The Holy Twins

Written by Kathleen Norris/ illustrated by Tomie dePaola

FEAST DAYS: FEBRUARY 10 AND 11

Vocabulary

inseparable opportunities official jealous nobles

squabbled competition hermit regulation exasperated

ancient rival abbot refuge intertwined

harmony factions reputation peasants brethren

Discussion Questions

1. Find the town of Nursia in northern Italy and label it on your map.
2. What day of the year is the feast day of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica?
3. Why did others try to poison St. Benedict?
4. Where did St. Scholastica learn all the things her brother had learned from his travels? Why did she find this amusing?
5. Go back to the front of the book where the author and illustrator have their dedications. On the right hand side of the spread is a circular symbol with the initials “C. S. P.” and “B.” in it. Look at the bottom of the dedications on the lefthand side to find out what the letters stand for. What does the circular symbol stand for?

Copywork

One must listen to others with the 'ear of the heart.
            -Scholastica's advice to her brother Benedict in
            The Holy Twins by Kathleen Norris

Parent's Help Page

The Holy Twins

Observation

1. Look for pictures of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica on each page of the book. Illustrator Tomie dePaola took special care to draw these two saints on each page.
2. Make a list of religious images found in book.

Discussion Answers

1. Help child locate Nursia, Italy, on globe or map and then label it on a world map.
2. St. Scholastica's feast day is on February 10.
   St. Benedict's feast day is on February 11.
3. They were jealous of St. Benedict and wanted to get rid of him.
4. ". . . she had learned by trial and error in her own monastery." She found this amusing because as she says, "Isn't it funny, Brother, that you had to travel all over Italy to learn some of the things I discovered by staying in one place!"
5. The letters "C. S. P." and "B." stand for Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti, or Cross of the Holy Father Benedict. The symbol is the Cross of St. Benedict.

Enrichment Activities

1. Trace the Cross of St. Benedict on a blank sheet of paper. Then color it so that it looks like the one in the book. Place this is your Liturgical Year Notebook.
2. Build a simple "ladder" using popsicle sticks. Make sure there are 12 rungs on your ladder. Glue your ladder on a sheet of construction paper, and write "St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility" at the top of the page. Then, with a pen or marker, label each rung:
1. Practice Fear and Remembrance of God
2. Follow the Example of the Savior
3. Obey to God and His Church
4. Be Patient and Endure
5. Confess One's Sins
6. Be Content
7. Consider Yourself Lower Than Others
8. Follow the Example of the Saints
9. Restrain Your Tongue
10. Be Serious-Minded
11. 11. Use Few and Gentle Words
12. 12. Practice Humility of the Heart

St. Benedict Medal