Feast Day: February 10
Profile
Twin sister of Saint
Benedict. Noblility. Her mother died in childbirth. Nun. See the Reading section
below for Pope Saint Gregory's telling of some of the stories of her life.
Born - 480
Died - 543
Name Meaning
she who has leisure to devote to study
Patronage
convulsive children, nuns, storms
Representation
nun with crozier and crucifix; nun with dove flying from
her mouth
Reading
Scholastica, the sister of Saint Benedict, had been
consecrated to God from her earliest years. She was accustomed to visiting her brother
once a year. He would come down to meet her at a place on the monastery property, not far
outside the gate.
One day she came
as usual and her saintly brother went with some of his disciples; they spent the whole day
praising God and talking of sacred things. As night fell they had supper together.
Their spiritual
conversation went on and the hour grew late. The holy nun said to her brother,
"Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the
delights of the spiritual life."
"Sister,"
he replied, "What are you saying? I simply cannot stay outside my cell."
When she heard
her brother refuse her request, the holy woman joined her hands on the table, laid her
head on them and began to pray. As she raised her head from the table, there were such
brilliant flashes of lightening, such great peals of thunder and such a heavy downpour of
rain that neither Benedict nor his brethren could stir across the threshold of the place
where they had been seated. Sadly, he began to complain.
"May God
forgive you, sister. What have you done?"
"Well, she
answered, "I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen.
So now go off, if you can, leave me and return to your monastery."
So it came about
that they stayed awake the whole night, engrossed in their conversation about the
spiritual life.
Three days later,
Benedict was in his cell. Looking up to the sky, he saw his sister's soul leave her body
in the form of a dove, and fly up to the secret places of heaven. Rejoicing in her great
glory, he thanked almighty God with hymns and words of praise. He then sent his brethren
to bring her body to the monastery and lay it in the tomb he had prepared for himself.
from Dialogues
by Pope Saint Gregory the Great
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