"Nothing is impossible to God" - St. Rita
feast day: May 22
about:
- born: 1381, Roccaporena, Perugia, Umbria, Italy
- died: 22 May 1457, Cascia, Perugia, Umbria, Italy
- patroness of impossible causes
- major shrine: Cascia, Italy
- attributes: forehead wound, Rose, Bees, grape vine
- born Margherita Lotti
- was an Italian Augustinian nun, widow and saint
- The marriage lasted for 18 years, during which she is remembered for her Christian values as a model wife and mother who made efforts to convert her husband from his abusive behavior. Upon the murder of her husband by another feuding family, she sought to dissuade her sons from revenge before their calamitous deaths.
- She subsequently joined an Augustinian community of religious sisters, where she was known both for practicing mortification of the flesh and for the efficacy of her prayers. St. Rita is venerated due to various miracles attributed to her intercession, and is often portrayed with a bleeding wound on her forehead, which the Roman Catholic Church states she experienced as a partial stigmata.
- The Roman Catholic Church, under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII officially canonized Rita on May 24, 1900, while her feast day is celebrated every May 22. At her canonization ceremony, she was bestowed the title of Patroness of Impossible Causes while in many pious Catholic countries, Rita came to be known to be as patroness for abused wives and heartbroken women.
- also called Margarita
- She expressed from an early age the desire to become a nun. Her elderly parents insisted that she be married at the age of twelve to a man described in accounts of her life as cruel and harsh. She spent eighteen extremely unhappy years, had two sons, and was finally widowed when her husband was killed in a brawl. Both sons also died, and Rita, still anxious to become a nun, tried unsuccessfully to enter the Augustinians in their convent at Cascia. She was refused because she was a widow and because of the requirement that all sisters should be virgins. Finally, in 1413, the order gave her entry, and she earned fame for her austerity, devotion to prayer, and charity.
In the midst of chronic illnesses, she received visions and wounds on her forehead which resembled the crown of thorns. She died on May 22 at Cascia, and many miracles were reported instantly. Canonized in 1900, she is honored in Spain as La Santa de los Impossibles and elsewhere as a patron saint of hopeless causes.
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NOVENA PRAYER TO SAINT RITA
source: http://www.santaritadacascia.org/prayers/preghiere-ritiane-novena.php
note: The Novena in honour of St. Rita is recited in its entirety every day, alone or together with other persons.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
1. We honour you, O Saint of Cascia, for your fidelity to your baptismal vows. Intercede for us with the Lord so that we may live with joy and coherency our vocation to holiness, overcoming evil with good..
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end amen. Amen.
The fruit of the Spirit is love.
You, Rita, have lived it.
(all) Obtain it for us.
The fruit of the Spirit is peace.You, Rita, have lived it.
(all) Obtain it for us.
The fruit of the Spirit is joy.You, Rita, have lived it.
(all) Obtain it for us.
The fruit of the Spirit is patience.You, Rita, have lived it.
(all) Obtain it for us.
The fruit of the Spirit is forgiveness.You, Rita, have lived it.
(all) Obtain it for us.
The fruit of the Spirit is purity.You, Rita, have lived it.
(all) Obtain it for us.
The fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness.You, Rita, have lived it.
(all) Obtain it for us.
The fruit of the Spirit is mastery of oneself.You, Rita, have lived it.
(all) Obtain it for us.
The fruit of the Spirit is hope.You, Rita, have lived it.
(all) Obtain it for us.
FINAL PRAYER
Lord Jesus, today, through the hands of Saint Rita, we present you with our personal situations and our immense desire for the good of our families and our communities.
Send upon us, O Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit, so that our attitudes and our words, like those of Saint Rita, may be inspired by your Gospel and guided by your grace.
