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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1e414e7 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #52481 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52481) diff --git a/old/52481-8.txt b/old/52481-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 89d4524..0000000 --- a/old/52481-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5693 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Life of St. Rita of Cascia, O.S.A., by Richard Connolly - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Life of St. Rita of Cascia, O.S.A. - from the Italian - -Author: Richard Connolly - -Release Date: July 2, 2016 [EBook #52481] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF ST. RITA OF CASCIA, O.S.A. *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines - - - - - - - - - - -[Frontispiece: ST. RITA RECEIVES HER MIRACULOUS WOUND] - - - - - LIFE OF ST. RITA - OF CASCIA, O.S.A. - - - from the Italian - - - BY - VERY REV. RICHARD CONNOLLY - O.S.A., D.D. - - - - R. & T. WASHBOURNE - 4 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON - BENZIGER BROS.: NEW YORK, CINCINNATI AND CHICAGO - 1903 - - - - - Nihil Obstat: - FR. JOANNES L. CONDON, O.S.A., - CENS. DEPUTATUS. - - - PERMISSION TO PUBLISH - - We approve of the publication of the 'Life of - St. Rita of Cascia,' from the Italian, by the - Very Rev. Fr. Richard Connolly, O.S.A., D.D. - - FR. W. O'SULLIVAN, O.S.A., - VICAR PROVINCIAL. - CORK, _Feast of St. Patrick_, 1903. - - Imprimatur: - HERBERTUS CARDINALIS VAUGHAN, - ARCHIEPISCOPUS WESTMONASTERIENSIS. - - - - -CONTENTS - -PART I - -RITA IN THE WORLD - -CHAPTER - - I. CASCIA: A GLANCE AT ITS HISTORY - II. RITA'S PARENTS - III. RITA'S WONDERFUL CONCEPTION - IV. RITA'S BIRTH - V. THE WHITE BEES OF ST. RITA - VI. RITA'S CHILDHOOD - VII. RITA'S LOVE OF RETIREMENT - VIII. RITA'S MARRIAGE - IX. RITA AS WIFE - X. DEATH OF RITA'S HUSBAND AND CHILDREN--RITA AS WIDOW - - -PART II - -RITA IN THE CLOISTER - - I. RITA'S MIRACULOUS ENTRY INTO THE CLOISTER AND HER RECEPTION - II. RITA AS NOVICE--HER PROFESSION - III. RITA'S CHARITY - IV. OTHER VIRTUES WHICH RITA PRACTISED IN THE CLOISTER - V. RITA'S OBSERVANCE OF THE RELIGIOUS VOWS - VI. RITA'S PENANCES - VII. RITA'S SPIRIT OF PRAYER - VIII. A THORN FROM THE SAVIOUR'S CROWN OF THORNS WOUNDS RITA'S FOREHEAD - IX. RITA GOES TO ROME TO GAIN THE INDULGENCE OF THE JUBILEE - X. RITA'S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH - - -PART III - -RITA IN HEAVEN - - I. WONDERFUL EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT RITA'S DEATH--BURIAL OF HER SACRED BODY - II. MIRACLES WROUGHT BY GOD THROUGH RITA'S INTERCESSION BEFORE HER BEATIFICATION - III. EFFICACY OF THE RELICS OF ST. RITA - IV. MARVELS OF ST. RITA'S SEPULCHRE - V. IMMEMORIAL WORSHIP OF ST. RITA - VI. SOLEMN BEATIFICATION OF RITA - VII. MIRACLES WORKED BY RITA AFTER HER BEATIFICATION - VIII. MORE RECENT MIRACLES OF ST. RITA - IX. HER CANONIZATION - X. THE THREE MIRACLES APPROVED FOR HER CANONIZATION - -CONCLUSION - - - - -Part I - -RITA IN THE WORLD - - - -LIFE OF ST. RITA OF CASCIA - - -CHAPTER I - -CASCIA: A GLANCE AT ITS HISTORY - -St. Bernard observes that the place in which our Saviour died attracts -our devotion in a greater degree than any of those places in which He -dwelt during His life, and can therefore boast of a certain -pre-eminence. Speaking of St. Rita, we can say the same of Cascia -compared with Rocca Porena, her birthplace. Cascia governed Rocca -Porena as did Jerusalem Nazareth, but it is not on this account we -claim its superiority, but because our saint lived there for many years -and died there, and there her relics are venerated. Cascia is -therefore looked upon as St. Rita's home, and hence she is called St. -Rita of Cascia. Were we but to give a cursory sketch of the history of -Cascia from its annals, which still exist, the present volume could not -contain what we should be forced to write, so important did it become; -we will therefore content ourselves with alluding to a few of the more -salient points in its story. - -This ancient and illustrious town is built under the shadow of the -Apennines, at a point in that chain of mountains almost midway between -the Alps and the Mediterranean. It is on the borders of Umbria, seven -miles from Norcia, ten from Leonessa, thirty from Rieti, and -twenty-three from Spoleto. It stands on the site of the ancient -Cursula, which is believed to have been a Roman free-town--that is, its -people enjoyed the honours, rights, and privileges of Roman -citizenship, and their town was governed by its own laws. That Cursula -was a town of some importance is attested by its remains, which are -still extant, notably by the Temple of the Augurs, the Temple of Mars, -and the House of the Duumviri. - -We have nothing else than these remains to guide us in inquiring into -the history of Cursula, nor can we surmise the epoch from whence to -date its existence. We know from Dionysius of Halicarnassus that it -was destroyed, and that a new town rose on the ruins of the original -one, but the dates of these events cannot be fixed with certainty. The -date of the rebuilding of Cursula may, with some probability, be placed -at something more than ten years before the birth of our Saviour, and -hence its pagan inhabitants were strengthening the foundations of its -future greatness when Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, was laying the -_foundation of the Redemption of man_. We know, too, that it was a -republic, but are left in the dark as to how it managed to achieve and -preserve its independence. It is credible that, like other Italian -cities, it acquired its liberty at the time of the second fall of the -Roman Empire, after the death of the Emperor-Saint Henry, during the -Pontificate of John XIX., or about the year 1025. This independence it -retained till 1260, in which year, through the ambition of rival -leaders, the seeds of civic dissension were sown, and the republic was -exposed to dangers from without. It was at this time that the people -of Cascia determined to put themselves under the authority of Alexander -IV., who then occupied the Papal chair. They were induced to this -action by what they saw of the peaceful nature of the Papal government, -and because they adhered to the Guelph party, which was favourable to -the Holy See. Alexander IV. was the great Pontiff who, uniting the -greatest virtues to the highest mental attainments, contrived during -the height of the sanguinary quarrels between Guelphs and Ghibellines, -which had for twenty years torn and divided Italy, to stamp out -incendiarism, to crush tyranny, and cause peace and happiness to -flourish again in the distracted peninsula. Cascia had no reason to -regret the changed state of affairs, for the monarchical system which -its submission to the Pope introduced by no means destroyed its -republican form of government. Hence it retained the right of -regulating its own affairs by its own laws; hence its mayor, elected -every six months, retained his authority; hence it retained those -chiefs of the people, at first called 'Ateposti,' then 'Gonfalonieri,' -and finally 'Consuls.' To these latter a troop of soldiers, called the -people's jury, was subject, who had the duty not only of defending the -people, but of acting on the offensive when necessary. The court of -justice, the guards and robes of the consuls, the stately retinue of -the mayor, the fortifications with their garrisons, the number of -subject towns and villages--of which more than forty recognise Cascia -as their chief at present, without speaking of the many which the -ravages of time have destroyed--the right of peace and war left, at -least in part, to the brave people of Cascia--these and other memories -of the past, which even now may be seen in the consular registers, -constitute a proof of the liberty which Cascia enjoyed under the Popes -and of the fame which it acquired. - -But at the beginning of the disastrous and prolonged schism of the -anti-Popes, Cascia unfurled the standard of rebellion, either through a -desire of complete independence, or, as some say, on account of the -insolent conduct of the Papal soldiers, and for a period of about 131 -years--till the year 1517--it remained under a sort of mixed -government. This interval of complete independence was filled up by an -uninterrupted series of wars waged with its neighbours of Norcia, of -Leonessa, of Monreale, of Aquila, or of Cerreto. But after the first -outburst of enthusiasm for complete independence, and in the midst of -quarrels with its neighbours, the republic of Cascia took occasion to -show its pristine reverence and love for the See of Rome. A clear -proof of the correspondence between Cascia and the Papal See is the -formal announcement, made by the Cardinals met together in council at -Constance, to the commune of Cascia, of the election of Pope Martin V. -to the Pontifical throne. The prompt assistance given by the people of -Cascia to Eugene IV., successor to Martin V., against Corrado Trinci, -Governor of Foligno, who tried to make himself lord and master of that -city, is another proof of their loyalty to the Holy See. When the wise -and great-minded Leo X. ascended