Rudolph, A Saint?

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Every Christmas, there is a little known saint who shares her feast day with Our Lord's Birth. That saint is St. Anastasia. Did you know there is another lesser known Christmas saint?

Everyone has heard of Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer. But...do you recall St. Rudolph, the Bishop of Gubbio? Chances are you haven't since there is very little known about him. 

*I was reminded today that there are only 100 days until Christmas, so I wanted to finish this post...started back in December of 2023*

(credit)

In the 1030s, a very holy bishop was born...the end! 

Just kidding! :D If you got my hint, there isn't much information about him because he lived so long ago. However, we do know that he became bishop at the very very young age of 25. He must have had a very holy life leading up to this point, right? Wrong! He actually converted to Christianity at the age of 17, after meeting St. Peter Damian. (Don't you love the saint friendships in our beautiful Communion of Saints?) 

His conversion was so radical that he not only joined St. Peter Damian's Benedictine order and became a monk, but also gave away his castle that he had inherited from his family! He also practiced some very rigorous penances, such as wearing a hair shirt; abstaining from meat, eggs, and cheese; walking barefoot; and sleeping on a wooden board without blankets. 

Because of his piety, the Church made an exception to his young age and consecrated him a bishop at only 25 years old. He continued in his severe penances and only ate food that was given to his servants. He loved caring for the poor and most vulnerable. He is often called "a miracle of unselfishness". 

To the sadness of the world, St. Rudolph lived a short life- he died on October 17, 1066. St. Peter Damien wrote that St. Rudolph was "quod in eremo didicit, in ecclesia non omisit", in English "what is learned in the hermitage, do not forget in the church". 

Feast day: October 17

Patron of: Gubbio, bishops, and preachers

Sources:

https://www.keytoumbria.com/Gubbio/Eremo_di_Fonte_Avellana.html

https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4647

Let us be inspired by St. Rudolph's piety in all things, doing all of our work simply for the greater honor of God! 

St. Rudolph, pray for us! 

Are you familiar with St. Rudolph? 

-Miss K

Book Review: Memories of Glass

A new year calls for a year of new reading. I've got a 1,000 page book to read for an English class, but before that is required, I had to finish a book. Thankfully, my local library still has curbside pick up, so I was able to read a new book called Memories of Glass by Melanie Dobson. 

"This novel draws from true accounts to shine a light of a period of Holland's darkest history and bravest heroes. 

1942. As war rips through the heart of Holland, childhood friends Josie van Rees and Eliese Linden partner with a few daring citizens to rescue Eliese's son and hundreds of other Jewish children who await deportation in a converted theater in Amsterdam. But amid their resistance work, Josie and Eliese's dangerous secrets could derail their friendship and their entire mission. When the enemy finds these women, only one will escape. 

Seventy-five years later, Ava Drake begins to suspect that her great-grandfather William Kingston was not the World War II hero he claimed to be. Her work as director of the prestigious Kingston Family Foundation leads her to Landon West's Ugandan coffee plantation, and Ava and Landon soon discover a connection between their families. As Landon's great-grandmother shares the broken pieces of her story, Ava must confront the greatest loss in her own life- and powerful members of the Kingston family who will do anything to keep the truth buried." (Photo and text credit)

My favorite books are the ones that start right with the story and leave you in suspense as to what is happening, causing you to read the whole book in just a few sittings. However, this is not one of the books. The first five chapters were a bit slow, but after that it did get suspenseful and the characters came alive. If I had to describe this book in three words it would be exciting, heartbreaking, and uplifting. A novel about any holocaust is going to have sad parts, but this one has lots of good parts too. 

 Things I Liked:

• The alternating point of views: beginning with Josie in 1942, then going to present day Ava, and then back and forth throughout the entire book.

• The mystery: Ava lives with her grandmother and uncles, and is able to connect Josie and Eliese's past with her present life. It was breathtaking at times because the mystery gets very involved and complex.

• The friendship: Josie and Eliese each get their own chapters throughout, making it interesting to read their thoughts about each other. Similarly, Ava and Landon (and eventually Faith) have a wonderful friendship that ultimately lead to the success of the mystery.

• The faith: In both plots, the characters have a strong belief in God. The author uses them to show the message of forgiveness and love among all people. 

Things I Didn't Like:

• Nothing (It's a great read!)

Favorite Quotes:

    "Hatred stops at nothing to destroy, but love can break through the root of evil."

    "God is going to use you to bring people together instead of tear them apart."

Content: 

There are details of the usual things you would expect in a holocaust novel: gas chambers, deaths, and children being separated from their families. 

Age:

I recommend this book for ages 16 and up, especially those who enjoy historical fiction and reading about World War II. 

Rating:

★★★★

Do you like books that switch point of views or stay in one point of view?  

-Miss K

Book Review: Left to Tell

Abracadabra... poof... I'm back! 

Hello! I'm finally back for another post. I guess something called summer appeared a few months after my first post, and I didn't get around to posting again. I also finished my college English class a few weeks ago, which was "Writing for the Web", so I'm supposed to be an expert at this now. (I had to create a blog for that class which can be found here).

Anyway, today I'm excited to be doing a book review on Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza. Trust me: It's an amazing book!

"Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee's family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans.

                                                                                   Incredibly, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. 

It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love- a love so strong she was able to seek out and forgive her family's killers. 

The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman's journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss." (Photo and text credit)

It's worth restating the fact that Ilibagiza survived in a bathroom for 91 days with seven other women, while hundreds of killers hunted for her. This fact is what sparked my interest in this book, yet I learned about much more than the Rwandan Genocide. The details were plentiful so I took my time to soak it all in, spending ten days reading it. At some points, I wanted to put it down and never read it again because it was saddening, but at the same time, it was  inspirational. 

Many others that were impacted by the genocide could have written about their experiences, but there is one thing that makes Ilibagiza's experience different: she deepened her faith while living through the genocide. 

Things I Liked:

• I liked the fact that this book was not just a history of the Rwandan Genocide, but the personal experience of Ilibagiza. However, the details are vivid and accurate so you can learn about some specific events that took place during the genocide. 

• I loved how Illibagiza's faith is very inspirational throughout the whole book, not just in the harsh chapters. It is truly a story of determination, survival, and faith, but most importantly, forgiveness. 

• I also liked how often Illibagiza brings up the fact that she survived because of her faith in God and because of her parents Catholic teachings. Additionally, she often mentions the use of the Rosary. 

Things I Didn't Like:

• The one thing I didn't like was how detailed some of the violent scenes were (more below under content), but that was part of the true story. 

Favorite Quotes:

    "All I could do was pray, so that's what I did...I was certain that God had a greater purpose for me, and I prayed every day for Him to reveal it to me" (114). 

    "But I came to learn that God never shows us something we aren't ready to understand. Instead, He lets us see what we need to see, when we need to see it. He'll wait until our eyes and hearts are open to Him, and then when we're ready, He will plant our feet on the path that's best for us... but it's up to us to do the walking" (114). 

    "What was that all about, Immaculee? That was the main who murdered your family.. I brought him to you to question... to spit on if you wanted to. But you forgave him! How could you do that? Why did you forgive him?"' (204). 

Content: 

Because this book takes place during a genocide, there is quite a bit of graphic themes and content, but it is needed to fully understand Illibagiza's situation. This includes murder, brutality, violence, and ethnic discrimination.  

Age:

I recommend this book for everyone ages 16 and up, depending on their level of maturity for the content themes mentioned above. 

Rating:

★★★★★

Have you ever read "Left to Tell"? If so, what did you like about it? If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do that soon. 

-Miss K