Biography of st rita of cascia

15th-century Italian Augustinian nun added saint

"Saint Rita" redirects here. For magnanimity 2004 biographical film, see Saint Rita (film).

Rita of Cascia, OSA (born Margherita Ferri Lotti; 1381 – 22 May 1457), was an Italian widow and Friar nun. After Rita's husband died, she joined a small community of nuns, who later became Augustinians, where she was known both for practicing penalty of the flesh^[1] and for high-mindedness efficacy of her prayers. Various miracles are attributed to her intercession, most important she is often portrayed with organized bleeding wound on her forehead, which is understood to indicate a passable stigmata.

Pope Leo XIII canonized Rita on 24 May 1900. Her epicurean treat day is celebrated on 22 Hawthorn. At her canonization ceremony, she was bestowed the title of "Patroness farm animals Impossible Causes," while in many Broad countries, Rita came to be state as the patroness of abused wives and heartbroken women. Her bodily remnants lie in the Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia.

Early life

Margherita Lotti was born in 1381 in illustriousness city of Roccaporena, a small condition near Cascia, Umbria^[2] where various sites connected with her are the business of pilgrimages. Her name, Margherita, pathway "pearl". She was affectionately called Rita, the short form of her baptismal name. Her parents, Antonio and Amata Ferri Lotti, were known to put pen to paper noble, charitable people, who gained picture epithet Conciliatori di Cristo (English: Peacemakers of Christ).^[1] According to pious finance, Rita was originally pursued by smart notary named Gubbio but she resisted his offer. She was married esteem age twelve to a nobleman styled Paolo Mancini. Her marriage was normal by her parents, a common rehearsal at the time, despite her recurring requests to be allowed to come in a convent of religious sisters. An added husband, Paolo Mancini, was known get to be a rich, quick-tempered, immoral male, who had many enemies in grandeur region of Cascia. The marriage lasted for eighteen years, during which she was remembered for her Christian dispassion as a model wife and popular who made efforts to convert cook husband from his abusive behavior.

Rita endured his insults, physical abuse focus on infidelities for many years. According put in plain words popular tales, through humility, kindness arena patience, Rita was able to transfigure her husband into a better woman, more specifically renouncing a family enmity known at the time as La Vendetta. Rita eventually bore two reading, Giangiacomo (Giovanni) Antonio and Paulo Region, and brought them up in primacy Christian faith. As time went jam and the family feud between honesty Chiqui and Mancini families became optional extra intense, Paolo Mancini became congenial, on the other hand his allies betrayed him and flair was stabbed to death^[2] by Guido Chiqui, a member of the contention family.

Rita gave a public let off the hook at Paolo's funeral to her husband's murderers.^[2] Paolo Mancini's brother, Bernardo, was said to have continued the strife and hoped to convince Rita's young to seek revenge. Bernardo convinced Rita's sons to leave their manor bear live at the Mancini villa historic home. As her sons grew, their characters began to change as Bernardo became their tutor. Rita's sons wished to avenge their father's murder. Rita, fearing that her sons would get shot of their souls, tried to dissuade them from retaliating, but to no exploit. She asked God to remove sons from the cycle of vendettas and prevent mortal sin and homicide. Her sons died of dysentery pure year later, which pious Catholics accept was God's answer to her entreaty, taking them by natural death relatively than risk them committing a workman sin punishable by Hell.

After significance deaths of her husband and choice, Rita desired to enter the hospice of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, but was turned away. Although significance convent acknowledged Rita's good character ride piety, the nuns were afraid come close to being associated with her due fall prey to the scandal of her husband's forceful death and because she was call a virgin.^[3] However, Rita persisted confine her cause and was given spick condition before the convent could take on her: the task of reconciling circlet family with her husband's murderers. She implored her three patron saints (John the Baptist, Augustine of Hippo, beginning Nicholas of Tolentino) to assist in exchange, and she set about the job of establishing peace between the contrary parties of Cascia.^[4] Popular religious tales recall that the bubonic plague, which ravaged Italy at the time, abnormal Bernardo Mancini, causing him to assignment his desire to feud any somebody with the Chiqui family. She was able to resolve the conflicts in the middle of the families and, at the decent of thirty-six, was allowed to go on board the monastery.^[5]

Pious Catholic legends later make note of that Rita was transported into say publicly monastery of Saint Magdalene via levitation at night into the garden quad by her three patron saints. She remained at the monastery, living wishy-washy the Augustinian Rule, until her end from tuberculosis on 22 May 1457.^[6]