the Papal throne he brought back -Cascia to its obedience to the Holy See by a brief dated 1517. All its -ancient privileges and distinctions were confirmed by him, and a -Cardinal was appointed to govern the city; for Cascia still continued -to have the title 'city,' as it had till 1600 at least. Some speak of -money coined there, of its coats of arms, of printing done there, of -its prosperity and commerce, of the cultivation of the fine arts; but -the cultivation of souls is what chiefly adorns it. - -And, in the first place, if nobility presupposes the talents or merits -of ancestors either in field or court, what must we say of Cascia, -which reckoned in its environs 200 famous families, which are extinct -only within the last two centuries, without speaking of others that -betook themselves elsewhere, or of the ancient patrician families that -still dwell in the homes of their ancestors? - -There is no need to go back to remote antiquity to catch a glimpse of -the great men who had their origin in Cascia in the splendour of its -greatest glories. The great ones born there, even in the latest years -of its decadence, are a proof of what it produced in the past, and are -sufficient to renew the honours it merited in its beginnings. - -The Cardinals, the Bishops, the Prelates, the names distinguished in -science and in arms of the Poli, Frenfanelli, Benenati, Cruciani, -Squarcipani, Colangeli, Negroni, Graziani, Franceschini, Leonetti, -Giudici, Elemosina, Girolami, Gregorietti, and of other illustrious -families, would supply ample material to whosoever would wish to -pronounce the praises of Cascia. We, who have for our study a nun and -a saint, shall content ourselves with going into the shadow of the -cloister and of the sanctuary. We find Andrew of Cascia, a Franciscan -who lived at the same time as St. Rita, who had the happiness of -bringing the Gospel to the Turks at Fez, where he suffered martyrdom -after converting many to Christ and working many miracles. The glory -of this humble friar outshines the glory which the honours of the world -can give. Blessed Pace, a Minor Conventual, born in Cascia, great in -virtue and by the miracles he worked, raised himself above every -earthly greatness. - -But what must have most drawn the soul of our St. Rita to desire from -her childhood the life of the cloister, and to follow it in her mature -years, were the singular models of sanctity which the Augustinian -institute in Cascia could furnish. The memory of the saintly heroes, -followers of the great Augustine, who dwelt in the woods about Cascia, -was to her the memory of a recent event. The first of these recluses -is Blessed John, who from being lord of three towns shut himself in the -Valley of Attino, not far from Cascia, in order to lead a life hidden -in God in the deepest contemplation. Then comes Blessed Ugolino, who -imitated the example of Blessed John in renouncing the pleasant things -of this world to engage himself entirely with heavenly things in the -hermitage of St. Anatolia, in the territory of Cascia, where, living in -misery, he prepared for himself a way to a high degree of glory in -heaven. The third is Blessed Simon Fidati, whom the shades of the -hermitage could not hide from the world. For the books on the ascetic -life which this very learned hermit of St. Augustine wrote in these -solitudes began to make him known; then his unwearying and fruitful -preaching through the chief cities of Italy, especially Florence and -Siena; the conversions of which he was the instrument; the number of -enemies he reconciled; his spirit of prophecy; his unconquerable -charity on most difficult occasions; the foundation of two monasteries -in the city of Florence; the other works written by him, whence he -deserved to be reckoned the brightest ornament of the Augustinian Order -at that time, both by his eloquence and profound learning, more infused -than acquired, as well as for the piety and fervour which animated him -in writing--these and many other of his merits made him glorious in -this world, and still more glorious in heaven. - -Contemporary with Blessed Simon were many other remarkable men of the -same Order, and born in the same place, as Fr. Bartolo, Vicar of the -Lateran Basilica, who enriched his convent of Cascia with more than 600 -relics; the Venerable Andrew, noble standard-bearer of the Gospel in -Turkey; another Venerable Andrew, of the Capozi family, rendered famous -his country, his name, and the Augustinian Order by his fruitful -preaching and his learning. Fr. Nicholas, of the noble family of the -Saracini of Cascia, was also a contemporary of