<p>St. Romuald was born in Ravenna, Italy in 950.&nbsp; He was born to an aristocratic family and had wealth.&nbsp; As a youth, according to early accounts, Romuald indulged in the pleasures and sins of the world, common to a tenth-century nobleman.&nbsp; One day after watching his father kill an opponent in a duel, the 20-year old Romuald was devastated and fled to the Abbey in Classe.&nbsp;</p> <p>After some indecision, Romuald became a monk there.&nbsp; Romuald held a desire for a stricter way of life than he found in that community, so three years later he withdrew to become a hermit on a remote island in the region, accompanied solely by an older monk, Marinus, who served as his spiritual master.&nbsp; Romuald having gained a reputation for holiness, accepted his master&rsquo;s advice, and fled in the night to Catalonia to take the monastic habit.&nbsp; Together they established a hermitage near the Benedictine Abbey of St. Michael.&nbsp; Eventually, his father converted and became a monk in his order.&nbsp;</p> <p>Romuald was drawn and accredited for founding several monasteries and hermitages, including the monastery of Val Di Castro &ndash; where he died in 1027.&nbsp; Maldolus was the Abbot of one Monastery, and had a vision of monks in &ldquo;white garments&rdquo; ascending into Heaven.&nbsp; He was so moved he gave Romuald some land.&nbsp; St. Romuald built on this land five cells for hermits called Campus Maldoli.&nbsp; This later became the motherhouse of the Camaldolese Order.&nbsp; Five years after building this hermitage he died, as he had prophesied, alone in his cell &ndash; unattended.&nbsp; Many miracles were wrought at his tomb, over which an altar was allowed to be erected in 1032.&nbsp; In 1466, 439 years after his death, his body was found still incorrupt!&nbsp; He is represented in art pointing to a ladder on which monks are ascending into Heaven.&nbsp;</p> <h1><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Practical Take Away</span></strong></h1> <p>As the life of St. Romuald shows, he was raised with nobility and wealth.&nbsp; In that world he indulged in the sins of his time, paying little attention to his life to come, in Heaven.&nbsp; After witnessing some horrible event &ndash; he denounced the world, and became a monk.&nbsp; He spent the most part of his life working to build up the kingdom of God by building monasteries and hermitages.&nbsp; It is not what we have done that will get us to heaven, rather our changing our life from this world, to that of God&rsquo;s.&nbsp; Romuald shows us how to do that by the example of his life.&nbsp;&nbsp; At the end, he merited Heaven for all eternity by making the choices that were pleasing to God.&nbsp; We too, can turn from our sinfulness of this world, and say yes to God &ndash; working to build His kingdom on earth!&nbsp;</p>