From her earliest years, St. Rita of Cascia exemplified profound piety and an ardent yearning to serve the Divine, garnering the veneration of countless devotees globally. Despite the myriad adversities and tribulations she encountered throughout her life, St. Rita steadfastly upheld her unwavering faith and resolute determination.
Rita's Childhood and Vocation
Her tale commences in 1381, in a diminutive hamlet near Cascia, Italy, where she was miraculously born following the fervent prayers of her elderly parents after prolonged anticipation. From an early age, Rita exhibited extraordinary devotion and a fervent aspiration to consecrate herself to the Divine. However, despite her entreaties to her parents for entry into a convent, she was wed at the tender age of twelve, in accordance with the customs of that era.
Matrimony and Tribulations
Her matrimonial life was fraught with challenges and adversities. It is no mere coincidence that St. Rita is renowned as the patroness of impossible causes. Her spouse, a wrathful and malevolent man, subjected her to physical, emotional, and psychological torment. Nonetheless, Rita persevered in her faith, and over the years, her prayers and virtuous conduct appeared to mollify her husband's heart, leading to his eventual redemption. Their union was blessed with two sons, whom Rita nurtured with love and in adherence to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Yet, a somber shadow soon enveloped this seemingly idyllic existence. During that period, familial and neighborhood feuds were rampant and pernicious. Rita's husband, now pacified and freed from his anger, sought to end the feud with a neighboring family. Regrettably, his gesture did not yield the desired outcome, and he was brutally slain. Rita publicly forgave the murderer, but her husband's kin did not, inciting animosity in her sons towards their father's assassins. Rita endeavored in every possible way to avert this cycle of vengeance, and ultimately, her sons were spared the fate of becoming murderers, albeit tragically, as both succumbed to illness.
St. Rita's Religious Life
Bereft of her spouse and children, Rita rekindled her desire to dedicate herself to the Divine within a convent. Initially, she faced rejection due to her marital past and the scandal surrounding her husband's demise. In response, she labored assiduously for reconciliation between her family and the one embroiled in the feud. Through her perseverance and prayers to her patron saints, Rita finally realized her dream and entered the convent she had long yearned to join, devoting her life wholly to the Divine. At the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, she embraced the Augustinian rule, leading a life of intense prayer and penance, attracting many with the power of her intercessions.
Numerous testimonies recount miracles attributed to prayers to St. Rita, bolstering her repute as the patroness of impossible causes. Annually, thousands of pilgrims visit Saint Rita's sanctuary in Cascia to pray and seek her intercession.
The Miracle of the Stigmata and St. Rita's Legacy
Rita's existence was marked by numerous miracles, including the reception of the stigmata. At the age of sixty, during fervent prayer before a crucifix, St. Rita received the miraculous gift of the stigmata. A wound from a thorn of Christ's crown manifested on her forehead and remained until her death, fifteen years later. This miracle testified to her profound union with Christ and her acceptance of suffering as an integral part of her spiritual journey.
In the winter preceding her death, Rita, ailing and bedridden, requested her cousin to bring her two figs and a rose from her family's garden. Despite the season being January and her cousin's incredulity due to the winter's chill, the cousin returned astonished, having found the rose and figs, which she brought back to Cascia. These gifts were a testament to Rita of God's benevolence, who had welcomed her family into heaven.
After her demise in 1457 from tuberculosis at the age of seventy, her body was discovered to be incorrupt and has since been venerated as a relic in the Basilica of Saint Rita in Cascia. St. Rita of Cascia was canonized in 1900 by Pope Leo XIII, who declared her a saint of the Catholic Church. Her veneration rapidly proliferated worldwide, and today she is esteemed as one of the most beloved saints of the Church. Her feast day, May 22, is celebrated with great fervor and devotion by millions of faithful around the globe.