Mother
Scholastica Rivata, pddm
The
image of Mother Scholastica for today’s world is like a great mosaic.
Thanks to the research done by some of our sisters, we are getting to
know her very well. This research is gradually unfolding the life of
Mother Scholastica and we feel we know her on a deeper level.
The motto for the life of Mother
Scholastica can be found in a phrase that sprung from her lips when she
refused an offer of marriage:
“Lord, you alone are enough for me!”
Orsola Maria was born in Guarene
in Italy on July 12, 1897. When she was 7 she received her First Holy
Communion, the first important step in her spiritual journey. She had a
deep awareness of this mysterious gift of union with Jesus and she
desired to receive the Him frequently. Holy Communion soon became her
daily practice.
At the age of twelve, Orsola was
confirmed and felt a strong desire to spend her energies in the
apostolate: “to do good.” She was a lively, mature and outgoing
young woman: she took an active role in the life of the parish; she had
a beautiful voice and enjoyed singing. In 1921 she went to a bookshop
one Saturday in Alba, Italy and there she met Fr. James Alberione,
Founder of the Pauline Family. He invited her to enter the house at St.
Paul’s in Alba, Italy.
In 1923, the first steps were
taken toward the foundation of a new Congregation. Orsola was to be
instrumental in this great work. When she made her religious profession
she was given the name ‘Scholastica’ (meaning ‘disciple’).
Discipleship was to become the entire program of her relationship with
Jesus, the Divine Master. Throughout her life, Scholastica dedicated
herself to living the Eucharistic,
Priestly and Liturgical
apostolate. She was sustained and nourished in this ministry through her
love for Jesus in the Eucharist. She found there the strength to welcome
the God who often revealed himself through the cross and suffering.
These were elements which deeply marked her radiant and simple
existence.
Nourished by the word of Jesus,
Scholastica always knew
how to choose the better part. Her life was directed entirely toward
losing herself in love and to surrendering herself unconditionally to
God’s plan for her life. In her journey of discipleship she was led on a
journey of interior freedom and self- abandonment, experiencing
suffering, uncertainty, darkness, failure, solitude and humiliation. All
of these elements however, led her on a spiritual pilgrimage of
transfiguration in Christ. Through her humble and serene lifestyle,
Scholastica teaches us to rely upon God alone, abandoning our security
and our plans, our own sense of self-importance so that God’s plans and
desires may find a place within us.
Her witness becomes a challenge
for us in the midst of a humanity which seems to have
lost a sense of meaning. The message
Scholastica offers to the young people of today is that of making a
decision for Christ. Religious bear witness to the centrality of God in our lives and we
affirm that faith is the journey we undertake in order to open ourselves
to God’s desires for our lives.
To the future generations of Sister Disciples, Mother Scholastica is a
witness to God’s faithfulness. This witness is not simply for the
Disciples of the Divine Master, but for all
people.
