Life of Sister St. Rita of Cascia of the Order of St. Augustine : advocate of the impossible ; model of maidens, wives, mothers, widows and nuns

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St. Rita

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Contents

PAGB

Preface 9

I. Umbria, Cascia aSd Its Greatness. 18

Preface

The "Lives of the Saints" are only a part, but a precious part of the Library of triumphant Christianity, The catalogue of the "Lives of the Saints" is a long and holy one, so holy, indeed, that it is called a litany, and is used as one of the public prayers of the Catholic Church. On the shelves of this library are found books whose pages relate not only the lives of Jesus Christ, the King of Saints, and of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of Saints, but also the story of those pious and holy men and women whose lives were a signal proof that "God is wonderful in His saints." The Church is a faithful custodian of the "Lives of the Saints," of those books which contain the wonderful and glorious deeds of her children who have lived and died in the odor of sanctity. And she looks on every "Life of a Saint" as a guide book pointing out the way to heaven to all Christians who are only travelers on the way to their true home. After the Catechism there is no book more precious to the eyes of Mother Church than a "Life of a Saint." Every age of the Church has had its illustrious saint or saints, and the study of the life of any saint will reveal the providence of God in the government of the world, and especially the divine economy with regard to the children of His Church. Not only are the saints, while living on earth, the glory and ornaments of their birth-lands, but after death their real characters become better known, and Mother Church bestows upon them the highest honors within her power, and, at her command, an entire world gives them their due worship and veneration.

It is the dearest wish of Mother Church that her children should frequently read the lives of the saints; by so doing they gradually become acquainted with a select society to which, in a great measure, they will be forced to raise the standard of their daily lives. Our Holy Father St. Augustine is a striking example of what the reading of the lives of the saints may do. A friend of his, Alipius by name, gave him the life of St. Anthony the Abbot. Augustine read it, and was so extremely affected by what he read, that it was one main cause of his conversion. Looking down the long calendar of saints, glancing carefully over the Church's long honor-list of men and women, whose names were talismanic in their days, we find no name crowned with a greater halo of glory and veneration, than that of Sister St. Rita, the humble Augustinian nun of Cascia, now worshiped and venerated under the singular title of the Saint of the Impossible. It is more than 450 years since St. Rita departed this life to be united forever to her Lord and spouse Jesus Christ, and yet her name is still held in benediction, not only among the faithful of Italy, her native country, but also among the faithful of the rest of Europe, who vie with the people of South and North America, in honoring and venerating our illustrious Saint. Among the many magnificent "Lives of St. Rita" written by the Italian and Spanish Augustinians, we prefer that written by our brother Religious, Father Joseph Sicardo. As his book has had a large propaganda in Spain, the Philippine Islands and in Spanish America, we have hopes

Preface 11

that the same book, garbed in an English dress, will help to keep alive that fire of devotion which now burns in the hearts of so many clients of Sister St. Rita in North America. That our translation of Father Sicardo's "Life of St. Rita" may have the result of further increasing not only the veneration, but also the number of the clients of our Sister St. Rita is our only wish and ambition.

Dan J. Murphy, O. S. A.

St. Rita's Monastery Chicago, 111.

Feast of St. Agatha, 1916.

CHAPTER I. Umbria, Cascia and Its Greatness

^f F YOU TAKE a glance at the map of Italy, you Jfiv will observe that the province of Umbria is set, ^^^ like a gem, in the centre of the Italian peninsula, which has the appearance of an elongated boot dipping down to the Mediterranean Sea.

The capital of Umbria is Perugia, a remarkably beautiful city, situated on a hill on the right of the Tiber. Among its many stately and majestic edifices, Perugia possesses a magnificent cathedral, built in the 14th century, that contains paintings by Barroccio, Manni, and Signorelli. Attached to the cathedral is a valuable library, rich in works and manuscripts, among which is a codex of the Gospel of St. Luke, of the 6th century.

