Saint Rita Silk Screen Icon – Gold & Engraved Wood

Description

Saint Rita, or Rita of Cascia, is a Roman Catholic saint and is the patron of difficult marriages and impossible cases. At the young age of twelve, Saint Rita was married off to an abusive man, who was later killed as a result of a feud between two rival families. Saint Rita’s two sons with her husband, Giovanni Antonio and Paulo Maria, were determined to avenge their fathers death; however, this ultimately led to their own deaths. Widowed and mourning the loss of her children, Saint Rita attempted to join the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene but was refused. The convent informed her that she would only be permitted to join if she was able to end the feud between the two families.

Saint Rita was determined to join the convent and prayed to Saint John the Baptist, Nicholas of Tolentino, and Augustine of Hippo for assistance. The feud eventually ended during the Black Death and Saint Rita was granted entry into the convent. At the age of 36, Saint Rita became an Augustinian nun and gained recognition for the effectiveness of her prayers. Saint Rita is often depicted with a wound on her forehead, which is considered to be partial stigmata. According to tradition, Saint Rita was praying to an image of Christ being crucified when a wound appeared on her forehead in the place where the crown of thorns had been placed on Christ. The wound remained on Saint Rita’s forehead until and after her death, with small drops of blood reportedly staying in the spot. Saint Rita was beatified in 1627 and later canonized in 1900, she is the patron saint of impossible cases and difficult marriages. The feast day of Saint Rita is celebrated on May 22.