05/22/2026
St. Rita of Cascia had a pretty tough life: Her husband was abusive. When he was murdered, she was left a widow. Her two sons soon died of illness. And she was rejected by a convent before finally being accepted.
But amidst all of her suffering, St. Rita didn't become coldhearted. Instead, she turned to Jesus. So much so, that he bestowed on her a participation in his own passion: the stigmata, a visible wound from his crucifixion. St. Rita's forehead bore a wound from Christ's crown of thorns. It never healed--instead, she endured the pain from it for the rest of her life.
Through her suffering, St. Rita became extremely close to Jesus Christ. And now, she is known as an incredible intercessor; one who is especially powerful in the case of "impossible causes."
St. Rita has an important lesson for us, St. Sample family: with Jesus, no suffering is wasted. With St. Rita of Cascia's intercession, let's use our difficulties as occasions to draw close to Jesus.
