Saint Rita of Cascia: Forgiveness Born of Strong Faith

Saint Rita of Cascia lived several vocations in one life: she was a wife, mother, widow and nun of her time. She lived her life in humility, but today she is known throughout the world for her heroic Christian life in all these roles. Pope John Paul II called her a witness of unlimited forgiveness and of heroic acceptance of suffering.

A love that forgives

John Paul II recalled Rita's heroic love within her home and in the events of her town. The Popes' addresses do not detail those events or who was involved in them.

The same Pope emphasized the way Rita forgave and bore suffering. According to him, the forgiveness Rita offered and the suffering she accepted did not come from simply giving up, but from her strong love for Christ. From that same love, according to the Pope, Rita's faith gave her the steadfastness to bring peace wherever she was.

The same love can be seen in her motherhood. John Paul II judged that Rita lived the distinctive vocation of women deeply, in both physical and spiritual motherhood. Pope Francis highlighted Rita's enthusiasm for life and the love she gave to everyone unconditionally.

Conformed to Christ crucified

Rita also lived as a nun. The available sources do not explain when or how she entered the convent. What they do mention is her spiritual path: Rita followed the spirituality of Saint Augustine. According to John Paul II, on that path she learned to follow the crucified Jesus and became familiar with suffering, so that she was able to understand the sorrow that others felt.

Humility and obedience were the path she took to become ever more like the crucified Christ. There is also the mark on Rita's forehead. John Paul II saw it as proof that her Christian faith had matured. Pope Leo XIII, when he declared Rita a saint, interpreted it to mean that Christ was pleased to give Rita the sign of his own love and suffering.

Saint Rita's legacy

The faithful still cherish the memory of Rita today. Devotion to her throughout the world is symbolized by the rose, which is associated with the rose picked in the garden of Roccaporena in the winter before her death. The Pope's address does not call that event a miracle. For John Paul II, Cascia is linked to the memory of Rita and to Augustinian spirituality.

On May 24, 1900, Rita was canonized a saint. John Paul II noted that she was the first woman canonized in the Great Jubilee at the beginning of the 20th century. The Church celebrates her memorial every May 22. On that memorial in 2019, Pope Francis expressed the hope that women today would follow her example of enthusiasm for life and love.