St. Benedict's Monastery, as its name indicates, has St. Benedict, the great father and founder of monasticism, as it's Patron Saint. The monastery started with very humble and pure origins. Three monks of South Indian origin were sent from Rome by the Abbot General Rt. Dev. Andrea Pantaloni, OSB to begin a monastery in the Central Visayas of the Philippines, in Cebu and more precisely in Carmen. The monks were invited by His Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu. The three monks from Kerala, India are: Rev. Frs. Thomas Thekkumthottam OSB, Bernard Devasia Kallakavunkal OSB and Joseph John Manjadyil OSB. They reached in Carmen February 10, 1999, which is the feast day of St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict.
(from
St. Benedict's Monastery Homepage)
Today, pilgrims will visit the monastery for counseling, confession, healing prayer and asking for different intentions and favors (like passing the board exams and many others). The magnificent chapels and prayer rooms plus the religious icons built in the parks and gardens of the monastery are perfect for pictorials.
I was able to visit the monastery several times, and still planning to go back in the future to pray, relax and enjoy the scenic panorama of St. Benedict's Monastery, Corte, Carmen, Cebu, Philippines.