The inhabitants of Umbria are descendants of a long line of ancient and honorable ancestors. They are a God-fearing and God-loving people, and their proudest boast is that they have preserved the faith "once given to the saints."

Travelers and pilgrims, who have visited the province of Umbria, are most emphatic and enthusiastic in praise of this picturesque wonder-land, whose matchless blue skies and delightful climate, its rugged hills and smiling valleys, its fertile soil and its abundance of luscious fruits, are sufficient proofs that bountiful nature

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14 Life of Sister St. Bit a of Cascia

has bestowed, with lavish hands, its choicest gifts on this garden spot of the Italian peninsula, whose native charms are the pride and boast of an admiring world. Truly may it be said of Umbria: "Beauty's home is surely there."

If we pass from the order of nature to the order of grace, Umbria becomes a shrine, so to speak, or in other words, a holy land, because it is the birthland of many illustrious saints, whose names are the ornaments of Italy and the glory and honor of the Catholic Church.

What land, under heaven's dome, can lay claim to a galaxy of saints like St. Benedict, St. Francis and St. Clare, both of Assisi? Time has not decreased the holy fame of these saints, on the contrary, time has augmented the glory and veneration of Saints Benedict, Francis and Clare. Their shrines are visited yearly by numerous travelers and pilgrims who are led, not by curiosity, but by an ardent faith, to go and visit the shrines of those holy persons, who, while on earth, were faithful servants of God.

However, the religious glory and fame of Umbria do not rest alone on the trinity of Saints mentioned above. This blessed province is the happy mother of, at least, a dozen saints. The Order of St. Augustine numbers in its long calendar of saints, eight, who claim Umbria as their birthplace, among whom must be specially mentioned: Sister St. Clare of Montefalco and Sister St. Rita of Cascia, called by Leo XIII, of happy memory, "La perla preziosa de la Umbria' — "Umbria s precious pearl/'

About seventy-five miles from Rome, in the southeastern part of Umbria, situated amid hills bordering the Apennines, is the ancient city of Cascia. Cascia was,

Umbria, Cascia and Its Greatness 15

at one time, the capital of a free and independent republic which consisted of four flourishing cities. Its inhabitants were a brave and sturdy people, and when, in the year 1300, their rights and liberties were threatened by King Robert of Naples, the Cascians, who had tasted the sweets of freedom too long to tamely surrender their liberty, resisted with valor and bravery the King's army. Success crowned their vigorous resistance and the intrepid Cascians won a glorious and decisive victory over their powerful enemies.

There are extant pieces of money, coined when Cascia was at the zenith of its power. On these coins is stamped the escutcheon of Cascia, represented by a young and beautiful maiden, seated on a throne resting on two dragons' heads. The maiden holds a lily in her right hand, and in her left hand a serpent. These same heraldic arms may yet be seen emblazoned on one of the ancient gates which guarded the principal entrance to the once famous city.

In the course of time, evil days fell upon the once happy and prosperous republic. Wars, and especially civil wars, brought disaster and dissension, and where hitherto had reigned peace and prosperity, there began a reign of gloom and despondency. Finding themselves reduced to such an unhappy and miserable condition, and fearful that they w©uld fall under that most terrible of God's judgments — extermination, the inhabitants of Cascia, and their equally unhappy neighbors, placed themselves under the powerful protection of the Blessed Mother of God and became voluntary subjects of the Papal States.

The Cascia of to-day is, so to speak, but a shadow of what it was when "ancient and famous." At present it is but a small town. The number of its inhabitants does not exceed six hundred. Yet small as Cascia is, as regards the number of its people, it has within its walls many monuments, which are living witnesses of the ardent and lively faith of its pious population.

