The earthquake that struck Italy early this morning was centered in Norcia, where there is a Benedictine monastery at the birthplace of St. Benedict.
The monks have posted this message on their Facebook page:
Related: Zenit’s 2015 interview with the prior of the monastery: Monks Who Brought Chant Back to St. Benedict’s Birthplace Release Album
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Dear Friends,
Many of you have by now heard of the earthquake that struck us during the night. The quake was a powerful one with a magnitude of 6.2. We’ve taken the past few hours to assess the situation.
First: We are OK. We are alive, and the monks were not seriously injured. Sadly, there are many injuries to report among the people of the region, especially those in small mountain villages. Please pray for them. We monks will do what we can to contribute here on the ground, but we’ll need your spiritual support in a special way during this period.
Second: We, as many others in Norcia and surrounding areas, suffered a lot of damage to our buildings and especially to our basilica. It will take some time to assess the extent of the damage, but it is very sad to see the many beautiful restorations we’ve made to St. Benedict’s birthplace reduced, in a moment, to disrepair.
Third: What can you do? Please, pray for us, for those who have lost their lives, who have lost someone they love, who have lost their homes and livelihoods. We will need your help, as always but now in a special way, to start the project of rebuilding. Please consider making a gift to help us get started.
The Monks of Norcia
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The web site of the monks, where donations can be made, is here: https://en.nursia.org/donations/
