Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration
- Scholastica, virgin
- Soteris, virgin and martyr
- Trumwin, bishop
- Austreberta, virgin
- William of Maleval
St. Scholastica (d. ca. 543 A.D.) was the sister of St. Benedict of Nursia. She may have also been his twin. Like her brother, she founded an abbey and became its abbess under St. Benedict's spiritual direction. That convent was located in Plombariola, near Monte Cassino, which was the location of the first Benedictine monastery.
Pope St. Gregory the Great wrote a story about St. Benedict and St. Scholastica in his Dialogues. Gregory wrote that St. Scholastica paid a visit to her brother for the last time, since she had an intuition of her day of death. Since women are not allowed in Monte Cassino, both of them met at a nearby farmhouse. They were discussing about spiritual matters when Benedict had to return to the monastery to obey the Rule required of him. Scholastica begged that her brother stay with her a little longer because she knew her time was near. When Benedict refused because of the Rule, Scholastica bowed her head in prayer, and a violent thunderstorm prevented Benedict from returning to the monastery. Benedict accused Scholastica of the storm to which she replied: "I asked a favor of you and you refused it. I asked it of God, and He has granted it." So both of them continued in their discussion about the joys of heaven.
Three days later, Scholastica died. While praying in his monastery cell, Benedict is said to have seen the soul of his twin sister rising to heaven in the form of a dove. St. Scholastica was buried in the tomb Benedict had prepared for himself.
St. William of Maleval (d. ca. 1157 A.D.) may have been a Frenchman who followed a military career at first and led a dissolute life. He however reformed from this former way of life and made a pilgrimage to Rome where he was attended by Pope Eugene III in 1145 A.D. The Pope sent him on a penitential pilgrimage to Jerusalem as a form of penance for his sins.
About 1153 A.D., he went to Tuscany to live as a hermit and at times with a religious community. He was asked to undertake the government of a monastery in the area, but was unsuccessful in attempting to reform the monks. He left that monastery and retired to Monte Pruno. In 1155 A.D. he went to the desert valley of Stabulum Rodis, later known as Maleval, in the territory of Castiglione della Pescaia, where he was joined by Albert, one of his disciples. Together with a doctor named Renaldo, their community developed into the Hermits of St. William (the Williamites) - an early branch of the Hermits of St. Augustine.
St. William of Maleval died at the age of 57 on February 10, 1157 A.D. and was canonized in 1202 A.D. He is honored by the Augustinians who founded a lot of parishes in the Philippines in his name. Most of these parishes are in the northern part of Luzon island in the Philippines. There is also one in the National Capital Region in Buting, Pasig City, and two outside of Luzon island (one in Iloilo and another in Cagayan de Oro) Learn more at Wikipedia.org
Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [February 10]
- Charalampias, Martyr
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