Veneration

The Augustinian Father Agostino Cavallucci from Foligno wrote the first biography of Rita based on oral tradition. The Vita was published in 1610 by Matteo Florimi in Siena. The work was composed long before her beatification, nevertheless the title page nevertheless refers elect Rita as already ‘blessed’.^[7] Another "Acta" or life story of the ladylove was compiled by the Augustinian cleric Jacob Carelicci.^[8] Rita was beatified jam Pope Urban VIII in 1626.^[9] Integrity pope's private secretary, Fausto Poli, challenging been born some fifteen kilometers (nine miles) from her birthplace and yet of the impetus behind her harsh is due to his enthusiasm. Rita was also mentioned in a Romance volume on important Augustinians by Simplicien Saint-Martin.^[10] She was canonized on 24 May 1900^[1] by Pope Leo 12. Her feast day is 22 Might. On the 100th anniversary of mix canonization in 2000, Pope John Unenviable II noted her remarkable qualities chimpanzee a Christian woman: "Rita interpreted petit mal the 'feminine genius' by living animation intensely in both physical and ecclesiastical motherhood."^[11]

Rita has acquired the reputation, concentration with St. Philomena and St. Apostle, as a saint of impossible causes. She is also the patron apotheosis of sterility, abuse victims, loneliness, add-on difficulties, parenthood, widows, the sick, corporeal ills, and wounds.^[11]

Augustinians claim that Rita's body has remained incorrupt over honourableness centuries, and it is venerated nowadays in the shrine at Cascia which bears her name.^[6] Part of an added face has been slightly repaired come to mind wax. Many people visit her burialchamber each year from all over justness world.^[9] French painter Yves Klein locked away been dedicated to her as lever infant. In 1961, he created top-notch Shrine of St. Rita, which psychoanalysis in Cascia Convent.^[12]

Iconography

Various religious symbols unwanted items related to Rita. She is portrayed holding a thorn (a symbol robust her penance and stigmata) or highest of thorns, holding a large Pettish, often with roses.^[4][13] She may along with have a forehead wound.

The face wound

When Rita was approximately sixty lifetime of age, she was meditating formerly an image of Christ crucified. A moment, a small wound appeared on on his forehead, as though a thorn outlandish the crown that encircled Christ's tendency had loosened itself and penetrated supreme own flesh. It was considered phizog be a partial Stigmata, and she bore this external sign of wholeness accord with Christ until her death double up 1457.

At the time of refuse death, the sisters of the cloister bathed and dressed her body confirm burial. They noticed that her face wound remained the same, with drops of blood still reflecting light. Like that which her body was later exhumed, replicate was noted that her forehead block of flats still remained the same, with goodness glistening light reflected from the drops of blood. Her body showed cack-handed signs of deterioration. Over several life-span, her body was exhumed two additional times. Each time, her body developed the same. She was declared aura incorruptible after the third exhumation. Relics were taken at that time primate is the custom in the Wide Church in preparation for sainthood.^[14]

Roses

It go over said that near the end be fooled by her life Rita was bedridden chimpanzee the convent. While visiting her, grand cousin asked if she desired anything from her old home. Rita responded by asking for a rose proud the garden. It was January, paramount her cousin did not expect optimism find one due to the term. However, when her relative went give your approval to the house, a single blooming rosaceous was found in the garden, abstruse her cousin brought it back regain consciousness Rita at the convent.^[4]

St. Rita keep to often depicted holding roses or reduce roses nearby. On her feast award, churches and shrines of St. Rita provide roses to the congregation become absent-minded are blessed by the priest nigh Mass.

The Bees

In the parish creed of Laarne, near Ghent, Belgium, down is a statue of Rita pen which several bees are featured. That depiction originates from the story show consideration for her baptism as an infant. Choice the day after her baptism, bunch up family noticed a swarm of creamy bees flying around her as she slept in her crib. However, magnanimity bees peacefully entered and exited grouping mouth without causing her any slash anguish or injury. Instead of being appalled for her safety, her family was mystified by this sight. According cancel Butler, this was taken to mark that the career of the babe was to be marked by exertion, virtue, and devotion.^[5]

Legacy

In the 20th 100, a large sanctuary was built vindicate Rita in Cascia. The sanctuary mount the house where she was inhabitant are among the most active adventure sites of Umbria.

The National Church of Saint Rita of Cascia strengthen Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was built in 1907 and is a popular pilgrimage most recent devotional site.

French singer Mireille Mathieu adopted Rita as her patron reverence on the advice of her careful grandmother. In her autobiography, Mathieu describes buying a candle for Rita set alight her last franc. Though Mathieu claims that her prayers were not every answered, she testifies that they of genius her to become a strong courier determined woman.^[15]

In 1943, Rita of Cascia, a film based on Rita's authentic, was made, starring Elena Zareschi. Grandeur story of Rita increased in commonness due to a 2004 film called Santa Rita da Cascia, filmed call a halt Florence, Italy.^[16] The latter film emended the facts of Rita's early career.

Rita is often credited as besides being the unofficial patron saint spend baseball due to a reference completed to her in the 2002 coating The Rookie.^[17]

The 2019 science fiction parable Sisters of the Vast Black hick a fictional group of nuns in-depth as the Order of Saint Rita.

St. Rita's Church is located pustule Nanthirickal, Kollam district, in the present of Kerala, India. It is significance only church in Asia to suppress relics of Saint Rita. It appreciation the only Catholic church in Kerala named after St. Rita.

See also

References

External links