St Rita of Cascia (1377 - 1447)

St Rita’s is an exciting story of a wife, mother, widow, and member of a religious community.

Rita (Margherita Lotti) was born near Cascia, in Umbria in Italy. She was married at the age of 12 into the family of Mancinis, despite her frequently repeated wish to become a nun. Her husband, Paolo Mancini was rich, quick-tempered and immoral and had many enemies, especially the Chiqui families. Rita endured her husband’s insults, abuse and infidelities for 18 years and bore him two sons, who grew to be like him.

Towards the end of his life she helped to convert her husband to a more pious way of life, but he was stabbed to death by his enemies not long afterwards. He repented before he died and was reconciled to the Church.

Rita gave a public pardon at Paolo’s funeral to her husband’s murderers. But her sons, along with their uncle Bernardo Mancini (Paolo’s brother), planned to avenge their father’s death. Rita, fearing that her sons would lose their souls, tried to persuade them from retaliating, but they wouldn’t listen. When Rita’s pleas were unavailing, she prayed that God should take their lives if that was the only way to preserve them from the sin of murder. They died of natural causes a year later!

Rita asked to join the convent of St Mary Magdalen at Cascia. She was rejected for being a widow, since the convent was for virgins only, and later given the impossible task of reconciling her family, Mancinis, with her husband’s murderers, Chiquis. She implored her three patron saints John the Baptist, Augustine of Hippo, and Nicholas of Tolentino to assist her, and she set about the task of establishing peace between the hostile parties of Cascia. Popular religious tales recall that the bubonic plague, which ravaged Italy at the time, infected Bernardo Mancini, causing him to relinquish his desire to feud any longer with the Chiqui family. She was able to resolve the conflicts between the families and, at the age of 36, was allowed to enter the monastery. She remained there until her death at the age of 70.

St Rita is certainly a model for mothers, widows, and religious women. She is widely honoured as a patron saint of impossible or lost causes.