Do Benedictine monks take a vow of silence?
No. Silence is a matter of time and place. We have times when we are silent, for example between 10 a.m. and 8 a.m., and we have places we are silent, for example the church and the hallways of the monastery. While silence is an important part of monastic life, it is only one piece. It is with our voice that we give communal praise to God, offer support to our brothers and share with one another the events of our day-to-day lives. Just as we have times and places where we are more silent, we also have times and places where we are more social. St. Benedict invites the monk to “listen with the ear of the heart.” For that, both true silence and authentic communication are necessary.
