St. Rita of Cascia

Rita was born in 1386 near Spoleto, Italy to an older couple. Her parents were so well-known for their charity, that locals called them "peacemakers of Jesus Christ." In obedience to her parents, Rita married at age twelve, although she felt drawn to be a nun. Her husband was ill-tempered and sometimes cruel to her; she bore him twin sons and patiently sought to be the best wife and mother that she could be during eighteen years of marriage. Her husband was murdered and her sons sought to violently avenge his death. Rita prayed that they would not commit such an evil deed. Both of her sons died of natural causes before they could carry out the plot; both were reconciled with God before they died. Widowed and deprived of human comfort, Rita sought to serve God by entering an Augustinian convent, but their rule did not allow widows. After three tries, the rule was finally waived and Rita was allowed to enter the Augustinian convent at Cascia in 1413. Here she was an exemplary nun. She began experiencing visions and in 1441, experienced a thorn-like wound in her forehead after she had prayed to suffer like Christ. The wound caused her extreme pain and it would not heal, but she bore it cheerfully for the love of Jesus. Rita died on May 22, 1457 and many miracles were attributed to her intercession after her death. She was canonized in 1900, although her veneration had been allowed for centuries. Because of the many miracles wrought by her intercession, St. Rita of Cascia is a patron of cases thought impossible.