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Amatrice, Italy, Mar 10, 2017 \/ 06:16 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- As Benedictine monks in Norcia, Italy rebuild their monastery from the rubble caused by devastating earthquakes last year, they do so in the spirit of their founder, Saint Benedict.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, it\u2019s very symbolic, that is, being at the birthplace of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, St. Benedict being the founder of Western monasticism,\u201d said Fr. Martin Bernhard, O.S.B. of the Benedictine Monks of Norcia.<\/p>\n He noted that St. Benedict (480-547) lived amidst \u201cthe collapse of the Roman empire\u201d and the \u201ccollapse of society and structures.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMontecassino was destroyed once when he was there as abbot,\u201d Fr. Martin added of St. Benedict, but the saint \u201cdidn\u2019t give up, and he knew that the real answer was still the worship of God, that the primary thing he could do is just give back to God and to center our lives and build our lives around Him in a declining culture and world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think in many ways we find ourselves in kind of a similar situation,\u201d he told CNA. \u201cSo we find great consolation in that we have this opportunity in a way to follow the spirit of our founding father.\u201d<\/p>\n Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict, has been seriously damaged by earthquakes last year.<\/p>\n An earthquake rocked the region in August, causing 247 deaths in Italy. Then a 6.6 magnitude tremor in October caused massive damage to the town and the Benedictine monastery. The Basilica of St. Benedict was totally destroyed and the town was rendered unsafe to dwell in.<\/p>\n Norcia\u2019s main street has re-opened for business but much of the town is still a \u201cred zone\u201d inaccessible to people, Fr. Martin noted. However, the monks\u2019 brewery, which produces \u201cBirra Nursia\u201d has remained largely intact.<\/p>\n A Benedictine monastery had existed for centuries in the town until they were suppressed in 1810 by the Napoleonic laws of the time. In the year 2000, monks based in Rome returned and re-founded the monastery.<\/p>\n Now, the monks have moved outside of the town to a property two kilometers away, the site of an old Capuchin monastery. They lived in tents for several weeks before moving into shelters suitable for the winter months.<\/p>\n However, conditions are quite crowded in the two buildings of only 96 square meters where the 14 monks sleep, eat, and pray. Their biggest need is simply a more suitable place to live and pray as they rebuild the main monastery, especially if the community wants to grow. The basilica will probably take years to rebuild.<\/p>\n The whole ordeal has actually drawn the monks closer to God, however. \u201cIt\u2019s been a very humbling and purifying process,\u201d Fr. Martin said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe earthquake and kind of the destruction that we had seen of material things has really reminded us of the fact that we\u2019re pilgrims here on earth, and that this world will pass away, and that the biggest, most glorious things man can build, one day they will come to dust, and it\u2019s the soul that endures, and it\u2019s God.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo even living in\u2026more physically poor conditions, cold conditions due to winter, has really made us rely upon Him [God] even more,\u201d Fr. Martin continued.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of graces for the monks of the monastery. There\u2019s actually a great peace and joy among the monks despite the great trials and hardships.\u201d<\/p>\n The monks started brewing beer in 2012 and sold \u201cBirra Nursia\u201d to support the monastery, and sales expanded into the U.S. in 2016. The monks brew two types of Belgian-style ales, \u201cBlonde\u201d and \u201cExtra.\u201d<\/p>\n While the brewery suffered little damage from the earthquake, the poor condition of the buildings surrounding it mean that the monks cannot yet use it for brewing. Beer is still available for purchase online, however, with proceeds going to the monastery rebuilding effort and 15 percent going to the needs of local residents \u201cwho lost their livelihood because of the earthquake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re anxious to get back in there,\u201d Fr. Martin said, noting that the monks hope to start small-batch brewing again soon. The beer is a pride of the town, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important for us, not only for financial reasons,\u201d he said, \u201cbut also because of the sign and the symbol that it gives to the town and to the community.\u201d Local restaurant owners who sell the beer have been asking the monks when they will start brewing again.<\/p>\n If the monks could come back to the town, that \u201cgives a very tangible sign of hope to the town and to the people,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The community\u2019s needs are both material and spiritual, he noted.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say the town needs continued hope and faith, that is, the challenge for them now is to not lose that patience, perseverance, and endurance and to really trust in God and to move forward and trust that He has a bigger plan for, really, the care of their souls.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the clean-up and rebuilding efforts, the town also needs \u201ctourism,\u201d he said, an important source of revenue for businesses before last year\u2019s disasters but one that has been put on hold as many businesses have not yet re-opened.<\/p>\n Those interested in donating to the monastery\u2019s rebuilding efforts can either do so at the website www.nursia.org<\/a><\/strong> or through the purchase of Birra Nursia<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in a Western world that has many struggles and trials, and in many ways is collapsing, at least perhaps morally. Now around us, very physically, it has collapsed,\u201d Fr. Martin noted.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we now have an opportunity to renew our faith and to rebuild with that spirit of centering everything around the worship of God, the most important thing for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n