About Us

The Rule of Benedict is a time-tested guide for Christian living—practical, balanced, and universal. It remains the foundation of every Benedictine monastery today.

Established in 1997, Friends of Saint Benedict continues the mission of the Canterbury Cathedral Trust in the U.S., offering access to Benedictine spirituality through retreats, lectures, and community gatherings. 

Our mission is to make the ancient wisdom and practice of Benedictine spirituality accessible to modern people in their daily lives.

Friends of St. Benedict was founded in 1997. In 1982, the first Benedictine Experience, held at Canterbury Cathedral, convinced a core group that an ongoing structure for organizing Benedictine retreats and educating interested groups on Benedictine wisdom could address a real need. Since then, The Friends of St. Benedict and its predecessor have offered ecumenical programs for clergy and lay people to explore the Rule of Saint Benedict within a community of participants.

Friends of St. Benedict continues to develop material and run programs on the Benedictine Way and spirituality, and many churches have established Benedictine groups. These and similar programs have changed the lives of thousands of people who have come to discover a balanced life of prayer, work, study and rest lived in community, which is the Benedictine charism.