ST RITA: BEFORE THE ROSES, PEACE TO WORK FOR!
The saint of impossible causes was first a daughter, wife, mother and widow in Roccaporena.
Before the roses came a family. Margherita Lotti, known as Rita, was born in Roccaporena near Cascia. Sources disagree on the year: 1371 or 1381? The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints considers the earlier date more likely. Even familiar stories hold mysteries.
Breaking the chain of revenge
Rita married Paolo di Ferdinando di Mancino and had two sons, Giangiacomo and Paolo Maria. Her husband was murdered amid family and political rivalries. Biographies describe her efforts to stop her sons seeking revenge.
Both sons also died young. The shrine mentions illness, perhaps plague or another disease, without a certain diagnosis. Accounts of Rita’s prayers express fear that they might become killers, not a wish to lose them.
Another season of life
Widowed and childless, Rita entered the Augustinian monastery in Cascia. John Paul II encouraged people to explore every season — daughter, wife, mother, widow and religious sister — beyond wonders attributed to her intercession.
The rose requested in winter and the thorn on her forehead belong to devotional tradition. Rita left no writings: we hear her through testimonies and biographies. Before sharing a supposed quotation online, check where it comes from.
What do we ask of “impossible causes”?
We turn to her with devotion and hope, bringing even the situations that seem impossible. Her devotion grew from local testimonies to recognition by the Church: Rita was canonised on 24 May 1900.
Her feast is 22 May. Her search for peace doesn’t require anyone experiencing violence to remain in danger. Forgiveness, protection and justice can coexist. A saint’s story must never become an extra burden for someone suffering.
