Do you find yourself excited when you are unexpectedly gifted a book? When I accepted the Director of Mission Advancement position here at the Monastery I received a copy of John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry from a dear friend. It’s a captivating read and imbued with Benedictine wisdom, values, and spirituality (even if not outrightly stated by the author).

We, as Benedictines, look forward to the month of March for it gives us the opportunity to celebrate one of the two feast days set aside to remember St. Benedict. On March 21, Benedictines around the world celebrate the “transitus” of St. Benedict, the day Benedict entered eternity. “Transitus” in Latin means passing from one state to the next— death is not the end of life, but the transition into eternity with God. It is one of two days that St. Benedict is recognized on the Benedictine calendar. Since this feast day is always during Lent, another commemoration date was set when Pope Paul VI declared St. Benedict the Patron of Europe at the rededication of the Church at Monte Cassino on July 11, 1964. July 11 is the Feast of St. Benedict for the Universal Church. Only Mary, the mother of Jesus and John the Baptist are remembered with both their birthdays and their day of entry into heaven.