St. Boniface (c.672 to June 5, 754)

  "On a lonely winter evening, when the frost Has wrought a silence."    (John Keats)

  On this Winter Solstice, let us celebrate peace and light. Many traditions, both pagan and religious, are celebrated today and on the days surrounding the longest night of the year. One of my favorites is the legend of St. Boniface and the Donar Oak.
   He was a bishop who was born in Devonshire, England c.672. One day, in 725, St. Boniface decided to chop down a sacred and massive Donar Oak in Geismar, Germany. As the tree hit the ground, out popped a young fir tree.
  "This is indeed a symbol of the Christ child," he told the townspeople. "Forever more, bring the evergreen into your homes at Christmastime and decorate it as a reminder of  peace, joy, and love."
  St. Boniface died in what is modern day Netherlands on June 5, 754. His feast day is June 5.

   If  you don't want to freeze at a bonfire tonight, stay indoors and enjoy A Hermit's Soup from "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups" by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. It makes 1-2 servings.

    1 potato, 1 turnip, half a small cabbage, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 3 tablespoons oil of choice, 1/3 cup rice,  
 2 quarts water, salt and a pinch of thyme to taste

   1. Wash and trim the vegetables. Cut and slice all of them into tiny pieces.
   2. Pour oil into a soup pot, add the vegetables, and saute them for a few minutes. Add the rice and water. Stir well. Keeping the pot covered, cook over low heat for one hour. Add the salt and thyme just before serving. Stir well and serve hot.

St. Alto (? to c.760)

I have nothing against Henry David Thoreau, but more than a millenium before he moved into his cabin in the woods, wrote books about it, and earned a cult-like following as a result, St. Alto, lived as a hermit in a modest hut in the wilderness near Augsburg, Germany around 743.
The Irish missionary earned a reputation of self denial and holiness, and when he returned to "civilization" seven years later he founded the Benedictine monastery called Altomunster Abbey in Bavaria. It was dedicated by St. Boniface (the patron saint of Germany who is credited with inventing the Christmas tree) in 750, later attacked by Huns, and restored in 1000.
St. Alto died around 760. His feast day is February 9 and, in his honor, let's reflect on nature, solitude, and living a calm and peaceful life.