In Cascia there is a beautiful parish-church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and several houses of religious communities. The Augustinian Order has three communities in that little Italian town; one of friars and two of nuns. The friars' monastery, a fine building, is dedicated to our holy founder, St. Augustine. One of the nuns' convents, dedicated formerly to St. Mary Magdalen, is now called St. Rita's convent. The other religious house is dedicated to the glorious Virgin St. Lucy, who suffered martyrdom during the fierce persecution of the cruel and impious Dioclesian.

But though the religious fame and glory of Cascia might safely rest on St. Rita, whose name is a household word in Cascia, still, the archives of that blessed town are the proud possessors of records which mention the names of many holy men, the sanctity of whose lives perfumed, as it were, the moral atmosphere of Cascia. The following are the names of a few of those saintly servants of God, of whom Cascia is the proud mother:

Blessed Giovanni of Castro Clavano.

Blessed Ugolino, O. S. A.

Blessed Simon, O. S. A.

Venerable Andrea of Muciafore, O. S. A.

However, among the many cedars of this Augustinian Lebanon, our Sister St. Rita towers above all others,

Umbria, Cascia and Its Greatness 17

and the story of her marvellous life, and the many wonderful miracles, wrought through her intercession after death, will convince the reader that God is indeed wonderful in His saints, and that St. Rita, the Augustinian nun of Cascia, is truly, as a venerating world calls her, the Saint of the Impossible.

Chapter II

The Birthplace and Parents of St. Rita

JjJ OCCA PORRENA is the name of a small village, 4|\ or rather hamlet, about three miles from Cascia. *** It is situated near a small river, in a small valley, at the foot of a high cliff, which, separated from the adjoining mountains, has the appearance of a perfectly formed pine-cone. There is a tradition, that at the time of our Lord's death on the hill of Calvary, an earthquake split the rocks of the mountains in the neighborhood of Cascia, and that this particular cliff remained completely detached from the mountains. On account of its rocky site, Porrena is called Rocca Porrena.

In this small village there lived, about the year 1309, a pious couple who, having plighted their troth at the foot of God's holy altar, consecrated every day of their wedded life to the service of God, and to the practice of those virtues which are most pleasing to God. The names of that worthy couple were Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri. Antonio was a native of Rocca Porrena ; Amata was born at Fogliano, a pretty hamlet, a short distance from Cascia.

Though possessing little of the world's riches, Antonio Mancini earned more than enough, as a tiller of the soil, to enable himself and his good wife to live comfortably. Content with their humble lot, the happy

The Birthplace and Parents of St. Rita 19

couple felt no poverty, nor did they desire riches, and they gladly distributed to the poor and needy all they did not need for their own support and maintenance. Naturally, such generosity, on the part of Antonio and Amata endeared them to the poor, the lips of many blessed them, and God, who rewards those who help His needy poor, showered His choicest spiritual blessings upon them.

Not only were Antonio and his pious wife generous to the poor and needy, but they were, in very fact, Apostles placed by God in Rocca Porrena, and like Apostles they endeavored to teach their neighbors by word and example, that the only way to save their souls, that the only way to heaven, was by fearing and loving- God, as well as by avoiding and shunning sin and vice. The examples of the holy lives of Antonio and Amata, the peace and happiness that reigned in their humble home and the gladness and joy that were ever pictured on their countenances won many, first, to admire and respect them, and then to imitate their holy manner of living. Truly may we say, that the little vine-clad cottage of Rocca Porrena, the humble home of Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri, must have been a holy and a heavenly home, and were the world blest with more such homes, the world would also be blest with more than one St. Rita.

The true story of the apostolic work of the parents of St. Rita is known to God alone. Nevertheless, one of its chapters has been handed down to us by zealous and trustworthy chroniclers of the Order of St. Augustine. These chroniclers relate, that the home of St. Rita's parents was truly a house of prayer, a sanctuary of holiness, and that their lives were in perfect conformity to the commandments of God and the Church,

They meditated morning and night on the Passion of Jesus Christ, and both had a heartfelt devotion to the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God. Antonio and Amata were known, for miles around Rocca Porrena, for their kindness and cheerfulness. Everywhere they went, they cast the radiance of their benevolence, and soothed many an aching heart. In matters of confidence they vied even with the parish-priest. Through their gentle influence family dissensions were healed, and through their prudent advice many indifferent souls were led back to the friendship of God.

