Saint Rita of Cascia
Stored in Cargo: Saint Rita of Cascia
| Saint Rita of Cascia | |
| Feast Day | May 22 |
|---|---|
| Liturgical Class | |
| Patronage | Lost causes, impossible cases, abused women, widows, against infertility, sickness |
| Birthplace | Roccaporena, Umbria, Papal States (now Italy) |
| Death Place | Cascia, Umbria, Papal States (now Italy) |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes (tuberculosis and old age) |
| Primary Shrine | Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia, Cascia, Italy |
Saint Rita of Cascia, born in 1381 in Roccaporena, Umbria, was an Augustinian nun famed as the “Saint of the Impossible” for her endurance and miracles. Forced into marriage at 12 to Paolo Mancini, a violent man, she bore two sons and suffered 18 years of abuse until his murder in a feud. After her sons died of illness, intent on vengeance, Rita prayed for their salvation, then joined the Augustinian convent in Cascia around 1413. There, a mystical thorn wound on her forehead—received during prayer—marked her final 15 years, alongside visions and stigmata-like suffering. She died on May 22, 1457, her body found incorrupt, radiating a rose-like scent that persists.
Canonized in 1900 by Pope Leo XIII, Rita’s feast day, May 22, celebrates her intercession for hopeless causes, with her incorrupt body enshrined in the Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia, a major pilgrimage site. Patroness of abused women, widows, and the infertile—mirroring her trials—her cult exploded after miracles like roses blooming in winter at her death. Her life, detailed in Augustinian records, inspires millions, with her shrine’s annual feast drawing devotees seeking her aid in desperate straits.
Biography
Birth
Saint Rita was born in 1381—exact date uncertain—in Roccaporena, a hamlet near Cascia, Umbria, to Antonio Lotti and Amata Ferri, pious peasants. Named Margherita Lotti, her birth followed her elderly parents’ prayers, with legend claiming angels heralded her arrival. Roccaporena’s rugged hills framed her early life.
Her birth year varies (1377–1381) in sources, but 1381 is widely accepted. Rita’s humble origin belied the extraordinary path she’d tread through suffering and sanctity.
Early Life
Rita’s childhood was devout; at 7, she longed for convent life, but her parents arranged her marriage at 12 to Paolo Mancini, a volatile local. Enduring his abuse, she bore twins, Giangiacomo and Paolo Maria, striving to soften his temper with prayer. Around 1401, Paolo was killed in a feud, and her sons, bent on revenge, died of plague soon after, leaving Rita a widow by her 30s.
Orphaned and childless, she sought the Augustinian convent in Cascia, initially rejected due to her widowhood. Her persistence—legend says angels carried her over the walls—won entry c. 1413, shaping her later holiness.
Occupation
Initially a wife and mother, Rita’s occupation shifted to Augustinian nun after 1413. In Cascia’s Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene, she lived in poverty, obedience, and prayer, serving as a spiritual guide despite her thorn wound, a stigmata from Christ’s crown received in 1442. Isolated for hygiene, she counseled through a grille.
Her work centered on intercession and penance until death. Rita’s occupation as a nun was a quiet triumph over a turbulent past, marked by mystical suffering.
Vocation
Rita’s vocation emerged through adversity—marriage, widowhood, and loss driving her to God. Entering the convent c. 1413, she embraced a call to holiness, praying for impossible causes like her sons’ salvation. Her thorn wound in 1442, bleeding 15 years, deepened this vocation, uniting her to Christ’s passion. Visions of saints—Augustine, Nicholas—guided her.
Her vocation peaked in Cascia, dying in 1457 with roses blooming out of season. Rita’s life was a testament to transforming pain into sanctity, earning her “impossible” patronage.
Death
Saint Rita met her end on May 22, 1457, in Cascia, dying of tuberculosis and old age at about 76 in the convent. Bedridden, her thorn wound festering, she requested a rose and figs in winter—miraculously provided—and died peacefully, her cell filling with a sweet scent. Her body, found incorrupt, rests in the Basilica of Santa Rita.
Her death sparked devotion, with miracles like healings reported at her tomb. Rita’s passing closed a life of perseverance, her incorruptibility amplifying her cult.
Significant events
- Married Paolo Mancini at 12, c. 1393.
- Widowed and childless, c. 1401–1410.
- Entered Augustinian convent, c. 1413.
- Received thorn wound, 1442.
- Died on May 22, 1457, with winter roses.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Roccaporena, Umbria, Papal States (now Italy)
Death location: Cascia, Umbria, Papal States (now Italy)
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Parishes
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Canonization
Servant of God
The process began in 1457 in Cascia, with local bishops noting her incorrupt body and miracles, formalized later under Urban VIII.
Venerable
Declared Venerable in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII, recognizing her heroic virtue after Augustinian testimony, no miracle required then.
Beatification
Beatified on October 1, 1627, by Pope Urban VIII in Rome, after the 1626 healing of a blind girl near Cascia via prayers to Rita, verified by inquiry.
Canonization
Canonized on May 24, 1900, by Pope Leo XIII in Vatican City, following the 1899 cure of a woman’s cancer in Italy after prayers with Rita’s relic, affirming her universal sanctity.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
In 1626, a blind girl near Cascia regained sight after her family prayed at Rita’s tomb, a cure doctors deemed inexplicable. Approved in 1627, this miracle echoed Rita’s intercessory power, hastening her beatification.
Witnessed by villagers, it tied to her lifetime perseverance. This healing launched her widespread cult.
Miracle for canonization
In 1899, an Italian woman with terminal cancer recovered fully after prayers with Rita’s relic, verified by medical testimony. Ratified in 1900, this second miracle sealed her canonization, reflecting her aid in hopeless cases.
This cure affirmed Rita’s title as “Saint of the Impossible.” It completed her path to global veneration.
Other notable miracles
- Winter roses and figs at her death, 1457. - Incorrupt body and sweet scent, post-1457.
Patronage
Saint Rita of Cascia is the patron saint of lost causes, impossible cases, abused women, widows, against infertility, and sickness.
Feast day
The feast day of Saint Rita of Cascia is celebrated on May 22.
Veneration
Saint Rita is venerated through prayers for desperate needs, centered at the Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia, where her incorrupt body lies under glass. Depicted with a thorn wound or roses, her cult thrives globally, with May 22 festivities—rose blessings—drawing pilgrims. Her shrine and relics inspire hope, her life a beacon for the afflicted.
Books
Written about the saint
Written by the saint
- No writings by Saint Rita survive.