Saint of the Day

01 · Read · A life to discover

St. Scholastica

Scholastica is remembered as Benedict of Nursia’s sister and as a woman dedicated to religious life. The principal early account is Gregory the Great’s Dialogues, which offers a few significant episodes rather than a complete biography. Benedictine tradition associates her with a women’s community near Montecassino.

The siblings met to discuss spiritual life. During their final meeting, Scholastica asked Benedict to continue their conversation overnight, but he refused to remain away from his monastery. Gregory relates that she prayed and a sudden storm prevented his departure. He presents the episode as a demonstration of love’s strength in prayer.

Gregory also tells how Benedict saw her soul ascend in the form of a dove shortly before learning of her death. Their shared burial completes his portrait of the siblings’ spiritual closeness. The dove became her familiar identifying symbol in religious art, keeping this narrative visible to later generations.

These episodes explain her enduring importance to Benedictine women while leaving much of her personal history unknown. They should be understood within Gregory’s religious purpose, rather than expanded into an unsupported account of her childhood or administration. Her February 10 feast honors a formative figure in the Benedictine spiritual tradition.

This saint is included on this recurring date in the U.S. Roman Rite calendar published by the USCCB. This reading guide gives U.S. calendar saints priority; the Mass celebrated on a particular year’s date can differ because of Sundays, seasons or higher-ranking celebrations.