Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious

Saint Rita of Cascia (1381–1457) was an Italian Augustinian nun invoked throughout the Catholic world as the "Saint of the Impossible" and Patroness of Desperate Causes. Married against her wishes to a violent man, Rita endured eighteen years of mistreatment with meekness, eventually converting her husband before he was murdered in a blood feud. Through her constant prayers, Rita reconciled her husband's family and prevented her two sons from seeking blood vengeance. Following the deaths of her sons, Rita sought entry to the Augustinian Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, miraculously gaining entrance after initial refusal. For fifteen years, Rita bore a painful wound in her forehead caused by a thorn from Christ's crown of thorns during deep contemplation of the Crucifixion, exemplifying mystical participation in the Savior's Passion.