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Saint Rita of Cascia, 1381-1457
Saint Rita of Cascia was born in 1381, in a small Italian village, to elderly parents
who had long prayed for a child. At fifteen, Rita wanted to enter the convent but her
parents decided that she should marry. They chose a man who turned out to be a
mean, violent and unfaithful husband. After eighteen years, her prayers,
gentleness and goodness finally won his heart, and he apologized for the way he
had treated her and he returned to God.
Shortly after his conversion, he was murdered. Although shocked and
heart-broken, she forgave the murderers, and tried to make her two sons forgive
them, too. Instead they were determined to avenge their father's death. Rita prayed
that they would die rather than commit murder. Both boys became seriously ill,
and Rita nursed them lovingly. She was successful in persuading them to forgive,
and to ask God's forgiveness for themselves, before they died.
Now that she was alone, Rita tried to enter the convent in Cascia, however, a
woman who had been married was not allowed to join. Rita did not give up, and
eventually, an exception was made for her. In the convent, Rita was obedient,
charitable and devoted to the crucified Jesus. She asked him to let her share
some of his pain, and a thorn from his crown of thorns pierced her forehead and
made a sore that never healed. It was so bad and foul-smelling that St. Rita had to
stay away from the others. She happily suffered to show her love for Jesus.
Saint Rita died on May 22, 1457, at seventy-six years of age. She is the patron
saint of infertility, and of hopeless, or desperate, cases.
Special thanks for the use of text by the Daily Epistle
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