St. Rita of Cascia is known throughout the Catholic world as the “saint of the impossible.” A wife and mother who endured a violent marriage, forgave her husband’s murderers, lost her two sons and then became an Augustinian nun, she is the patron of impossible causes, difficult marriages, abused women, mothers and all who suffer. Catholics pray to her when every other door seems closed.
Below are the traditional prayers to St. Rita from a 1925 Catholic prayer book, a simple nine-day novena, the story of her life and the meaning of her roses.
The traditional prayer to St. Rita
This short prayer was indulgenced by Pope St. Pius X in 1906:
O glorious St. Rita! Thou who didst so wonderfully participate in the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, obtain for me the grace to suffer with patience the pains of this life, and protect me in all my needs. Amen.
Aspirations to St. Rita
These short petitions can be prayed together as a litany, or one at a time during the day:
Glorious St. Rita, please obtain for me the grace faithfully to fulfil the duties of my state in life.
Glorious St. Rita, please obtain for me the grace to be satisfied with the lot in life to which God has called me.
Glorious St. Rita, please obtain for me thy spirit of patience and strength in adversity.
Glorious St. Rita, obtain for me entire detachment from the things of this world and fix all my affections and desires on heavenly treasures.
Glorious St. Rita, please obtain for me health of soul and body.
Glorious St. Rita, advocate of the impossible and patroness of desperate cases, please obtain the favors I ask through thee.
The antiphon and prayer of St. Rita
The Church’s prayer in honor of St. Rita asks for the grace she had in the highest degree: to love one’s enemies.
Ant. Come, O spouse of Christ, receive the crown which the Lord hath prepared for thee forever. Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy companions.
V. Pray for us, blessed Rita.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray
O God, Who didst vouchsafe to confer on holy Rita so great a grace that she was able to love her enemies and to bear, both in her heart and on her brow, the signs of Thy love and of Thy sufferings, grant, we beseech Thee, that by her merits and prayers we may so forgive our enemies and contemplate Thy sorrowful Passion, as to obtain the rewards promised to the meek and to them that mourn. Who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.
A St. Rita prayer for an impossible situation
Written for this page:
St. Rita, you knew sorrow in your marriage, in your family and in your own body,
and you never stopped trusting God.
I bring you a situation that seems impossible: (name your intention).
Pray for me, that God may open a way where I see none,
and give me your patience, your forgiveness and your peace.
St. Rita, advocate of the impossible, pray for me. Amen.
A prayer to St. Rita for a difficult marriage
Written for this page:
St. Rita, you remained faithful and gentle in a hard marriage
and by your prayers your husband was converted before his death.
Look on my marriage and my family.
Heal what is wounded, soften what is hard,
protect us from violence and despair,
and teach us to forgive as Christ forgives. Amen.
If you are in danger at home, your safety comes first. Contact emergency services or a domestic violence hotline, and speak with a priest or counselor you trust.
A nine-day novena to St. Rita
Pray this novena especially from May 13 to 21, before her feast on May 22, or at any time of need.
Each day: make the Sign of the Cross; name your intention; pray the traditional prayer and the aspirations; then pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be. Many people also meditate each day on one moment of her life:
| Day | Meditation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rita’s parents, called “peacemakers of Jesus Christ”: pray for peace in your family. |
| 2 | Her marriage at a young age to a hard man: pray for marriages in difficulty. |
| 3 | Her patience and gentleness, which converted her husband: pray for patience. |
| 4 | The murder of her husband and her forgiveness: pray for the grace to forgive. |
| 5 | Her sons, whom she entrusted to God rather than see them take revenge: pray for your children. |
| 6 | Her prayer to enter the convent, three times refused: pray for perseverance. |
| 7 | The wound of the thorn on her forehead: pray for those who suffer. |
| 8 | The rose and figs that bloomed in winter: pray for hope. |
| 9 | Her holy death in 1457: pray for a happy death and give thanks. |
The life of St. Rita
Rita was born around 1381 at Roccaporena, near Cascia in Umbria, Italy, to elderly parents known in their village as “peacemakers of Jesus Christ.” She longed to become a nun, but her parents arranged a marriage for her when she was about twelve. Her husband, Paolo, was a violent and quarrelsome man. For eighteen years Rita endured his cruelty with prayer and kindness, and he was converted.
When Paolo was murdered in a feud, Rita forgave his killers and begged God that her two sons would not avenge his death. Both sons died young, reconciled to God. Alone, Rita asked to enter the Augustinian convent of St. Mary Magdalene in Cascia; she was refused three times, but finally admitted.
In the convent she lived for forty years in prayer and penance. Around 1442, while praying before a crucifix, she received a wound on her forehead like that of a thorn from Christ’s crown, which remained until her death. She died on May 22, 1457, and her body is still venerated in the basilica at Cascia. She was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900.
The roses of St. Rita
Shortly before her death, in the middle of winter, Rita asked a visiting cousin to bring her a rose from the garden of her old home. The cousin found a single rose blooming in the snow, and two figs. Ever since, the rose has been her symbol. On her feast, May 22, roses are blessed in many churches and given to the faithful.
Frequently asked questions
What is St. Rita the patron saint of?
Impossible causes and desperate situations, difficult marriages, abused wives, widows, mothers, and those who suffer from wounds and illness. She shares the patronage of hopeless cases with St. Jude.
When is St. Rita’s feast day?
May 22. It is an optional memorial in the General Roman Calendar.
Why is St. Rita called the saint of the impossible?
Because of her impossible-seeming life, and because of the many favors attributed to her prayers. In Spain she was already called la santa de los imposibles.
Can I pray to St. Rita for a job, healing or a child?
Yes. Catholics ask her help in every kind of need, especially when the situation seems beyond hope.
More prayers to the saints
- Catholic prayer for a miracle
- Catholic prayer for marriage
- St. Monica prayer
- St. Expedite prayer
- Patron saint of lost causes
- The St. Jude prayer and St. Jude novena
- Patron saints for every need
- Catholic prayer for family
- Catholic prayer for strength
- Novenas: how to pray a novena
Texts and sources
- The indulgenced prayer, the aspirations, and the antiphon and prayer of St. Rita: Charles J. Callan and John A. McHugh, Blessed Be God (1925), Devotions in Honor of the Saints, public domain (Wikisource); “Jot” corrected to “lot” (scan error).
- Life: Francis Mershman, “St. Rita of Cascia,” Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), and the tradition of the Augustinian community of Cascia.
- The prayers for an impossible situation and for a marriage and the novena meditations were written for this page.