"The frame of mind and spirituality of this man who wanted nothing but look for God and who in fact laid the foundation for what we call Europe today. It was the Gospel that formed our culture". On the day the Benedictine families celebrate the death of their founder, it is the primate abbot of the Benedictine order, Notker Wolf, who recalls the figure of Saint Benedict, the patron saint of Europe. "Saint Benedict said abbot Wolf to SirEuropa – is the father of many peoples. His ideal attaracts followers everywhere, and his monasteries become once again centres of prayer and culture for whole regions. The Gospel comes in and turns cultures into real humanism". "All over the world, the Benedictine friars invest mostly in the future of young people, the best investment ever. It is not just an economic future, but a human future of freedom, of mutual respect and solidarity. The Gospel is at the root of of the education of the young. They do it through universities and schools. All over the world, the Benedictine friars and nuns serve 150,000 students. It’s an education that is the fruit of prayer, of following Christ, of Christ’s love of children and young people. The education of man in his adolescence, the years that will most affect his future, is not like any other task entrusted to the monks, but it comes from God Himself: from the search for God and the experience of this God’s love".
