Most Benedictine monasteries have statues or images of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica - usually in very formal and stiff poses. The sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton, South Dakota have a more dynamic picture.
The Life of Benedict, recorded by Pope Gregory, describes a once-a-year meeting between these two saints, each gathering together the wisdom of monastic living and leading others. These twins, deeply attuned to each other, must have looked forward to these meetings. At what proved to be their last, Scholastica prayed that they continue their conversation into the night.
The statues near the sisters' cemetary captures the joy of companionship and the distance of separation, showing these two as they are about to meet, a fitting image of monastic community
Monday, July 16, 2007
Meeting of Benedict & Scholastica
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2 comments:
This made me chuckle and I'll tell you why. When my son was a perspective student for CSS, we went on the college tour. The guide was a freshman woman, nice, articulate, enthusiastic, etc. When showing us some of the statues and such about St. Scholastica, she told us about Benedict and Scholastica. Since we aren't Catholic, we aren't tuned into saintly stuff. So we asked when did all that happen? She said "about 1920." I think that was in error.
My son went to CSS for one year and then decided he was too close to home, so after going to a community college, he graduated from St. Mary's in Winona.
That does indeed make me laugh. She was only off by a little over 1400 years! Thank you for telling me that story.
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