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ST RITA OF CASCIA
St Rita of Cascia was born in 1381 at Rocca Porena, two miles from Cascia in the diocese of Spoleto, Italy.
Rita longed to become a religious from an early age.
However, her parents, Antonio and Amata Mancina asked her to reconsider her request. In obedience to their wishes she married.
Rita's husband turned out to be a man of an inflammable temper.
Rita uncomplainingly put up with his verbal and physical abuse.
She gave birth to two sons who turned out to be as hot-tempered as their father.
Her patience was rewarded when her husband became reconciled to God.
Sorrow
Sorrow struck again in her life when her husband was murdered by adversaries.
When their sons expressed their intention to avenge their father, Rita prayed to God either to convert them or to take them to Him before they could commit murder.
Her prayer was granted in a way which must have caused her great grief: the two boys became ill and died.
Augustinian convent
Rita's original desire to become a nun had persisted and the way now seemed open for her to enter the Augustinian convent in Cascia, into whose convent she eventually found her way.
Rita lived a life marked by holiness and wish to honor the suffering of Jesus.
Rita suffered from a forehead ulcer for a lengthy period of time which she attributed to suffering in honor of the crucifixion of Jesus.
Eventually she died in 1456.
Roses are blessed in Rita's honour because as she lay dying she asked a relative to bring her a rose from her old home.
Though it was January, one of Italy's coldest months, the relative found a full grown rose and brought it back to her.
Scent of roses
After Rita's death a scent as sweet as roses spread through the convent and into the church.
Rita's feast day is celebrated on 22 May.
Rita's greatness lies in her littleness and readiness to offer any difficulties and sufferings in honor of Jesus.
Many who feel shy to speak directly to God prefer to ask others already in heaven to take prayers to God on their behalf.
Advocate of the Impossible
So many prayers offered to God by placing them under the protection of Saint Rita to give to Him have been granted that she is sometimes called the Advocate of the Impossible or the Advocate of Desperate Cases.
Even so, it is not to be supposed that all requests for alleviation of suffering through the intercession of St Rita of Cascia are automatically and immediately granted.
St Rita's own life shows that sometimes even the courage to accept suffering with dignity constitutes a miracle.
Catherine Nicolette
In earlier years I had a healthy scepticism regarding the devotion to St Rita of Cascia, especially about the story of the rose.
As a joke, I 'challenged' Rita to send me a rose. It would never happen, I knew.
At the time I was experiencing difficulty, and really needed spiritual help.
That evening I looked out into the wintry snow, and saw a small red rose blooming on dead looking branches. The rose was quite perfect despite the icy weather.
As I looked at the rose, I found myself saying,
'St Rita, if you really are the Advocate of the Impossible, please ask God to help me to get through this difficult time'.
I felt a little silly, and then forgot about my little prayer.
Letter from Cascia
Some time later a letter arrived in the post. It had travelled from a friend in Italy to my parents' then home in South Africa, and from there on was redirected to London.
It was from a lady I had never met, who had asked a mutual friend for my address.
In the letter, she told me she had recently visited our mutual friend in Rome.
This friend had mentioned she had a friend, and told her my name.
This lady had then gone on to visit Cascia.
While at prayer in the inner convent, she had felt overwhelming inspiration to write to me and to send a gift.
Rosepetal
The present the lady sent was a burgundy coloured rosepetal she had picked from the rosebush in the inner convent where Rita used to stay.
She had pressed the rosepetal and sent it, carefully wrapped in tissue, to me.
Bewildered, I touched the petal. A strong, exquisite rose scent rose from it; and clung to my fingers for many hours.
My difficulty resolved the next day.
I'm just saying.
It is my privilege to present the holy 'Novena to St Rita of Cascia, Advocate of the Impossible' in honor of the gracious lady who lived a life of holiness.
