Planning to begin for 2010 Diocesan Lenten Series

The planning committee for the 2010 Diocesan Lenten Series will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, January 9 at St. Christophers, 3550 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76133. The meeting is open to anyone interested in participating in planning these events.

The initial idea is for the series to be at 5 PM each Saturday in Lent with soup suppers at St. Christophers, followed by presentations on the theme of Benedictine spirituality. The evenings will close with Compline at 7:30 each evening.

What is Benedictine spirituality? Several websites for Benedictine orders offer this information on St. Benedict and his Rule. He "was born in 480 in Nursia, Italy. As he matured in his faith, Benedict’s reputation for holiness spread and disciples came seeking his guidance. At their request, Benedict started his first monastery. He soon moved to Monte Cassino. There a new foundation grew and flourished, which was to become one of the greatest monasteries in Europe. After years of experience in community, Benedict wrote his famous Rule, which he shared with his twin sister, Scholastica, and her monastery for women. Benedict died at Monte Cassino on March 21, 547. During his lifetime, his Rule guided twelve different monasteries he led over the course of eighteen years.

"In the Rule's prologue, Benedict said he intended to prescribe 'nothing harsh, nothing burdensome' for his followers. His approach to seeking God was both sensible and humane. For Benedict, a spiritual pathway was not one to be littered with weird and unusual practices; rather, all that is needed is to be faithful to finding God in the ordinary circumstances of daily life. How to prepare oneself for this simple — but not necessarily easy — way of life is the substance of the Rule."