One of the highlights of my trip to Philadelphia this month was visiting the National Shrine of St. Rita Cascia. Anthony Visco, the master artist that created the signature pieces there, is one of my favorite Enders Island art teachers. He lives in Philly and graciously invited my sister and me into his home and studio to see his current projects in process, then he walked with us to the shrine and gave us a tour. To create emotionally fired sculptures like his, an artist must have a thorough understanding of his subject. I knew much about St. Rita, but he shared additional details that were fascinating.
I already knew that her parents prayed for years for a child and she was a very prayerful girl. She wanted to enter religious life, but her parents arranged a marriage for her with a harsh and cruel man. She prayed for his conversion, which ultimately worked, but then he was murdered by a rival family. Rita prayed that her sons would not avenge their father’s murder and God responded by allowing them to succumb to a deadly illness. Seemingly free to join the convent, she was refused because of potential distractions from the feuding families.
What I didn’t know was that Rita was devoted to three patron saints: St. John the Baptist, St. Augustine, and St. Nicholas of Tolentine. I never thought about a saint having patron saints! They are credited with inspiring her to make peace between the families. Once she negotiated a truce between her husband’s family and their rival, the sisters accepted her into the monastery. Anthony Visco created outstanding statues of Rita and her three patrons and a large mural of St. Rita the peacemaker with people from all over the world lined up to meet with her.
In the convent, St. Rita had mystical experiences including receiving a stigmata – a single thorn from Jesus’ crown piecing her forehead. Recognized for her holiness, when she died, a constant throng of visitors caused them to never bury her. Her body has remained incorruptible and is still on display in the Basilica of St. Rita in Cascia, Italy. Rita experienced several decades of hardship but accepting them and trusting in God’s grace assured her eternity in heaven and the credibility for us to call upon her intercession.
Scripture: Read Revelation 8:3. What stands out?
Call to Action: If a saint needs patron saints, so do we! Read up on saints that you have something in common with and pray to them to lead and guide you.
