From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:
March 12, 2026 (#84)
The Legacy of St. Benedict-Part IV: In North Carolina
In 1846, the first permanent Benedictine community in the United States was established by German monks from Bavaria, who settled in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where they founded Saint Vincent Abbey (later “Archabbey”). Only 30 years later, in 1876, the abbot of Saint Vincent accepted the donation of a farm in North Carolina from a secular priest serving in the area and sent the first monks from Pennsylvania to establish a monastery and school there, in Belmont, NC. It was named “Maryhelp,” but it is now universally known as Belmont Abbey.
In 1886, Saint Mary's college was chartered by the State of North Carolina and is now known as Belmont Abbey College. The following year, Abbot Leo Haid, the son of German immigrants, was named the Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina, long before a diocese was established. And in 1888, he was consecrated a bishop, with the pastoral responsibility for both the monastic community at Belmont and for the Catholic Church in the entire state. Under his leadership, these Benedictines eventually established monastic foundations in Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. They also served in many parishes and missions throughout North Carolina, greatly contributing to the growth of the nascent Catholic Church in the state. Soon after Abbot/Bishop Haid died, in 1924, the Diocese of Raleigh was erected. Benedictines continued to serve in many places within the state and today operate a thriving orthodox Catholic college.
In the neighboring states of Virginia and South Carolina, the Rule of Saint Bendict is also lived by monks at Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, VA ( https://www.virginiatrappists.org/ ) and at Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner, SC ( https://mepkinabbey.org/ ). These monks are often referred to as “Trappists.” Officially, they are members of the “Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance.” The Cistercians, founded at the end of the 11th century, and the Trappists, founded in the latter half of the 17th century, were both founded by monks seeking to live by a stricter or more faithful interpretation of the Rule of St. Benedict. There are also found throughout the world (though, sadly, not in North Carolina) communities of Benedictine, Cistercian, and Trappist nuns.
More information about Belmont Abbey Monastery can be found at:
Reading materials on St. Benedict and related devotional items can be found at:
https://inhisname.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=St.+Benedict
