The Feast of St. Scholastica

Born into a wealthy Italian family in the late 5th century, her twin brother was St. Benedict. 

Her mother, Claudia, died after giving birth to the twins. 

Like her brother, Scholastica had a deep devotion to The Lord from the time she was a child. 

When Benedict and Scholastica were twelve they were sent to Rome, where both were deeply troubled by the prevailing lifestyles of so many living there. 

Benedict went off to study, entered a hermitage, and founded The Abbey of Monte Cassino. After initially refusing, her father eventually allowed Scholastic to follow her brother’s lead, and she dedicated her life to The Lord as well, founding a community for women about five miles from Monte Cassino. 

Once a year the twins would visit each other for a day in a farmhouse, because Scholastica was not allowed to enter the monastery, and their time together was dedicated to prayer and discussing spiritual matters. 

During their last visit together Scholastica got the feeling that she would die soon and asked her brother to stay with her. But Benedict refused because he did not want to break his own Rule, by spending the night outside the monastery. 

Scholastica prayed that God would prevent Benedict from leaving, and almost immediately a severe thunderstorm developed keeping him with his sister. 

Benedict, initially, was very upset by this saying: “God forgive you, Sister! What have you done?” But Scholastica replied: “I asked a favor of you and you refused. I asked for it of God and He granted it.” 

She died on this day, near Monte Cassino, in 543. 

St. Scholastica, please pray for us.