work, the Benedictines cultivate silence and reverent speech alongside ...

At the end of the Pope's final audience of the year, he asked people to "pray a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict". The Vatican then said the ex-Pope's health had worsened in recent hours.

As I lay there pondering the hard-fought election battle, I felt drawn to pray the morning prayer of St. Benedict. The prayer begins: “I am given this new day as a gift.” We all are.