St Romauld

Romuald belonged to a rich and noble (important) family and growing up he did not follow the commandments of God. One day he saw his father kill another man in a fight and Romuald was so upset about it that he went to a nearby monastery to do penance (doing hard things to show God that you are sorry for your sins or other people’s sins) for his father’s sin. Romuald loved the monastery life so much that he decided to stay and join the monastery and became a monk. Romuald spent the rest of his life living a very strict life, praying and leading the other brothers in the monastery as Abbot (leader). He also spent many years as a hermit so that he could spend as much time with God as possible every day. He also started his own Order called the Camaldolese Benedictine order and opened many monasteries in Italy. The first rule in his monasteries was to “Empty yourself completely and sit waiting”, waiting for God to speak and work in their lives. Through the example of his life, his father repented for his sin and came to know God as well.