# The monks of Norcia: Benedict’s sons return

**By:** Fr Dwight Longenecker  
**Published:** 2026-05-13T07:00:00.000Z  
**Source:** [The Catholic Herald](https://thecatholicherald.com/article/the-monks-of-norcia-benedicts-sons-return)

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From suppression under Napoleon to destruction by earthquake, the Benedictines of Norcia have rebuilt their monastic life through prayer, work and perseverance
Fr Dwight Longenecker

Planning a private pilgrimage to Italy with my sister and brother-in-law, we decided to make our first stop in the town of Norcia – the birthplace of St Benedict.
I am a Benedictine oblate and a fan of the “Benedict Option” – Rod Dreher’s term for a return to the simple values of St Benedict’s 6th-century monastic Rule. Dreher does not recommend that we all head to the hills, grow long beards and herd goats.
However, he does not rule it out, and my friends at the monastery in Norcia do not rule it out either. Visiting the monastery last week there were chickens and plenty of long beards, but no goats.