Friday, August 8, 2025

Avellina Balestri

Avellina Balestri
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Avellina Balestri (aka Rosaria Marie) is one of the founding members and the Editor-in-Chief of The Fellowship of the King, a Catholic literary magazine featuring the works of homeschool students, homeschool graduates, and beyond. She reads and writes extensively about the history and culture of the British Isles, taking a special interest in the legends of Robin Hood and the stories of the Catholic English Martyrs. She also sings, composes, and plays the penny whistle and bodhran drum, drawing inspiration from Celtic music artists such as Loreena McKennitt. She also spends her time watching and reviewing classic movies, networking with a host of zany international contacts, and last but certainly not least, striving to deepen her relationship with the Ultimate Love and Source of Creativity, and share that love and creativity with others.

The Diamond of England: The Mission and Martyrdom of St. Edmund Campion

St. Edmund Campion first became a major part of my life when I was assigned to read Edmund Campion: Hero of God’s Underground by Harold...

Star of the Sea: Marian Devotion through the Prism of an Old English...

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary has played an integral role in the tradition of Christian prayer since the early days of the Church,...

Water in the Wasteland: Unexpected Elements of Hope and Redemption in Television...

I am the kind of person who sometimes derives hope from unusual things. As a lover of stories, I often will comment that a...

The Games We Play: A Reflection on Competition vs. Sacrifice

Games. Always playing games. Filling up the mind with plotting, and our heart’s surge crested with the thrill. Our little games, so all-important to...

The Eyes of the Heart: A Movie Review of “Prince of Foxes”

  Year:  1949  Filming:  Black & White  Length:  107 minutes  Genre:  Adventure/Drama/History/Swashbuckler  Maturity:  PG (for intense thematic elements) Cast:  Tyrone Power (Andrea Orsini), Orson Welles (Cesare Borgia), Wanda Hendrix (Camilla...

And Thy Word Broke Their Swords: The Empowering Depth and Dimension of Advent...

There is more to Advent and Christmas than just waiting for and celebrating Christ's birth. It serves as the beginning of an epic, and...

To Be a Pilgrim: Thanksgiving as a Pilgrimage

      Thanksgiving, for most people here in America, is something of a precursor of Christmas that initiates a deluge of holiday hits playing ad...

Robin Hood “telling his beads”: A Catholic reflection on the prince of thieves

  The legends of Robin Hood and his Merry Men exert a near universal appeal, and have done so for generations. From ballads to books...

A Hallowed Eve: The Spiritual and Cultural Traditions of Halloween  

Halloween has always been a complicated holiday, laced together with many threads of different spiritual traditions and cultural customs. It has always stirred up...

Where your treasure lies: A spiritual reflection on an election year

   This election cycle, Catholic Americans are presented with the hair-raising choice between Hillary Clinton, a woman whose corrupt record and virulent support for the...