Filled with the spirit and grace of God, there was born in the hearts of Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri the Apostolic zeal of saving souls. They hated and detested sin, but loved the sinner. Hence whenever occasion required it, they discovered a way to approach those who were guilty of grievous sins, without embarrassing or offending them. They reproved them with kindness and continued their gentle reproof, until even the most hardened sinners were moved and learned to hate and be sorry for their sins and hastened to be reconciled with God in the Tribunal of Penance.

Many times when the parents of St. Rita happened to be in the company of some of their neighbors, who, not satisfied with their lot in life, would begin to murmur against the Providence of God, the pious couple would adroitly change the topic of conversation, and speak so feelingly of the Passion of Jesus Christ that their listeners would actually forget their trials and afflictions, and feel ashamed that they had not been willing to suffer a little for Him, who suffered so much for them. Again, when malice, aided by calumny, had kindled the fires of discord, and was fanning the flames

The Birthplace and Parents of St. Rita 21

of revenge in the hearts of individuals and families, it was then that Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri employed a holy diplomacy that must have been inspired by heaven. They silenced the voice of calumny, disarmed the desire of revenge, restored harmony among enemies, and even transformed enemies into ardent friends. Such apostolic zeal, such gentleness in reproving sinners, such holy tact in banishing enmity and in settling quarrels and disputes, won for the parents of St. Rita the title : Peace-makers of Jesus Christ.

In Rocca Porrena there existed the custom of appointing every year, a man and woman, whose office or function was to settle the disputes and contentions that happened to arise among the inhabitants. This appointment was made on the first Sunday of Lent in the parish-church, and by the parish-priest, who was always very careful to make a prudent appointment. On account of their spotless reputation and well-deserved popularity, it was very natural that Antonio Mancini and his wife Amata were repeatedly appointed the Peace-makers of Rocca Porrena; and biographers tell us that their judgments were always accepted as if they were the judgments of God.

Living in the midst of a holy peace and happiness, the fruits of a truly Christian life, there was one joy lacking to the home of Antonio and his spouse. God had sent no child to bless their marriage, and though they had prayed often and fervently for this great blessing, God seemed to be deaf to their prayers. Disappointed, as they naturally were, because their prayers were not answered, they still kept on praying; and even when they had become advanced in years, they redoubled their prayers, so great were their hope and confidence in God. God rewarded their hope and confidence and bestowed on Amata Mancini the same favor He had bestowed on Anna, the mother of Samuel, and on Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist.

One night, while Amata was praying in her humble home, an angel appeared to her, in a vision, and told her that it was the will of God that there would be born of her a daughter who would be, from her very birth, marked with the seal of sanctity, gifted with every virtue, and that she was to be a helper of the helpless, an advocate of the afflicted, and a guiding star in the firmament of the Church. Amata was consoled and made happy by the words of the angel, and when she told the glad news to her husband Antonio, both joined in a heart-felt prayer of thanksgiving to God, who was pleased to bless their old age with such a signal favor.

Chapter III

St. Rita's Bieth

^JTjjrt'ILLED with unspeakable joy and gladness, that *|r God had deigned to look upon her with mercy, ^^ from the evening the angel made known to Amata Mancini that she had found grace with God, and was to become a mother both she and her husband Antonio spent their days, and the greater part of their nights, in close communication with God, awaiting the happy event. At length the time came, when the little hamlet of Rocca Porrena, the least, indeed, of all the hamlets of Umbria, was to become famous as the birthplace of a child, who, in after years, was to be known and venerated as a great saint and servant of God. The biographers of St. Rita give the day, date and year of her birth, as Saturday, May 22nd, in the year of our Lord 1381, during the pontificate of Pope Urban VI.

