Monastère Saint Benoît

Presentation of the Environment The Saint Benedict Monastery is a house dependent on the Priory of Saint Sylvester Abbot, the Mother House of the Sylvestrine Congregation located in Fabriano, Italy. This monastery, which was initially a mission of the Santo Volto Priory in Giulianova, was founded on October 21, 2006. It is located in the heart of Africa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The only Sylvestrine monastery in the country is situated in the Diocese of Butembo-Beni, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the city of Butembo. We are on the outskirts of the city of Butembo, which is in the North Kivu Province, at an altitude of 1,820 meters above sea level. The equatorial climate here is characterized by rainfall throughout the year, which favors a predominantly lush, green environment. Butembo is known in Congo as a commercial city, although in recent times this activity has faced major challenges due to the insecurity that has affected the region for several years. In addition to commerce, farming on the outskirts of the city is the main activity for many of Butembo’s inhabitants. Economically, the city is oriented towards the Asian market: Dubai in Arabia, China, etc. There is more trade with East Africa, which has good roads, than with the capital, Kinshasa, which is more than 2,000 km away and accessible only by plane due to the lack of other infrastructure. The standard of living of the population does not allow the majority to make this journey. The roads are unpaved, and a strong jeep is needed for travel within the area. Butembo is a large city with more than a million inhabitants, the vast majority of whom are Christians of various denominations. In addition to Catholic and Protestant Christians—Protestants having several sectarian branches—the area also has Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, and practitioners of traditional religions. The local language is Kiswahili, one of the four national languages of the Republic. French is the second language and the official language of the Republic. At the monastery, the Divine Office is sung in French, but we also use other languages for certain hymns, both during the Office and in the celebration of the Eucharist.

The monastic community Founded by the Priory of Santo Volto del Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo in 2006, the Saint Benedict Monastery was officially opened on 21/03/2007 with the blessing of the building, still under construction, by the local Ordinary, His Excellency Sikuli Paluku Melchisédech. The very first group of young candidates was formed by two native monks, young priests trained in Italy, and was initially assisted by another monk from the Priory of San Vincenzo in Italy, Dom Marco Mbouiti, a Congolese from Brazzaville. All three are African monks who received their formation in Italy. This team occasionally benefited from visits by Italian monks who came for short periods to support the training of the young monks and the accompaniment of the young African mission. From 2007 until today (2026), the community has 8 priest-monks with solemn vows, 4 residing in Butembo and 4 in Italy for various missions, and 13 monks with temporary vows. Most of the monks are originally from the diocese that welcomed us. All the young monks are students: 7 studying philosophy at the University of the Assumption in Congo and 6 studying theology at the Grand Seminary. Our property of about 6 hectares consists of plots of land crossed by a stream. The monastery has basic structures and the monastic church, which was consecrated by the bishop of the diocese in 2014.