Petrus Blog

St. Benedict of Nursia

July 11, 480 - March 21, 547

When it comes to the virtue of temperance, there are few people throughout history that more clearly embody this than Saint Benedict of Nursia. The author of the Rule of St. Benedict and the “Father of Western Monasticism”, Saint Benedict was a monk who lived 1,500 years ago and yet still influences millions of people every day through his words and instruction on wisdom, moderation and humility. 

So who was Saint Benedict of Nursia?

Born in A.D. 480 to a wealthy Roman nobleman, Benedict spent his early years living in comfort with his parents and his twin sister, Scholastica. In his early teens, Benedict was sent to Rome to formally begin his studies. Disgusted by the immoral standards of Romans, Benedict left his studies in 500 and sought a life of solitude. He lived for three years in a cave on the side of a mountain outside of Subiaco, Italy. 

During this time, he spent his days...

In this episode, the first of our Holy Donor Series, Andrew visits with Greg and Julie Stevens. Greg and Julie live in Lincoln, Nebraska. They both attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln and were very involved at St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center. This young couple has an approach to tithing and charity that is remarkable and a little counter-cultural, even among faithful Catholics. Through this conversation, Andrew was inspired to evaluate his attitude towards giving, even with over 15 years in the development industry. Hopefully you will walk away inspired as well.

Show Notes:

Background

Greg is a Physician’s Assistant in dermatology and Julie is a stay at home mom to baby Isaac. They are both are cradle Catholics and they both went to Catholic school and University of Nebraska Lincoln. And Greg continued on to University of Nebraska Medical School. 

Growing up, they both remember seeing their parents involved in the church and give every Sunday...

In this episode, Andrew visits with Caitlyn Kano, Executive Director of Compass Catholic. They discuss how we can be generous to our specific capacity and not a perceived capacity of giving. They talk about how even though 10% tithing is a fantastic goal, we are still called be to be stewards of the other 90%. And that once we unite our financials and our faith, we can answer yes to what God calls us to without hesitation.

Show Notes:

Caitlyn Kano is the Executive Director of Compass Catholic Ministries. She is local to Las Vegas, a military spouse of 17 years, mother of 4 children. When her oldest was 1 year, she was ready to do something more and began to volunteer with a non-profit. Over the years, she began to feel a disconnect between her work and her faith and felt called to tie the two together. Two years ago she reached out to Compass Catholic and began working on a money coaching ministry. In March of 2020 she was invited to become the Executive Director. 

Compass...

by Andrew N. Robison, President of Petrus Development 

Fundraising, at least the way we used to do it, is OVER.

Let me explain. Before the world shut down due to COVID-19, I was training for the grueling Texas Half Ironman. I was dedicating hours of my life to running, biking, swimming and trying not to die in the Texas heat. And then the race organizers canceled the race. I was disappointed - no I was crushed - but in hindsight it gave me an opportunity to hyper focus on Petrus and more importantly, our clients. Adjusting to quarantine, helping to homeschool young children, planning our Virtual Summit and Virtual Conference, and lamenting a canceled race sapped all of my time and motivation and my training came to an abrupt halt.

One day off led to a week, then a couple of weeks, and eventually I realized I needed to get out and exercise again. When I strapped on my shoes and stepped outside, it started raining but I wasn’t having it. I threw open the door and ran,...