FEAST OF SAINT SCHOLASTICA

FEAST OF SAINT SCHOLASTICA, VIRGIN AND RELIGIOUS
FEAST DAY – 10th FEBRUARY

St. Scholastica was born in Nursia, Italy, of wealthy parents, on 2 March 480 AD and died on 10 February 543 AD. She is the twin sister of St. Benedict. As a young woman she consecrated herself to God, and she remained at home to assist her father while her brother Benedict went to Rome to study.

A young Roman woman of Scholastica’s class and time would likely have remained in her father’s house until marriage (likely arranged) or enter into consecrated life. In those times, women who wished to live a more intense spiritual life did so on their own, in seclusion, or a few consecrated women would live together. St. Scholastica founded a house for women religious, a convent, at Plombariola only five miles south of Monte Casino.

Scholastica expanded the dimension of communal life. She gathered women who wished to focus more exclusively on God into larger groups, usually younger virgins and older widows. They were able to separate themselves from the concerns and temptations of the world to concentrate on a prayerful life, mutually supporting each other in good works to which they were dedicated.

St. Benedict was the abbot or superior of the monastery, and St. Scholastica was the abbess or superior of the convent. Even though they lived separately they stayed in close communication and shared a strong spiritual bond. Once each year they met for a single day to pray and discuss spiritual matters, and because Scholastica was not permitted to enter the monastery, their meeting took place at a home between the two.

They had a remarkable final meeting. Scholastica was advanced in age and had a premonition that her time was short, so after dinner she asked her brother to stay longer. The Benedictine Rule requires a monk to be in the monastery every night, so Benedict declined. Scholastica said a quick prayer and almost instantly a violent thunderstorm broke out which forced Benedict to remain indoors. Benedict exclaimed, “Sister, what have you done?” She answered, “I asked a favor of you and you refused it. I asked it of God and he has granted it.”

Three days later St. Scholastica died and St. Benedict, who was praying at that moment, looked up and saw her soul ascending to heaven in the form of a dove. Scholastica is the patron saint of Benedictine nuns, education, and convulsive children, and is invoked against storms and rain. Her feast is celebrated on February 10, as Saint Scholastica’s Day, which bears special importance in the Benedictine monastic calendar.

In iconography, Scholastica is often represented as an abbess, in Benedictine habit and holding the Rule of Saint Benedict, a crucifix or a dove. She was selected as the main motif for a high value commemorative coin: the Austria €50 ‘The Christian Religious Orders’, issued 13 March 2002. On the obverse (heads) side of the coin Scholastica is depicted with St Benedict. Scholastica is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on 10 February. St. Scholastica is considered the founder of the Benedictine sisters.

THE PRAYER THAT HELD BACK THE NIGHT

In the hills of Nursia, around the year 480, twins were born into a Christian household: Benedict of Nursia and his sister Scholastica. From the beginning, their lives would flow along parallel paths – distinct, yet inseparably bound in God.

Benedict would shape monasteries with rule and rhythm.
Scholastica would shape souls through prayer.

Little is recorded of her words or works. What we know comes mainly from St. Gregory the Great’s Dialogues – and what is revealed there is not activity, but interior power. What survives is enough to reveal a woman whose hidden life carried immense spiritual weight.

A Life Hidden, Not Small
While Benedict withdrew to caves and cloisters, Scholastica consecrated herself quietly to God, likely forming one of the earliest communities of women living the spirit of what would become the Benedictine way. Her days were marked not by travel or reform, but by:
* prayer,
* silence,
* attentiveness to God,
* and love deepened through stillness.

She lived near Monte Cassino, close enough for spiritual communion, far enough to preserve each vocation’s integrity.

Power did not interest her.
Presence did.

One Meeting Each Year
Once a year, brother and sister met in a simple house between their monasteries. These meetings were not family reunions but sacred conversations – hours spent speaking of God, eternity, grace, and the mysteries of the soul.

During their final meeting, Scholastica sensed what Benedict did not yet see:
this would be the last time.

As evening fell, she asked him to stay longer.

Benedict refused.
The Rule required him to return before nightfall.

Scholastica did not argue theology.
She did not invoke authority.

She bowed her head – and prayed.

*When Love Prayed, Heaven Answered*
Suddenly the sky broke open. Thunder rolled. Rain poured in torrents. The path disappeared beneath the storm.

Benedict looked out in astonishment.

Scholastica spoke softly:
_“I asked you, and you would not listen._
_I asked my Lord, and He listened.”_

Benedict wept – not from frustration, but from recognition. He saw clearly what had happened.

This was not rebellion against the Rule.
This was love completing it.

That night, they spoke of God until dawn – as if heaven itself had delayed the hours.

The Dove
Three days later, Scholastica died.

While Benedict stood at prayer in his cell, he saw her soul rise toward heaven in the form of a dove, lifted effortlessly into light.

He knew at once.

He ordered her body brought and laid in his own tomb – the final sign that those united in God are never separated.

Scholastica had spoken little in life.
But when she prayed, heaven moved.

Why the Church Honors Her
Saint Scholastica is venerated as:
* a model of contemplative prayer,
* a witness to love’s primacy,
* a spiritual mother of Benedictine women,
* a reminder that holiness need not be loud to be powerful.

She is the patron saint of Benedictine nuns, invoked especially for:
* storms,
* rain,
* perseverance in prayer.

Her Enduring Message
St. Scholastica teaches us that:
* prayer is not weakness, but strength,
* love is not sentiment, but spiritual authority,
* obedience without love is incomplete,
* God listens to the heart wholly given to Him,
* hidden lives can shape the Church profoundly.

PRAYER

O God, you caused the soul of your blessed virgin Scholastica to enter heaven in the form of a dove, to show us the way of innocence. Grant us, by her prayers and merits, to live in such innocence, that we may deserve to attain eternal joys.

Through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

Saint Scholastica, pray for us.

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