May 22

St. Rita

When they lived:

St. Rita, also known as Saint Rita of Cascia, lived from 1381 to May 22, 1457.

Where they lived:

St. Rita lived in Roccaporena, a small town in the Umbria region of Italy. This picturesque town is located in the Apennine Mountains and is known for its natural beauty.

Notable world events during the time of their life:

Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453): St. Rita lived during the latter part of the Hundred Years’ War, a conflict between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France.
Renaissance (14th-17th centuries): St. Rita’s lifetime coincided with the early stages of the Renaissance, a period of significant cultural and artistic growth in Europe.
Invention of the Printing Press (c. 1440): Just a few years before St. Rita’s death, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with movable type, a development that revolutionized the spread of knowledge and information.
End of the Byzantine Empire (1453): In the final years of St. Rita’s life, the Byzantine Empire, centered in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), fell to the Ottoman Empire.
Discovery of the New World (1492): Although after St. Rita’s time, her era laid the groundwork for Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the Americas, which would reshape world history.

Their patronage:

Impossible Causes: St. Rita is often invoked by those facing seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Abuse Victims: Due to her own experiences with a difficult marriage, St. Rita is a patroness for those suffering from abuse, offering them solace and strength.
Lonely People: She is also a patron saint for those who are lonely or experiencing loneliness, providing them with comfort and companionship through prayer.
Marriage: St. Rita is considered a patron saint of married couples, offering guidance and support for those seeking a harmonious and loving marital life.
Lost Causes: St. Rita’s reputation for interceding in seemingly hopeless cases has earned her the title of the patron saint of “lost causes,” making her a source of hope for those facing dire situations.

St. Rita’s life was marked by personal challenges, unwavering faith, and a deep connection to the struggles of everyday people. Her story continues to inspire and provide solace to people facing difficulties around the world.

Childhood

Formally named Margherita Lotti, she was born in Roccaporena, Italy, in the year 1381. Rita was baptized as an infant, and surprisingly, on the day after she was baptized, a swarm of white bees surrounded her, buzzing in and out of her mouth without hurting her. This was considered a symbolic act that meant Rita was filled with virtue.

Marriage

She got married to Paolo Mancini at a very young age at a planned wedding by her parents. She graduated to being a mother at the age of twelve. Her marriage was arranged after she pleaded with her parents to allow her to join the convent.

Rita suffered in her marriage to Paolo since he mistreated her and acted violently toward her. He was also a dissatisfied man who still pursued other women even after marrying Rita. He was a man hated by many.

She had a positive impact on her husband and even helped him settle issues between him and several enemies he kept. Unfortunately, Paolo wasn’t able to reconcile with each of his enemies, and one of his allies betrayed and killed him.

Rita was widowed, and she publicly pardoned her husband’s murderer, but her two sons were focused on avenging their father’s death. Seeing her sons’ rage, Rita prayed to God to take his sons earlier before they lost their souls to sinful acts. She was truly virtuous.

Monastery Saint

She requested to join the Augustinian order located in Cascia, but she was not allowed to. She persisted and was given a condition to fulfill for her request to be granted. The condition was for her to find a way to solve the issues between the Mancinis and the Chiquis.

She asked for help from her patron saints, Augustine of Hippo, Nicholas of Tolentino, and John the Baptist, as she tried to settle the issues. Luckily, Bernardo Mancini finally denounced the enmity between the Mancinis and the Chiquis, and the two families signed a peace agreement. Rita was finally able to join the Saint Mary Magdalene Monastery.

In respect to her achievement in reconciling the Chiquis and the Mancinis, a painting was mounted on the wall of the Saint Francis Church in Cascia. The painting was a symbol of the embrace shared by the Mancinis and the Chiquis, out of pleas by Rita.

Once in the monastery, aged thirty-six, she respectfully performed her duties and received her sacraments filled with faith. She lived a regular Christian life, often praying to God and living an exemplary life. She lived for forty more years, depicting the best lifestyle according to the rule of Saint Augustine.

Miracles and death

She once prayed to God and requested to suffer as Christ had suffered and to relieve Christ’s burden. Afterward, a wound appeared on her forehead. It was so deep that it couldn’t heal. Due to the strange wound, Rita’s health deteriorated, and she constantly grew weaker each day.

Some months before her death, one of her relatives paid her a visit. On seeing her physical state, the relative asked Rita for a wish she expected to be fulfilled before her death. Although she was reluctant at first, she finally asked for a rose from her family farm back in Roccaporena.

As strange as it may sound, it was during the winter season, but upon passing Rita’s family farm, the relative saw a single rose in the field filled with snow. She plucked it out and immediately returned to the monastery, where Rita lay sick, and handed her the rose.

The rose was a product of Rita’s answered prayers for her dead husband and sons, and Rita believed that she would reunite with them after her death. She died in peace on May 22, 1457.

Now she is observed as the patron saint of lost and impossible causes: sickness, wounds, marital problems, abuse, and mothers.

5 Interesting Facts About St. Rita

Upon her request, a rose miraculously grew on Rita’s family farm.
during the winter season.
After her baptism, a swarm of bees surrounded Rita, flew in, and
out of her mouth and caused her no harm.
She prayed to God to take away her sons before they lost their souls.
in their attempts to avenge their father’s death.
When Rita died, the bells of the convent mysteriously rang without
aid from human hands.
She was a mother of twins and was widowed at 24.

Prayer to St. Rita

Dear St. Rita, during your entire life on earth, you found happiness by following the will of our heavenly Father. Help me to be as trusting of God in all His plans for me. Help me this day to give myself to Him as you did, without limit, without fear, without counting the cost. Help me to be generous in serving the needs of others, patient in all difficulties, and forgiving toward all who injure me. Help me to learn more deeply the great mystery of the Cross of Jesus, so that by embracing it as you did,I may come to experience its power to heal and to save. Amen.