\On Sunday, February 10th, the Sisters of St. Benedict in Beech Grove had a double reason to celebrate! The Feast of St. Scholastica and the gift of the presence of our Archbishop! Soon after Archbishop Tobin was appointed to our archdiocese we extended an invitation to have him join us for the special Benedictine Feast of St. Scholastica. This feast is especially important to us as St. Scholastica is known as the twin of St. Benedict, the founder of Benedictine Order.
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| Sr. Mary Sylvester meets the Archbishop |
Archbishop Tobin joined us for Morning Prayer as we chanted the
psalms and sang the antiphons of this very special feast. It was
such a gift to have him join us. After prayer he joined the
community for coffee, food and conversation. Archbishop Tobin
has such a friendly way about him. It doesn’t take long in
his presence before one feels totally at ease. It was a joy to
have Sr. Mary Sylvester, our 100 year old sister, meet him.
He thanked her for her many years of faithful service.
Gathering in our chapel for Mass we listened in intently as
Archbishop Tobin gave a powerful homily about St. Scholastica
and what she teaches us and the Church. One line from his
homily that will stay with me always was when he said that the
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| Sr. Juliann, our Prioress, and Archbishop Tobin |
monastic vocation is a shining light in the heart of the Church and that it reminds everyone to prefer nothing whatever to Christ.
Archbishop Tobin’s wisdom coupled with his delightful sense of
humor touched me deeply. I consider it a blessing to have him
as our shepherd and have him lead us in the holy Mass. Following
Mass we processed downstairs we sat down for a meal and
more enriching conversation. I thank God for this wonderful man
and pray that the Holy Spirit will fill him with wisdom as he leads
us in and to Christ.
A story from St. Scholastica’s life
We know of her through the writings of St. Gregory the Great. Scholastica and Benedict were close and lived in monasteries near one another. One of my favorite stories about them is a story about Scholastica’s perseverance in prayer. Benedict and Scholastica used to meet once a year for holy conversation. On the day of what was to become their final earthly meeting, Benedict came to visit Scholastica. 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 was forced to remain the entire night. God answered the holy woman's hopeful prayer with a miracle. If we could all have such faith!
