*** *** *** Born in Ravenna to a family of nobility, St. Romuald (d. 1027) grew up in a lavish environment. Yet, a particular life experience would prompt his journey to monasticism. St. Romuald founded the Camaldolese Order; a combination of hermit life and an austere form of community. He helped to establish and reform many monasteries, reviving the practice of hermit life to allow for more solitude.

— from St. Romuald’s Brief Rule:
“Sit in your cell as in paradise; put the whole world behind you and forget it; like a skilled angler on the lookout for a catch keep a careful eye on your thoughts. The path you follow is in the psalms — don’t leave it.
If you’ve come with a novice’s enthusiasm and can’t accomplish what you want, take every chance you can find to sing the psalms in your heart and to understand them with your head; if your mind wanders as you read don’t give up but hurry back and try again. Above all realize that you are in God’s presence…”