Earthquake at Norcia

The epicenter of yesterday’s earthquake in Italy was very near to the town of Norcia, where Saints Benedict and Scholastica were born.

The first earthquake struck around 3:30 a.m. local time near Norcia, a small town roughly 105 miles from Rome, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No victims were reported there, but the quakes damaged buildings, according to RaiNews24.

“Much of our patrimony is damaged, but there are no victims,” Mayor Nicola Alemanno told RaiNews24. “That is the good news.”

The first quake was followed by at least 11 tremors in what the seismological center described as a “high aftershock rate.”

I’ve often written of the monastery there, where a group of American Benedictine monks pray and make beautiful music and (reportedly) fantastic beer.

Six hours ago, they wrote on their Facebook:

Dear Friends,

Many of you have by now heard of the earthquake that struck us during the night. The quake was a powerful one with a magnitude of 6.2. We’ve taken the past few hours to assess the situation.

First: We are OK. We are alive, and the monks were not seriously injured. Sadly, there are many injuries to report among the people of the region, especially those in small mountain villages. Please pray for them. We monks will do what we can to contribute here on the ground, but we’ll need your spiritual support in a special way during this period.

Second: We, as many others in Norcia and surrounding areas, suffered a lot of damage to our buildings and especially to our basilica. It will take some time to assess the extent of the damage, but it is very sad to see the many beautiful restorations we’ve made to St. Benedict’s birthplace reduced, in a moment, to disrepair.

Third: What can you do? Please, pray for us, for those who have lost their lives, who have lost someone they love, who have lost their homes and livelihoods. We will need your help, as always but now in a special way, to start the project of rebuilding. Please consider making a gift to help us get started.

The Monks of Norcia

And about an hour ago:

The secondary shocks come at least every 15 minutes, some of them quite violent. Each one brings more damage after the initial quake.

In your mercy, please pray for the all involved – the townspeople, first responders, as well as the monks and nuns.

If you are inclined to make a charitable contribution for the relief efforts, here is a link: https://en.nursia.org/donations/#acc_online