Rita was born in Roccaporena, Italy, in 1381, and, though she wished to enter religious life young, was married at her parents' wishes to a man known for a violent temper. She endured years of a difficult marriage, praying for his conversion; tradition holds he changed his ways before he was later killed in a feud, after which her two sons also died.
Widowed and without her children, Rita sought entry into an Augustinian convent in Cascia, eventually being admitted, where she lived a life of penance and prayer marked by intense devotion to the Passion of Christ until her death in 1457. She was canonized in 1900.
Saint Rita of Cascia
Patroness of Impossible Causes
An Italian widow and Augustinian nun venerated for enduring a difficult marriage and family tragedy with patience before entering religious life.
- Born
- 1381
- Died
- 1457
- Birthplace
- Roccaporena, Italy
- Died in
- Cascia, Italy
- Country
- Italy
- Canonised
- 1900-05-24
- Century
- 14th century
- Invoked for
- Difficult MarriagesLost Causes
Categories
Why People Pray to Saint Rita of Cascia
Saint Rita is invoked for seemingly impossible or hopeless situations, and by those enduring a difficult marriage, grief, or family conflict.
