~ sᴀɪɴᴛ ʀɪᴛᴀ ᴏғ ᴄᴀsᴄɪᴀ, ᴘʀᴀʏ ғᴏʀ ᴜs! ~

The story of St. Rita is remarkable in many ways. An angel appeared to her mother, who was past child-bearing age, and told her she would have a daughter, to be named Rita. Rita’s life as a child was noted for its remarkable holiness. When she grew older, Rita wanted to enter a convent, but her elderly parents wished her to marry so she could provide for them. Her parents chose a well-to-do young man who was in no way religious. Not only was her husband completely different from Rita, but he was “her relentless persecutor,” according to her biographer, Fr. Jose Sicardo. In spite of his abuse, Rita calmly talked to him about displeasing God with his violent outbursts of anger.

Rita and her husband had two little boys. She taught them their Catholic Faith and gave them daily examples of how to live the Catholic life, especially in caring for others and attending Mass. After some years, Rita’s husband changed and came to value his wife’s patience and kindness. Shortly afterward, he was murdered in the street. Though devastated, Rita realized she should accept her husband’s death as God’s plan, and she forgave the men who killed him.

After the death of her husband and the death of her two sons, Rita joined a convent and lived a heroic life as a nun for forty years. One day, after listening to a powerful sermon by a priest, she prayed that Jesus let her share His sufferings on the Cross. In an instant, Jesus gave her the pain of a thorn in her forehead, and she carried an open wound there for the rest of her life.

Jesus and Mary appeared to St. Rita when she was 76 years old, to tell her she would die shortly. The wound finally left her and St. Rita was surrounded by the nuns, who recognized she was a saint. Her last words were, “Love God above all things.” As Rita’s dead body lay in the church for three days, many miracles of healing came to those who visited her coffin. Her body is incorrupt and lies peacefully, as if she were simply sleeping. *From setonmagazine.com
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#catholicsaints #catholicism #catholicfaith #patronsaint #catholicchurch #feastday #saintoftheday #jesus #jesuschrist #strita #santaritadecassia

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