Patroness of Scholars

St. Scholastica was born in Nursia in 480 AD, alongside her twin brother, St. Benedict. After he left their shared home to begin his monastery in Monte Cassino, unsatisfied with secular education, she also began a monastery of nuns five miles away in the neighborhood of Plombariola. The two siblings conferred yearly and St. Benedict instructed his sister and her nuns in the way of “Ora et Labora”.

During their last meeting, at the height of great spiritual matters and sensing her end, St. Scholastica asked her brother to break his rule of staying away from his monastery overnight to resume conversation the next day. He refused. St. Scholastica bowed her black and white-clad head. Instantly, clouds gathered and a great storm shook the land and sent sheets of rain to pummel the monastery. St. Benedict was unable to leave in the downpour. Incredulous, St. Benedict demanded, “What did you do?” She replied, “I asked a favor of you and you refused. I asked it of God and He answered.”

Three days later, St. Scholastica was gone from this world. Her brother did not yet know, but had a vision in prayer of her soul in the form of a white dove, rising heavenward. St. Benedict retrieved her body and buried her in his own tomb.

St. Scholastica has made herself known as the patron of Chesterton Academy of St. Scholastica from its very beginning. The moment a decision was made and a Founding Team solidified, she came knocking loudly. Foremost, she is the patron saint of scholars, and for a school is an obvious choice. However, the word “scholar” was first used to describe a glass object used to magnify the written word. Eventually, students and pupils of learning became identified as scholars after the tool. This connection is important as Chesterton Academy of St. Scholastica will seek to magnify a student’s education by teaching them first and foremost the Word Incarnate.

The Founding Team also realized that they had been desiring another option for education and were not receiving it. So, they asked God and He delivered the Chesterton Academy Network to make a new option possible. Taken to prayer and given guidance from a priest, one of the co-Founders was advised to ask St. Scholastica for a “holy kiss” of confirmation. And she appeared, three times. Once, while in prayer, in the form of purity – not a dove, but the appearance of a consecrated virgin. Second, named in a random book as a confirmation saint read in the Oratory of Mary Magdalene. And last, the first day to apply in the Network to begin our school was February 10, the feast day of St. Scholastica. Never will there be any doubt she is ready to pray for us!