St. Rita of Cascia
1381-1457
📅 Feast Day: May 22
📖 Life Timeline
1381
Born in 1381 AD, Cascia, Italy
1381
Born Rita Cascia on May 22, 1381 in Roccaporena, near Cascia, Umbria, Italy
1457
e victims despite being quarantined
1900
said to be sustained by her prayers
1457
Died — May 22, 1457 AD, Cascia
1900
Canonized — 1900 by Pope Leo XIII
✝ Biography
Born Rita Cascia on May 22, 1381 in Roccaporena, near Cascia, Umbria, Italy. Her parents Paolo and Amata were devout. At age 12, against her widowed mother's wishes, she entered the Augustinian convent of St Mary in Cascia, taking a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Her husband Mansiego, a hot-tempered nobleman, was killed by relatives of her murdered brother. Rita forgave him on his deathbed and persuaded her two sons to forgive their cousin, though they later died of plague. After her sons' deaths, she desired to re-enter the convent but was barred because she was a widow. She had a vision of Christ on the cross, who gave her a thorn from the Crown of Thorns that wounded her forehead—a third stigmata. Spent 17 years in prayer and penance, caring for plague victims despite being quarantined. Died May 22, 1457. A rose bush blooms behind the convent wall where her window faced, said to be sustained by her prayers. Canonized in 1900. Patron of impossible causes.
🛡 Patronage
Patron of: Impossible causes, abusive marriages, domestic workers, refugees, and those suffering from illness.
💬 Words of the Saint
My God and my Lord, I desire only to do Your will.
📜 Key Facts
Born
1381 AD, Cascia, Italy
Died
May 22, 1457 AD, Cascia
Feast Day
May 22
Canonized
1900 by Pope Leo XIII
🕊 Legacy
Rita's story of transforming an abusive marriage through patience is one of the most powerful in hagiography. She is invoked for 'impossible causes' — situations that seem beyond human remedy. Thousands visit her shrine in Cascia annually.
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