Margarita Lotti, called by the diminutive "Rita", was the daughter of farmer and cattle rancher parents, who made an effort to give her a good training She was a school and religious in Cascia, where she was taught by the Augustinians. There he matured his devotion to St. AugustineSt. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas of Tolentino, whom Rita chose as her patron saints.
In a climate of rivalry, with love and understanding Rita's relationship with her husband improved and she was blessed with two sons. However, her husband was murdered. Rita forgave those who killed him. At the same time, an illness caused the death of her children. Alone, Rita intensified her prayer and at the age of 36, she asked to be admitted among the Augustinian nuns from monastery of St. Mary Magdalene of Cascia.
Santa Rita: saint of the roses
However, her request was rejected: the nuns thought that she could endanger the security of their community. But in the end she was admitted, and Rita was a humble religious, with zeal in prayer and in the works entrusted to her. Her virtues were known outside the convent.
Immersed in the contemplation of Christ, Rita asked to participate in his Passion, and in 1432, absorbed in prayer, she found on her forehead the wound of the crown of thorns of the Crucified One. The stigma persisted until her death, for 15 years. She is called the saint of the roses because while she was in bed before her death, she asked a cousin to bring her two figs and a rose from the garden of her father's house. It was January. The woman thought she was delirious. However, she was astonished to find the figs and the rose, and took them to Cascia.
Rita died on the night of May 21-22, 1447. The Vatican website notes that, because of the odor of sanctity, immediately after her death, her body was never buried. Today it is kept in a glass urn. The testimonials The graces and miracles that happen through her intercession are very numerous.
