ST. SCHOLASTICA Graced Woman of Hope Graced Women Series Judy Ritter Paper, $9.95 64 pages, 5½" × 8½" ISBN 0-89390-629-8 View Excerpt Quantity:

This book uses prayer and meditation to help the contemporary woman deal with issues of equality and harmony. It concentrates on the story of St. Scholastica, twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia. The book looks at how a woman can overcome perceived constraints of dominance and develop a spirituality of hope. In her unique way, Judy Ritter combines prose, poetry, and visual imagery as she presents the story through guided meditations on each phrase of a prayer poem. The book includes discussion and reflection questions, contemporary poetry, and guided meditations.

Judy Ritter has won numerous awards for her short stories and poetry, and she is a member of the Alabama State Poetry Society and the Alabama Writers Conclave.

Note: The Graced Women Series also offers The Woman at the Well: Graced Woman of Joy

Introduction
 
 

Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict, was born around the year 480 CE to a wealthy Italian family in Nursia, a small town near Spoleto, Italy. Their mother died at their birth. Scholastica and Benedict developed a close relationship early in life that lasted throughout their lives.

During his youth, Benedict left home to study in Rome. Scholastica stayed with her father to help care for the Nursian estate. At seventeen, discouraged by the sin and corruption of the city, Benedict abandoned Rome and chose to live a solitary life in a cave near Subiaco. There he attracted like-minded men who became his disciples, and he established monasteries for them. The best known monastery, at Monte Cassino, was founded in 529. While at Monte Cassino, he wrote the now-famous monastic rule-"The Rule of St. Benedict"-the rule for the Benedictine Order of men and women religious throughout the world and spiritual guidance for others. Little is known about his sibling Scholastica. Pope Saint Gregory the Great (540?-604) mentions Scholastica only briefly and primarily concerning her relationship with Benedict. Gregory wrote that Scholastica was consecrated to God from her earliest youth (67). Having learned of her brother's total dedication to God, she also left home to live with a community of pious virgins. It is believed that she eventually founded a monastery of nuns about five miles from her brother's monastery and that Benedict served as their spiritual director. The nun's monastery was known as "Plumbariola," the first "Benedictine" convent.

Scholastica visited her brother once a year at a designated place on the monastery property but not at either monastery. At these meetings, they discussed spiritual matters, praised God, and prayed together. Their last meeting was significant because it demonstrates the relationship between the siblings, their distinct personalities, and Scholastica's faith and trust in God. This is a summary of the story as written by Pope St. Gregory the Great in the year 594: On the day of what was to become their final earthly meeting, Scholastica met Benedict along with some of his disciples. They spent the whole day praising God and discussing spiritual matters, as was their custom at these annual meetings. As evening approached and they were dining, Scholastica begged Benedict to stay until morning so they could continue their conversation. She begged, "Please do not leave me tonight, brother. Let us keep on talking about the joys of heaven until morning." He replied, "What are you saying, sister? You know I cannot stay away from the monastery."

Scholastica then folded her hands on the table, lowered her head, and with tears flowing down her face, she began to pray. The clear sky darkened with clouds, and a rainstorm followed as she concluded her prayer. The storm began as soon as her prayer concluded. In fact, they coincided so closely that the thunder was already echoing as she raised her head. Benedict complained, "God forgive you, sister! What have you done?" Scholastica answered, "When I appealed to you, you would not listen to me. So I turned to my God, and he heard my prayer. Leave now if you can. Leave me here and go back to your monastery." Benedict and his disciples were forced to remain the entire night. God answered the holy woman's hopeful prayer with a miracle.

The next morning Benedict and Scholastica parted, Benedict to his monastery, Scholastica to her convent. Three days later, as Benedict gazed out his window at the sky, he beheld his sister's soul leaving her body and entering heaven in the form of a dove. He reacted with great joy and later sent some of his disciples to Scholastica's convent to bring her body back to bury in the tomb he prepared for himself. The bodies of the twins would then share a common resting place, as in life they had been one in God.

St. Scholastica and St. Benedict are the patron saints of Benedictine Sisters. St. Scholastica is also the patron against severe storms. Her feastday is February 10, and she is often portrayed with a staff in one hand and a dove in the other.