April 3 or 4 St. Benedict the Black

St. Benedict the Black (1526-1589) NOTE: The surname "the Moor" as he is sometimes called, is a misnomer originating from the Italian “il moro” (the black). 

April 3 or 4

            His parents were slaves brought from Africa to Messina, Sicily. Freed at 18, Benedict did farm work for a wage and soon saved enough to buy a pair of oxen. He was very proud of those animals. In time he joined a group of hermits around Palermo and was eventually recognized as their leader. Because these hermits followed the Rule of St. Francis, Pope Pius IV ordered them to join the First Order.

            Benedict was eventually novice master and then guardian of the friars in Palermo—positions rarely held in those days by a brother. In fact, Benedict was forced to accept his election as guardian. And when his term ended, he happily returned to his work in the friary kitchen. Among Franciscans a position of leadership is limited in time. When the time expires, former leaders sometimes have trouble adjusting to their new positions. The Church needs men and women ready to put their best energies into leadership—but men and women who are gracefully willing to go on to other work when their time of leadership is over. 

            Admonition IV of St. Francis states: “I did ‘not come to be served but to serve’ (Mt 20:28), our Lord tells us. Those who are put in charge of others should be no prouder of their office than if they had been appointed to wash the feet of their confreres. They should be no more upset at the loss of their authority than they would be if they were deprived of the task of washing feet.” 

            In later life Benedict was not possessive of the few things he used. He never referred to them as “mine” but always called them “ours.” His gifts for prayer and the guidance of souls earned him throughout Sicily a reputation for holiness. Following the example of St. Francis, Benedict kept seven 40-day fasts throughout the year; he also slept only a few hours each night.

            After Benedict’s death, King Philip III of Spain paid for a special tomb for this holy friar. Canonized in 1807, he is honored as the patron of Blacks in North America.