St. Rita of Cascia

First published in the April 29, 2024 Bulletin of St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, Delray Beach, FL

We can and ought always turn to God in prayer, but sometimes, might have a specific issue in mind, and that’s when we might wonder , “is there a patron saint for that?” The answer to that question is almost always “yes!” There are patron saints for different occupations, illnesses, and circumstances, and problems.

We all face problems all the time. Thankfully, most of them are small, like finding a parking spot on Atlantic Avenue, or running late for Mass just as the bridge opens. But sometimes, our problems seem insurmountable, and that’s when we might turn to Saint Rita of Cascia, the patron saint of impossible cases.

Saint Rita was born in 1381 in Roccaporena, a small village in Umbria in Central Italy, about sixty miles southwest of Assisi. She is often pictured with bees, because it is told that the day after she was baptized as Margherita Lotti, she was surrounded by a swarm of white bees which flew in and out of her mouth, but never stung her. From an early age, she wanted to enter the convent, but her family instead had her married to a man of cruel and violent temperament. Paolo Mancini had many enemies, but through Rita’s influence, he gradually became a better man, even renouncing a family feud. Sadly, his renunciation of that feud did not keep him safe, and he was ultimately murdered because of the continuing feud.

Rita publicly pardoned her husband’s murderers, but Paolo’s brother, Bernardo, did not. In fact, he used his influence over Rita and Paolo’s sons to urge them to enter the feud and avenge their father’s murder. Rita grew to have less and less influence over her sons. Unable to convince them to turn from anger and violence, Rita prayed for intercedence from God, praying that she would rather have them die in God’s grace than commit the mortal sin of murder. God answered her prayers, and a year later, both her sons died of dysentery.

After her sons died, Rita asked to enter the convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia. However, even though she was known for her good character and piety, that family feud was a concern. At first she was refused admittance, but, after persistent attempts to join, she was told that if she could end the feud, she would be permitted to enter.

Rita turned again to prayer, seeking the intercession of John the Baptist, Augustine of Hippo, and Nicholas of Tolentino. Again, her prayers were answered in the form of deadly illness: when Bernardo Mancini himself became infected with the bubonic plague, he abolished the feud. Rita was then allowed to join the convent.

Rita faithfully fulfilled her duties at the convent, including frequent reception of the sacraments. Devoted to the Passion of Christ, she asked for the grace to suffer as He had. A wound as from a thorn appeared on her forehead, which never healed and caused her suffering until her death, over fifteen years later.

Rita died of tuberculosis on May 22, 1457. Her body, which was found to be incorrupt, is held at her shrine in Cascia. She was beatified by Pope Urban VIII in 1627 and canonized by Pope Leo XII on May 24, 1900. In art, she is often shown in a black habit (other than the actual beige or brown which she would have worn), and holding a thorn, a large Crucifix, or a palm leaf with three thorns to represent her husband and two sons. Some images include the wound on