The Persistence of a Pearl: St. Rita of Cascia

“Most Holy Sacred Heart of Jesus, help my heart to persevere in all that is holy” (St. Rita of Cascia).

Originally published in Catholic Women in Business.

“Why Me, Lord?”

We often reflect on our day in the moments right before sleep. Tossing and turning, we replay scenarios, conversations, and interactions, the seconds all gone but not forgotten. We can spend hours thinking back to how we could have handled situations differently or praying that those moments could have resulted in better outcomes. We strive for perfection, but we fall over and over again, struggling to stand. We feel at times as if we could drown, and we ask ourselves, “Why?”

In our desire to make every situation perfect, we often focus on the ones that we feel we couldn’t conquer — the ones that just didn’t work out for us like we wanted them to. At times, it can feel like God gives us much more than we can handle—like he keeps directing us to situations that aren’t easily managed.

God chose you for your specific journey, to ride through the storms as well as the calm seas. He chose you to persevere, because he knows you are made for greatness, to bear his cross through all of the elements. It’s determination and persistence, led by faith, that lead us to shine brightly underneath the waves like a unique and brilliant pearl.

The Precious Pearl of Umbria: St. Rita of Cascia

All of the saints in heaven were called to greatness, but many didn’t voyage on calm seas. Life wasn’t always easy for our beautiful and blessed saints. At times, they felt just as we do in moments of trials, doubt, or suffering. A perfect example is the life of St. Rita of Cascia, nicknamed the “Precious Pearl of Umbria.”

St. Rita was born Margherita Lotti in 1381 in the city of Roccaporena, which is a small suburb of Cascia located in Umbria, Italy. Her name, Margherita, means “pearl,” and she lived up to her name throughout her life and into her sainthood.

At the young age of 12, despite her desire to join a convent, Rita had an arranged marriage to a man of a noble family named Paolo Macini. Her marriage lasted close to 18 years, and she endured physical and emotional abuse as well as infidelity from her short-tempered husband. Throughout her marriage, Rita focused on the Lord through prayer and forgave her husband for all of his wrongdoings and abuse. Through prayer and kindness, she converted her husband’s heart, and he became a better person.

Rita gave birth to two sons, Giovanni and Paolo. Years after their birth, an enemy of the family murdered her husband. Rita’s sons desired to avenge their father’s death but passed away from dysentery; many believe their death was God’s answer to Rita’s prayers to protect them from physical attack.

Perseverance in Faith

St. Rita persisted in faith and her love for God after the death of her husband and sons. She desired to enter a monastery, as she had when she was just a child, but was turned away out of fear of her feuding family. Rita prayed for the intercession of the saints and for an end to the feud that caused so much heartache, pain, and death in her life. Over time, the feuding ended, and she was permitted to enter the monastery of St. Mary Magdalene in Cascia at the age of 36.

At age 60, Rita received a stigmata of a thorn in her forehead while meditating with an image of Christ crucified. This painful stigmata stayed with her as a fresh wound, causing her to suffer just as Christ did during his passion. To this day, her body is incorruptible, with stigmata intact.

It is said that St. Rita was bedridden and endured significant pain as she neared the end of her life in 1457 and asked for a single rose. Although it was winter, a single rose was found at her home and brought to her. It has been reported annually on her feast day that the scent of roses fills her shrine. Pope Leo XIII canonized St. Rita on May 24, 1900, and her feast day is celebrated on May 22. She is recognized as the patron saint of abused wives and heartbroken women and has also been titled the Patroness of Impossible Causes.

Throughout Rita’s life, she could have focused on negativity, pain, and suffering. She could have thought that she wasn’t made for greatness and questioned why the Lord burdened her. Instead, she was fueled by faith, persistence, and strength to carry her cross — in the most beautiful of ways glorifying God through every storm.

Let us remind ourselves that nothing that happens today or tomorrow will ever be too much for us to bear. In times of doubt, let us look to the horizon. We all have voyages across vast oceans to conquer and salt to wipe from our wounds as we travel afar. A pearl isn’t formed overnight, in shallow waters, nor in the easiest of circumstances. Brilliant and radiantly unique, may St. Rita, the precious pearl, lead us to faith in every situation so that we may serve the Lord and fulfill his plan for each one of us.