NOVENA IN HONOUR OF ST RITA OF CASCIA
FIRST DAY
See us, St Rita, at your feet, to show our respect for you, to learn from you the way to goodness and to gain from God through your intercession the grace to follow this way until death.
At the age of seven you became remarkable for every virtue; wisdom, modesty, love of retirement, love of God, prayerfulness and a readiness to suffer for Him, while holding worldly pretensions in contempt.
You were fortunate indeed to know so well from your very childhood how to co-operate with God's grace.
You were equally fortunate in wasting no time to lay the foundation of your holiness.
How different from you we have been and still are.
Dazzled by the world's pretensions we find ourselves wearied by heavenly things.
Our faults increase in number each day and we find the idea of penance totally repugnant.
St Rita, you who have such ability to communicate with God, obtain for us sorrow for our sins and the grace to start afresh.
Even if we have not imitated your innocence, obtain for us the grace to emulate your penance, so that we may one day receive the precious reward for the innocent or repentant reserved in heaven.
Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be three times;
OUR FATHER, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kngdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against usl.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.
HAIL MARY, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
GLORY BE to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.
SUPPLICATION TO ST RITA
Holy patroness of those in need, St Rita, whose pleadings before your divine Lord are almost irresistible, who for your generosity in granting favours have been called the Advocate of the Hopeless and even of the impossible.
St Rita, you were so humble, so pure, so mortified, so patient and of such compassionate love for your crucified Jesus that you could obtain from Him whatever you asked for.
On this account we confidently turn to you for assistance, expecting, if not always relief, at least comfort.
Be favourably inclined to our request, showing your opwer with God on behalf of the suppliant.
Be generous to us as you have been in so many wonderful cases, for the greater glory of God, for the spreading of the devotion to you, and for the consolation of those who trust in you.
We promise, if our petition is granted, to glorify you by making known your favour , to bless and sing your praise forever.
Relying then, on your merit and power before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we pray you
(here mention your request).
SECOND DAY
God had chosen you, St Rita, as the model of virgins, wives, widows and nuns.
Therefore he allowed you to fill all these three states of life.
What a marvellous example you gave to wives, especially during the years you were obliged to live with a husband whose nature was so different from your own.
You endured criticism, insults and blows alike but by your sweetness you helped him to overcome his faults and become humble and mild.
May many wives learn from you the great art of suffering in silence, of softening the hearts of their irritable husbands.
may we all learn to live with our relatives and neighbours according to the holy laws of peace and Christian charity.
May the unkindness and discord that rage in so many families, very often reducing them to a sad and miserable condition, come to an end.
We beg of you especially, St Rita, to obtain for us all from God, the Giver of all good gifts, your constant love of sweet peace and concord, in the Kingdom of everlasting peace.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc. three times.
Supplication as in the Prayer of the First Day
THIRD DAY
What grief you must have felt, St Rita, on discovering the awful news of your husband's murder.
What bitter tears you must have shed, particularly at the terrible thought that his soul might have been unprepared to meet his Eternal Judge.
Resigned to the just dispensations of God, unmindful of the miserable state to which you were reduced, you placed yourself and your two sons in the Hands of your Jesus.
How many prayers you must have sent up to Him for the salvation of that soul you had softenend, and for the forgiveness of his murderers.
Then, finding out that your sons were planning revenge on these, you prayed that their hearts might be changed, and, if not, that they might be taken from the world rather than be allowed to execute their design.
Then, when they were taken, you in your greatness of heart thanked Jesus for having lovingly heard your prayer and taken them to Himself in their innocence. How miserable are we when we cannot forgive the slightest offence, nor make any sacrifice for the glory of God and the salvation of our own and our neighbour's soul.
Obtain for us, St Rita, from our beloved Jesus that we may pardon our enemies for love of Him, and ever prefer His love to love of self and all that is dear to us, so that, being worthy of the pardon of our own sins, we may receive an eternal reward in Paradies.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc. three times.
Supplication as in the Prayer of the First Day
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