You are God and live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen
By the intercession of Saint Rita may God bless us, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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TRADITIONAL PRAYER TO SAINT RITA
source: http://www.catholictradition.org/Cascia/rita6.htm
O Holy Patroness of those in need, St. Rita, whose pleadings before thy Divine Lord are almost irresistible, who for thy lavishness in granting favors hast been called the Advocate of the Hopeless and even of the Impossible; St. Rita, so humble, so pure, so mortified, so patient and of such compassionate love for thy Crucified Jesus that thou couldst obtain from Him whatsoever thou askest, on account of which all confidently have recourse to thee expecting, if not always relief, at least comfort; be propitious to our petition, showing thy power with God on behalf of thy suppliant; be lavish to us, as thou hast been in so many wonderful cases, for the greater glory of God, for the spreading of thine own devotion, and for the consolation of those who trust in thee.
We promise, if our petition is granted, to glorify thee by making know thy favor, to bless and sing thy praises forever. Relying then upon thy merits and power before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we pray thee grant that
(here mention your request).
By the singular merits of thy childhood,
Obtain for us our request.
By thy perfect union with the Divine Will,
By thy heroic sufferings during thy married life,
By the consolation thou didst experience at the conversion of thy husband,
By the sacrifice of thy children rather than see them grievously offend God,
By the miraculous entrance into the convent,
By thy severe penances and thrice daily bloody scourgings,
By the suffering caused by the wound thou didst receive from the thorn of thy Crucified Savior,
By the Divine love which consumed thy heart,
By that remarkable devotion to the Blessed Sacrament,
on which alone thou didst exist for four years,
By the happiness with which thou didst part from thy trials to join thy Divine Spouse,
By the perfect example thou gavest to people of every state of life.
Pray for us, O holy St. Rita, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
O God, Who in Thine infinite tenderness hast vouchsafed to regard the prayer of Thy servant, Blessed Rita, and dost grant to her supplication that which is impossible to human foresight, skill and efforts, in reward of her compassionate love and firm reliance on Thy promise, have pity on our adversity and succor us in our calamities, that the unbeliever may know Thou art the recompense of the humble, the defense of the helpless, and the strength of those who trust in Thee, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
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INTERCESSORY PRAYER TO SAINT RITA (for a special intention)
source: http://www.saintrita.com/Prayer.html
Holy Patroness of those in need, Saint Rita, you were humble, pure and patient. Your pleadings with your divine Son are irresistible, so please obtain for me from our risen Jesus the request I make of you:
(mention your petition here).
Be kind to me for the greater glory of God, and I shall honor you and sing your praises forever. Glorious Saint Rita, you miraculously participated in the sorrowful passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Obtain for me now the grace to suffer with resignation the troubles of life, and protect me in all my needs. Amen.
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PRAYER TO SAINT RITA
source: http://www.catholictradition.org/Cascia/rita6.htm
O holy protectress of those who art in greatest need, thou who shineth as a star of hope in the midst of darkness, blessed Saint Rita, bright mirror of God's grace, in patience and fortitude thou art a model of all the states in life. I unite my will with the will of God through the merits of my Savior Jesus Christ, and in particular through his patient wearing of the crown of thorns, which with tender devotion thou didst daily contemplate. Through the merits of the holy Virgin Mary and thine own graces and virtues, I ask thee to obtain my earnest petition, provided it be for the greater glory of God and my own sanctification. Guide and purify my intention, O holy protectress and advocate, so that I may obtain the pardon of all my sins and the grace to persevere daily, as thou didst in walking with courage, generosity, and fidelity down the path of life.
(mention your request.)
Saint Rita, advocate of the impossible, pray for us.
Saint Rita, advocate of the helpless, pray for us.
(Our Father 3x)
(Hail Mary 3x)
(Glory Be 3x)
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links/ sources:
- "Rita of Cascia" (Wikipedia):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rita_of_Cascia
- "St. Rita of Cascia" (Catholic Encyclopedia):
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13064a.htm
- "St. Rita of Cascia" (American Catholic):
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1391
- "St. Rita of Cascia" (Catholic Online):
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4610
- "Saint Rita, Widow - 1457" (EWTN):
http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/RITA.htm
- "Novena to Saint Rita" (Santa Rita Da Cascia):
http://www.santaritadacascia.org/prayers/preghiere-ritiane-novena.php