Excerpt from The Ave Maria, Vol. 74: January 6, 1912

The remote valley of Landen was chosen as the hive where the new swarm should take up their abode; and, when the building was finished, certain of the brethren from Allerheiligen were sent to found the new house, among whom was Rudolph. I have borne, he said, the yoke of government patiently until now; sufier me, then, to go in peace, to bear a little severity and hardship in this our new home; and choose you a better ruler to be over you, - one who has well learned to obey; for only he who has been long in subjection is fit to' govern others. So they suffered him to go; and because he had borne rule (for such, humility is more needful) he was set to cook for the brethren, in which capacity he labored both diligently and gladly, and gave entire satisfaction.

Now, everything at Landen was poor and simple. Even the chapel, though a large, beautiful building, was very plain in its decorations; it contained but two altars, without any paintings. Over the high altar was a great space, where, in time, some pious artist might be tempted to exercise his skill. Rudolph often looked at this vacant spot, and longed to see it filled with a beautiful representation of some scene from the life of our Divine Lord or His Blessed Mother; but for the present there was no hope of seeing his wish realized; he must wait and pray.

One night in midwinter, when the snow lay thick and deep throughout the valleys of the forest, the monk Rudolph went to pray in the chapel, when his kitchen work was done; and, being wearied therewith, he soon fell asleep. How long he slept he knew not, but when he awoke the lamps were extinguished, and only that before the high altar was still burning. Its mild radiance fell on the plain altar of rough hewn stone, . On the monks' stalls, and on the unfinished picture on the wall. Rudolph knelt in a dark corner apart, and so it happened that he had not been noticed by those who had come to put out the lights in the chapel.

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