St. Rita of Cascia
Feast Day: May 22
It is the middle of winter in the mountains of Umbria.
An old nun lies dying in her convent cell.
A cousin comes to visit and asks if there is anything she wants.
The nun asks for a rose from the garden of the house where she grew up.
Everyone knows nothing grows in the snow.
The cousin goes anyway.
Tradition holds that she finds a single red rose blooming in the frozen garden.
The nun’s name is Rita.
Today, people who have run out of options still turn to her.
St. Rita, pray for us.
Who Was St. Rita?
Rita was born around 1381 in Roccaporena, a mountain village near Cascia, in central Italy.
Tradition holds that her parents were peacemakers in a town torn by family feuds.
From a young age, Rita wanted to give her life to God as a nun.
But her parents arranged for her to marry.
She obeyed.
A Hard Marriage
Rita’s husband, Paolo, is remembered as a hot-tempered man.
Tradition holds that he was harsh and unfaithful in the early years of their marriage.
Rita answered with patience, prayer, and kindness.
Over time, he changed.
They had two sons.
After about eighteen years of marriage, Paolo was murdered in a feud.
Rita forgave the men who killed him.
Her sons did not.
Tradition holds that they wanted revenge, and Rita begged God to keep them from committing murder.
Both sons fell ill and died within a year, reconciled to God.
Rita was alone.
Three Times Refused
Now a widow, Rita asked to enter the Augustinian convent of St. Mary Magdalene in Cascia.
The nuns said no.
She asked again. No.
A third time. No.
Part of the problem was the feud that had killed her husband.
So Rita worked to make peace between the families.
Once there was peace, the convent accepted her.
Tradition holds that she was miraculously brought into the locked convent at night with the help of St. John the Baptist, St. Augustine, and St. Nicholas of Tolentino.
The Wound of the Thorn
Rita lived about forty years in the convent.
She prayed, did penance, and served her sisters.
She meditated often on the Passion of Jesus.
Around 1442, after hearing a sermon on Christ’s crown of thorns, she asked to share in His suffering.
Tradition holds that a wound opened on her forehead, as if a thorn had pierced her.
It stayed with her for about fifteen years.
Her Death
Rita died on May 22, 1457.
Her body is kept in the Basilica of St. Rita in Cascia, where pilgrims still come to pray.
She was beatified in 1627 and canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900.
What St. Rita Teaches Us
Rita was a daughter, wife, mother, widow, and nun.
She knew a hard home, a violent death in the family, and grief that does not go away.
And she never stopped trusting God.
Rita teaches us that forgiveness is possible even when the wound is deep.
She teaches us that peace often has to be built, one hard conversation at a time.
When everything looks impossible, it is not too late to pray.
Forgiveness never means staying in danger.
If you are being harmed at home, reach out to someone safe, a priest, a counselor, or the police.
When Is the Feast of St. Rita?
The Church celebrates the optional memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious, on May 22, the day she died.
She was added to the General Roman Calendar in 2002.
Patron Saint Of
St. Rita is known as the saint of impossible causes.
She is also the patron of difficult marriages, widows, and parents grieving their children.
Many people pray a novena to St. Rita in the nine days before her feast.
Looking for a saint for another need? See Patron Saints for Every Need.
A Prayer to St. Rita
O glorious St. Rita, who didst wondrously participate in the sorrowful Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, obtain for me the grace to suffer with resignation the troubles of this life, and protect me in all my needs. Amen.
Save or share the Prayer to Saint Rita of Cascia.
Saint Rita, advocate of the impossible, pray for us.