Words cannot describe the indescribable joy of Antonio and Amata, as, with loving eyes, they gazed on their little daughter whom they considered a precious gift of God, the fruit of their desires, and the reward of their long years of hope and confidence in God. The unexpected news, that Amata Mancini had become a mother in her old age, was the cause of much surprise, talk, and gossip among the inhabitants of Rocca Porrena. All considered the event as truly miraculous.

Every man, woman, and grown-up child of the little hamlet went to offer congratulations to the happy and overjoyed parents, and all, who gazed on the smiling face of the new-born babe, were charmed by the radiance of the little one's wonderful beauty,

A few days after the happy delivery of Amata, she desired that her little daughter be baptized, and both parents began to consider what name to give her. While pondering over the choice of a name, God made known to the pious parents that it was His wish, that their babe should be named Rita. Accordingly on the fourth day after her birth, the child of Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri was baptized in St. Mary's, the parish-church of Cascia, there being, at that time, no baptismal font in the church at Rocca Porrena. As was commanded by God, the little babe was baptized Rita, a name till then unknown to the world, but since that time the sweet name of Rita has been given to many Catholic babes, when they are made children of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven, by the regenerating waters of the Sacrament of Baptism.

Some authors, who have written the life of our saint, claim that she received, at her baptism, the name of Margarita, and that Rita is a contraction of Margarita. But though we know that the practice of contracting or syncopating names, and especially the names of women, is very common in Italy, we follow the opinion of the learned Augustinian writer, Didacus, who tells us that the child of Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri was baptized Rita. And furthermore, we read in the Decree of the Canonization of our Saint, that it was announced to Amata, in a vision, that she should call her child Rita.

St. Rita's Birth 25

Shortly after Rita had been regenerated by the saving waters of Baptism, God attested, by a singular prodigy, that her name was not of human invention, but rather of heavenly origin. The day after her Baptism, the fifth after her birth, a swarm of bees, white as the driven snow, was noticed hovering and buzzing around the sweet angelic face of the little Rita, as she lay quietly sleeping in her cradle. The bees alighted on her lips and were seen to enter and issue forth from her partially opened mouth, without harming her, or causing her to awaken from her slumber. All who were witnesses of this singular prodigy recognized that it implied a mystery, though they could not understand or fathom its meaning. In after years, Rita herself made known the meaning of the mystery, by the singular sweetness and simplicity of her manner, and by the eminent sactity of her marvellous life, of which the swarm of white bees that buzzed around the cradle of her infancy was a happy presage. The bees were also a mysterious presage of Rita's future Beatification that was to take place when the bees of Urban VIII reigned in the Church.

Concerning these mysterious bees we must observe. The prodigy, after four centuries, still exists in the small swarm of bees that now dwell in a small fissure in the convent wall, midway between the cell St. Rita occupied and the place of her sepulchre. Their color is not white, as some authors have said, confounding these bees with those that appeared at her cradle. Their color is that of the common bee, except the back, which is a dark red, and they have no sting. They live retired the greater part of the year, but they leave their tiny abode during the last few days of Holy Week and return for the feast of St. Rita. On one occasion, one of these bees was sent to Urban VIII enclosed in a glass vase. It remained, however, but one day in the Pope's palace, and returned, at once, to its companions in Cascia. We will close this chapter by saying: Catholic mothers have rocked the cradles of many remarkable babes, but none more remarkable than that of our little sister — Rita of Rocca Porrena.

Chapter IV

The Early Years oe St. Rita.

SNNOCENCE and purity are sister virtues, or at least they are inseparable companions. Where innocence is, there also is purity. In fact, innocence and purity are so intimately associated that they appear to be one and the same virtue. Though natural to infancy, the exercise of these two virtues is the effect of divine grace.

