The Benedictine Medal

Is this a Benedictine cross or a medal?

It is the round Saint Benedict medal, with the cross and the initials of its Latin prayers. It is not set on a separate cross.

How visible is the 24.5 mm Saint Benedict medal on its 60 cm box chain?

It hangs on the lower chest, where it shows over an open collar or slips under a shirt. The medal is 24.5 mm across (28.5 mm with the bail), and the whole necklace weighs 24 g.

What does Saint Benedict hold on his medal?

The cross in one hand and the book of his Rule, the guide for monastic life he wrote in the sixth century, in the other. Around them, the letters spell short Latin prayers that reject evil.

Is the Benedictine Medal a good confirmation gift from a godfather?

Yes. It is one of the most worn medals in the Catholic world, and the 60 cm chain suits a young man or a young woman alike.

Will the gold Benedictine Medal keep its small letters crisp with daily wear?

Yes, with simple care. The medal is stainless steel and will not rust in water; on the gold version, keeping perfume and chlorine off it helps the finish around the letters last.

Is Saint Benedict the patron of anything?

Yes. He is a patron saint of Europe, named by Pope Paul VI, and is also honored as the father of Western monasticism.

Male gold cross necklace with Saint Benedict

Men who look for Saint Benedict often have a fight they do not talk about. His medal carries the cross and old Latin words that mean, may the holy cross be my light, and ask evil to stay away. The Benedict Cross Medallion sets it at the heart of a flared cross, IP gold plating on stainless steel, about 25 x 28 mm, on a 60 cm box chain. The Benedictine Medal is the classic round medal, 24.5 mm. It is a prayer, not a shield. You can also have a priest bless it. More: St Benedict Cross.

Large Saint Benedict medallion for men

Asking for a large Saint Benedict medal usually means you want to feel it there when the day turns hard. Some battles a man never talks about, and this old prayer can go into them with him. The Sacred Signet spreads the back of the medal across a 19 mm wide signet in titanium steel. The Benedict Signet adds Christ's IHS and Mary's M on either side. For the neck, the Benedict Cross Medallion sets the medal in a gold-plated cross, on a 60 cm chain.

St Benedict medal for my home or car, or to wear?

Whichever you choose, you are asking the same thing: that this place, this road, this life be placed in God's hands. Catholics have long kept the Saint Benedict medal at home, in the car or on themselves. If you can have only one, wear it, because it goes where you go. The Benedictine Radiance sets his medal at the heart of the cross, a fitting gift for a first home. If necklaces come off for work, the Benedictine Ring stays on the hand, under the word PAX. More: Jewelry for Protection.

My son is a lineman. Storms, high voltage, up on poles in the dark while everyone else stays inside. He's Catholic and he's careful, but it's still what it is.

When everyone else is watching the storm through a window, your son is climbing toward it. You know his training and you know the odds, and neither one helps at 3 a.m. Catholics have worn Saint Benedict's medal for centuries as a way of asking God to keep evil and harm at a distance, and it goes easily under a work shirt. The Benedictine Medal, carries a cross and short Latin prayers against evil. Be sure it stays under his clothing and clear of his work, as his safety rules require. When the outage map lights up, pray: 'Lord, be on the pole with him.' The rest is his training and God's mercy.