b. Saint Rita of Cascia_Saint Rita.qxd 30/06/2015 12:49 Page 1
SAint RITA saint of CASCIA
CTS Children’s Books
Roccaporena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
The thorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
The baby and the bees . . . . . . . . . .4
A pilgrimage to Rome . . . . . . . . . .16
Rita grows up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
The rose and the snow . . . . . . . . .18
Forgiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Let’s play! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
An amazing night . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
A prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
With the nuns of Cascia . . . . . . . .12
A picture of St Rita . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Text by Silvia Vecchini Illustrations by Antonio Vincenti Translated by Simone Finaldi Saint Rita of Cascia: Published 2009 by the Incorporated Catholic Truth Society, 40-46 Harleyford Road, London SE11 5AY. Tel: 020 7640 0042; Fax: 020 7640 0046; www.cts-online.org.uk. Copyright © 2009 The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society in this English-language edition. ISBN: 978 1 86082 563 7 CTS Code CH 18 Translated from the original Italian Edition Santa Rita da Cascia - ISBN 978-88-6124-013-1, published by Il Pozzo di Giacobbe, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 32/34, 91100 Trapani (TP), Italy © 2007 Crispino di Girolamo.
occaporena is a village not far from Cascia, which is in a very beautiful part of Umbria in Italy. It is a place surrounded
by hills, which turn white with snow in the winter and are covered with flowers of every different colour in the spring.
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he countryside around Roccaporena, the place
where Rita was born in about 1380, is lovely and striking because of its rocky hills and beautiful colours. The trees are a brilliant green in the spring and a fiery red in autumn. The area in which Rita grew up and lived is like her own story: sometimes difficult and tough, but always touched by kindness and by the desire to do good.
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Rita’s parents were not rich but they were Christian and very holy. They were overjoyed when their daughter was born, but only a few days later they noticed something incredible. As she was lying in her cot they saw bees buzzing all around her. Her mother was about to frighten them away so they would not sting Rita, but as her mother and father looked closer, they saw that the bees were not even touching her. The bees were not a danger for little Rita, they did not hurt her: it seemed they only wanted to be near her, as if she was a flower giving off a sweet perfume.
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s Rita grew up, she was taught all about the Christian virtues
and the importance of prayer, and her desire to be with God and leave everything else became ever stronger. Even though she was very young, she asked her parents if she could become a nun, but her parents had a different plan for her, which was for her to be married. In those days, parents would arrange for their sons and daughters to get married so that they could
strengthen the links between different families. 6
Rita was obedient to her parents and, like most girls of her time, was married at the age of fourteen. Rita’s husband was a rough man, who often argued with others. Rita, however, managed to find ways to sweeten his temper and to get on with him. After a time Rita also became a mother: she had two sons whom she raised with great dedication and devotion.
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ith patience and love, Rita brought harmony and unity to her family and
she lived happily for many years with her husband and sons. Unfortunately for Rita, a difficult moment arrived: her husband was involved in a violent argument and was killed. Nevertheless Rita was not alone: she was comforted by prayer and each time she turned to God she found peace and hope. Rita, who knew and understood Jesus’ message ever since she was a small child, remembered in those
days the greatest commandment he left to his disciples: ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ (John 14:34-35) and ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44). These were not just words for Rita, they gave her the strength to transform the evil that was done to her husband into a chance to bear witness to her faith and show the love of God. 8
Rita prayed in her heart and asked God to forgive those who killed her husband and she forgave them, trying to bring peace back to her family. Rita was a sign of peace among the people around her: she did not seek revenge, nor want any compensation for what had happened. She told her sons, who by now were young men, not to try to avenge their father and asked them not to answer evil with evil. The young men did not agree with their mother and Rita could see that they might do something terrible and violent. Rita asked God to save them from the evil of such a sin. She was worried that in wanting revenge they might hurt someone. Rita entrusted her children to God, praying that He would keep them safe.
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fter some time, without having avenged their father, the two young boys died. Even though Rita was very sad to have lost her
sons, she knew in her heart that they were now safe and with God and so they were close to her too. In all her years of marriage, Rita never stopped thinking about God and she still had the same desire as when she was a little girl; of living in a convent, praying constantly and giving herself totally to God and her neighbour. So she set out to go to Cascia, where there was a convent where some nuns lived according to St Augustine’s rule.
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Rita asked if the nuns would welcome her into the convent, but they said no and Rita had to go back home. Rita didn’t lose hope and asked God to grant her deepest desire. One night, while she was in deep in prayer, Rita saw St John the Baptist, the prophet who from the desert had announced the coming of Christ. Just like her, John had always wanted to be far away from the world living a simple life following God’s word. But why had John appeared to her tonight? The prophet reassured her and told her to follow him.
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