Guided by the wisdom from above, Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri, the pious parents of St. Rita, watched, with loving and jealous care, over every day of her infancy, for they regarded their little babe as a gift from heaven, the fruit of a special grace, and the child of God rather than of man. Hence we may safely say, without any fear of exaggeration, that little Rita Mancini began to be a saint and to live a supernatural life, from the very moment of her Baptism, when her soul was made beautiful by divine grace. And that the virtues of innocence and purity were deeply rooted in her pure soul, for scarcely had she come to use of reason, than she became the possessor of an innocence and a purity which were really marvellous in one of so tender an age. These two virtues were mirrored on her angelic face. Her every word exhaled an odor of sweetness, and possessed a mysterious power which inclined the soul to God; while her every act bespoke the guidance of a power far above the human. Little Rita was indeed, so to speak, a precious plant, planted, as it were, by the hands of God in His vineyard, and with loving care did God cause the dews of heavenly grace to fall gently on that tender plant, which was to become in later years, and we may say for all years, a towering cedar of His glory and omnipotence. Clothed, therefore, as our little sister was, with the double cloak of innocence and purity, her guardian angel, who was ever by her side, took her by the hand and led his little companion along the most prudent paths, nor did God permit her to perform any act, or entertain any thought, but those compatible with His holy will and service.

It is not, therefore, a matter of surprise, that the little servant of God differed from other children in her early years, for at the age when most children are accustomed to enjoy and amuse themselves, with dolls and other playthings, little Rita Mancini found no pleasure in child-games or child-toys. You must not think, however, that little Rita did not associate with children of her own age; on the contrary, she had scores of little friends among the children of Rocca Porrena, and though she did not, as a rule, engage in their games, nevertheless, she took pleasure in seeing her little friends enjoy themselves. Even when she grew larger, instead of desiring to be present at picnics or parties where little girls experience great joy in being admired and petted by relatives and friends, the little Rita preferred solitude to these mirthful gatherings, and many a time when her loving mother wished to dress her, according to the fashion of the day, she would hie to a remote corner of the house, to pray and contemplate the divine

The Early Years of St. Rita 29

mysteries, particularly the Passion of Jesus Christ, a devotion she had inherited from her pious parents.

We must not judge from little Rita's dislike to be clad in pretty frocks and dresses, that she was at times wilful and disobedient ; on the contrary, she was a most obedient child, she loved dearly her aged parents, and many and many a time did she kneel at her mother's knees, listening to her holy counsels, after the manner of the little immaculate Mary of Nazareth at the knees of her mother St. Anne. Hence what may have seemed disobedience, on the part of little Rita, were in fact mild reproofs, prompted, no doubt, by God, against that vanity which alas, too often is planted by indulgent parents, in the hearts of their young children.

One of little Rita's chief delights was to go to church with her parents, and when she entered the house of God, she sought the most retired place, where she recited with devotion the Angelical Salutation which she knew by heart, and then, as if God had given His little servant a clear understanding of the Incarnation of our Lord, she would close her eyes, and give her whole soul to a deep contemplation of this great mystery. Oftentimes, while assisting at the holy sacrifice of the Mass, her face would change its expression. Sometimes it bore the expression of glad joy, and at other times, her face would indicate that she was experiencing moments of sadness. These alternate expressions of gladness and sadness plainly told how glad she was to be in the house of God kneeling in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and how sad she became at the very thought that her innocent Jesus was obliged to die an ignominious death on the wood of the Cross. Oh, would that we, who assist so often at the holy Sacrifice of the

Mass, could experience, in our hearts and souls, the same spiritual joy and sadness!

We must also observe that little Rita had a great love and affection for the poor. At table, whenever her mother put on her plate a portion of the family meal, one portion she ate herself, the other portion she preserved to give to some poor child of the neighborhood. This practice was habitual with the little Rita, and it is certain she felt more happiness in giving away a portion of her meals, than in eating what she retained for herself.