St. Rita. After leaving -the pomp of the world to follow Jesus Christ in poverty and -humiliation, he was raised through all the ranks of the monastic -hierarchy till he was elected and re-elected General of his Order, and -then promoted by Pope John XXIII. to the episcopal See of Macerata and -Recanati, where he died in the odour of sanctity in the arms of the -people whom he had reformed and whom he loved. In those times, too, -Stephen of Castel San Giorgio, in the district of Cascia, by his -virtues and talents, obtained the highest honours in his Order, and -became Procurator-General. We might mention the names of many other -famous men of the convent and city of Cascia, either contemporary with -St. Rita or nearly so, as Angelus and Louis of Cascia, Cherubinus -Lavosi (Bishop of Telesia), Paoletti, Squarcipani, Amici, three of the -Simonetti family--all either theologians of some eminence or famous -preachers, or remarkable for their writings; but the notice of these -and of others, however praiseworthy for virtue or honourable to their -native city of Cascia, might seem beside our purpose and be tedious to -those who wish to read the life of St. Rita. At all events, it may be -deduced from what we have written that Cascia was not without honour in -its history and in its inhabitants. - -Still, what is Cascia in the sight of God? What is even Jerusalem -before Him and in the light of His inscrutable judgment? Human -greatness, which dazzles our eyes, disappears in the glance of God, and -is lost in its own nothingness. There is no distinction of persons -with Him, nor is there distinction of places. The little town of -Nazareth, out of which, in the common very poor opinion of it, it -seemed nothing good could come, was, in the Divine councils, -preordained to be the fatherland of the Saviour of the world; and the -still meaner town of Bethlehem--even a stable in Bethlehem--was chosen -as His place of birth. Thus it often happens that God chooses the weak -things, the lowly, the despicable, the things of naught to confound the -goodly things and the strong, and to work great designs, in order that -the creature may not have whence to vaunt himself before his Creator. -Such was the case exactly with that humble spot Rocca Porena, which was -destined to be the birthplace of St. Rita. - -To give some idea of it, let us say it is two miles and a half from -Cascia towards the west, where it is closed in, not to say buried. An -overhanging mountain crushes it in on all sides and dominates it, and -with difficulty gives access to it from the east by two narrow roads, -one on either side of a precipitous rock. The river which flows to the -base of this rock, famous in the life of the saint, does not approach -the small piece of level ground which, together with the village, forms -the bottom of a deep basin. The sun is tardy there in rising, and sets -early, leaving the barren plain to its languor and sadness. One would -say that a place so isolated and confined, where neither the beauty of -nature nor of art appears, and where the sky is almost the only thing -in view, was created for contemplation and to be the home of innocence. -The two houses of St. Rita are still to be seen, almost at opposite -ends of the village, the one in which she was born and lived until her -marriage in that part called the Borghetto, and the other where she -lived a wife, and which is now turned into a little chapel in her -honour, in the place called the Piazza. The saint's garden, now grown -wild, is also shown to the pious traveller. Besides these there does -not seem to be anything worthy of mention. We may therefore infer that -as Bethlehem was styled the least amongst the cities of Judea, so, -perhaps, is Rocca Porena the least amongst the towns of Cascia--the -least, indeed, as a place, but memorable by reason of the favour shown -it, which exalts it far above the others, since it has given to us that -great saint who, by her singular example of innocence and virtue, is -become the guide and model in the way of perfection to virgins, to -married women, to widows, and to those living in the cloisters, in such -a manner as Bethlehem--if we may lawfully make a comparison between the -original and a faint copy--was exalted by the birth of Jesus Christ, -where, as Blessed Simon of Cascia says, He made Himself the mystical -and life-giving bread for our common nourishment and comfort on the way -which leads to heaven. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -RITA'S PARENTS - -The fortunate parents of Rita were Antonio Mancini, of Rocca Porena and -Amata Ferri, who is believed to be from a village called Fogliano. -Antonio was not noble, nor had he a title, but we may apply to him the -praise which the Holy Spirit gives to Noah--that he was a just man and -perfect in his times, and he walked with God. The Gracchi, the -Scipios, the Cæsars among the number of their family honours cannot -find a title greater or even equal to this. - -Every other superiority is vanity, and if there be glory from other -titles, it is the glory of another, which cannot pass to the posterity -of those who merited it. Justice alone makes that real nobility which -St. Augustine and other holy fathers call nobility according to the -heart of God. And although even this cannot be passed on to -descendants, as it did not pass from Noah to his son Cham, whom he -cursed, yet it is not unusual for God to recall the justice of parents, -not only for a model, but to give a certain extrinsic glory to their -descendants. Hence, when the Holy Spirit wished to record the praises -of St. John the Baptist, He wished also for his honour that we should -remember that his parents were both 'just before God, walking in all -the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame.' So we -can also say of Antonio and Amata, of whom was born St. Rita, who had a -special devotion to St. John. They were not of noble blood, but they -were noble in their works; they were not rich in temporal goods, but -they were rich in the true treasures of Divine grace, which do not pass -from those who possess them. They enjoyed the esteem of all who knew -them, an esteem more precious than that which flattery offers to the -rich and great of this world. Their fortune constituted that -mediocrity which the wise man sought from God in order that abundance -might not tempt him to forget his Creator, nor poverty to give himself -a prey to any vice. The industrious and honourable labour, and the -innocent pastoral life which in their time did not degrade the -Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, did not make the Mancini family -less worthy of honour. Rather from the fruits of their labour did they -acquire the means of exercising a beneficent liberality towards the -poor of Jesus Christ, whom they cherished with an ardent charity. -Whether the fruits of their fields were abundant or scarce, these two -happy ones, husband and wife, lived contented in their frugality, -always giving thanks to the Giver of every good gift, and placing -themselves entirely in conformity with the most just and providential -dispositions of heaven. Perfect concord, which was their dearest -virtue, since in it is the fulness of the law, always reigned in their -home. And hence when they heard of divisions amongst others, which -were only too frequent in that age and country, they were speedily -present with them, and with their insinuating manners and holy zeal -they insisted in their charitable offices till peace was restored. -They were, on this account, commonly called the 'peacemakers of Jesus -Christ.' - -They corrected the erring according to the rules of the Gospel; they -interceded for them with so fervent prayers, with so great concern, and -with so happy results, that, like Moses, they appeared to be -constituted mediators between the people and God. They steadily hated -vice, and practised every virtue. The book from which they learned and -cherished sentiments so virtuous was none other than the Passion of the -Redeemer. It furnished them with inexhaustible matter for their -meditations, for their liveliest compassion, and for that remarkable -piety which, from her cradle, they instilled into the heart of Rita, -and which they left her as a heritage. In a word, it may with reason -be said of them what was said of the parents of St. John the -Baptist--that they were both just to the eyes of God, walking without -stain in the exact observance of the law. This was their nobility, -this was their wealth, which it pleased God to pass to their daughter -and to multiply in her in a singular way. Thus we may say, as Blessed -Simon of Cascia writes, that the parents' goodness instilled the best -dispositions even before her birth into her who was to be born from -them, as the goodness of Zachary and Elizabeth went to exalt the holy -precursor St. John. - -Thus these two holy souls, husband and wife, lived a long series of -years in these exercises of virtue and piety, without, however, seeing -any fruit of their chaste union. God so disposed it that the desires -of their youthful years should be vain, that they should labour to -detach their minds still more from mortal things, and in order that the -proofs of an extraordinary work of His providence should one day shine -the brighter. Meanwhile, their desire of offspring, with which nature -innocently inspired them, had not only grown cold with advancing years, -but was quite extinct; no other care should remain with them now than -that of ascending to the eternal heritage of the heavenly Father, -instead of descending to the care of children and transmitting their -temporal possessions to their posterity on earth. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -RITA'S WONDERFUL CONCEPTION - -That God, who is wonderful in His saints, and who, to use a sacred -expression, seems at times to play sport with the world, and especially -with those creatures that form His delight, wished in the end, and at a -time when in the natural order offspring could least be expected from -these old and barren consorts, to grant them in a prodigious manner the -fulfilment of their ancient desires--a fulfilment the more acceptable -as more unforeseen, and the happier and more certain inasmuch as it was -marked and sealed with the seal of the Omnipotent. So great and so -remarkable graces can foreshadow only great and remarkable sanctity. - -Isaac was meant to be the type of Jesus Christ sacrificed for the human -race; he was intended to be a figure of the propagation of the -faithful; he should be great in the order of grace. Still, he was born -out of the order of nature, of parents also barren by reason of their -age. He who was to prepare the way for the impending appearance of the -Redeemer, and who was to be more than a prophet and the greatest -amongst the saints, he also was miraculously born of parents aged and -barren; not to speak of other distinguished personages, both of the Old -and New Testaments, who in various ways were born in a supernatural -manner to exalt the stupendous works of omnipotence and of grace. Not -otherwise did the Lord, who in His lofty designs intended great things -for our heroine, dispose that her conception should be most remarkable -and above the order of nature. - -Amata became conscious of the wonderful event, and, full of amazement, -she dared not credit the evidence of it. In such a state she felt her -heart agitated, now by fears that she was deceived, again by hope of -the contrary; at one time by shame at so unusual an occurrence at such -an age as hers, at another her feelings of wonder overwhelmed her; and -again she experienced renewed struggles of fresh fears, emotions, and -passions. But, as is the way with the just, the troubled woman had -recourse to prayer to the Father of light, to the God of consolation, -and whilst she persevered in her humble, fervent, and constant prayers, -there appeared to her an angel, a bearer of certainty, of peace, and of -happy tidings, as an angel appeared to Abraham and Sara while they were -employed in the charitable exercise of hospitality, and to Zachary -amidst his prayers and offerings of incense. However joyful and -consoling in itself was this angelic apparition, it did not fail to -cause in her heart feelings of perturbation. Daniel and the other -prophets had a like sensation in similar circumstances; Zachary had the -same feelings, and so had the most holy Mother of God herself. The -reason is, as Blessed Simon of Cascia wisely observes, that humanity is -naturally disturbed and stricken with fear at the sudden sight of -things extraordinary or greater than itself. But, as the same blessed -writer adds, since those heavenly spirits, when they are sent for our -relief, are accustomed to comfort the timid, thus, as the archangel -told the father of the future Precursor not to fear, and by the -announcement of his birth in the near future calmed his heart with -efficacious words, so did another ambassador from heaven bring the same -security and joy to the troubled mind of Rita's mother, and assure her -that she should bring forth a child; and that nothing should be wanting -to the fulness of her consolation, he made known to her in brief the -eminent virtues and glory of the daughter that was to be born to her, -as the sanctity of the Baptist was likewise foretold to Zachary. - -The miraculous pledge of grace which Antonio's happy wife bore already -in her womb and her lively faith prevented her from smiling at -announcements so wonderful; unlike Abraham's wife, who smiled at a not -dissimilar announcement. Nor did she sin through incredulity, as did -Elizabeth's husband, who was punished for his sin, but forewarned by -fact, and full of that faith which teaches that God can raise up -children to Abraham even from the very stones, she instantly believed -in the words of the angel. The angelic vision disappeared, and Amata, -considering her own unworthiness, was seized with fresh wonder and -profound humility. Thinking at the same time on the signal favour, she -retired, with great contentment and singular gratitude and love towards -the Divine goodness, to pour out the fulness of her pure and fervent -affection at the feet of her most beneficent God. It is easy to think -what a new stimulus to piety in herself and her virtuous husband was -this great grace. Thus they remained happy in their virtue and secure -in the hands of Divine providence, joyously awaiting the happy day of -Rita's extolled birth. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -RITA'S BIRTH - -Now that we are about to describe Rita's birth, it will not be out of -place to cast a passing glance at the unhappy state of those times, in -order to see things more clearly as we progress with our history, and -in order that the providence of God and His grace may more clearly be -discerned to His honour and glory. The memories are still fresh in our -minds, or, rather, the wounds which the avenging sword of the God of -armies inflicted on us. There is not a moment in which we do not -recall with horror the mournful losses inflicted by arms on property, -commerce, arts, study, families, States, good order, morals, on -religion and the Church. But however true and just our regrets may be, -it is a fact that Italy was much more harassed and afflicted at the -period about the birth of Rita. To read of the extortions of the -Visconti through the wide extent of their dominions in Lombardy, the -cruelty exercised by them on the pretext of punishing treason, their -unbridled lust, and their most unworthy harassing of the clergy, -excites our horror. At the other extremity of Italy, in the kingdom of -Naples, a territory of equal importance, wrongs and scandals of every -description, and the most deplorable calamities, caused by the parties -of the Dukes of Anjou and Surazzo, who laid claim to the kingdom, -spread themselves and took root as the civil war that followed on the -death of King Robert became more widespread. The different other -States into which Italy was then divided were not anything better. For -the luxury of these little Courts which tried to rival the great ones -to the grave oppression of the people, their despotism, their rivalry -and wars, their unbridled ambition to command which multiplied the -domestic treasons and assassinations of brothers by brothers, of -relatives by relatives (if we except the houses of Savoy, Monferrato, -Saluzzo, and Este)--these and the other dominant vices and scandals -served only to increase misery and sorrow. The cities of the Papal -States were also, for the most part, groaning under the yoke of -rebels--bloody, inexorable, lewd tyrants--and especially before Gregory -IX. re-established his throne in Rome after his return from Avignon. -And, as if these Italian tyrants were not sufficient to cause public -misery, hordes of devastating soldiers issued from Germany, Hungary, -and England to complete the confusion. Warner, Muriale, Sando, -Anchino, Augustus, and others--all captains of the dissolute soldiers -of fortune--were the stubborn arbiters of Italian affairs from the -middle of the fourteenth century till the time of Charles V., although -they were not owners of even a perch of land. These gave their -services in the perpetual wars to whoever paid them best, and went -about pillaging, imposing tribute and subsidies--and woe to him who was -slow in satisfying their demands!--laying waste fields, besieging -towns, and universally exercising their pitiless power. Hence, as the -people model themselves after the manners of kings and nobles, it is -easy to divine the general state of morals in the midst of such -depravity. Let us draw a veil over that picture, the sight of which -would move to horror humanity, religion, and especially modesty. - -Let it suffice to say that so deeply rooted was this universal -depravity that not even the pestilence, that so evident sign of the -anger of heaven, which in the middle of that century carried off more -than half the inhabitants of Italy, was able to check it. And that -which the prophet Isaias seems to have foreseen in his time, but in -another sense, was fulfilled here too: such as the people is, so shall -the priest be--so strong was the influence of the bad example and want -of discipline introduced into Italy by the abandoning of their -Apostolic See in Rome by the Popes. The prevailing depravity -afterwards opened the way to still greater evils. - -For the zeal with which Urban VI., successor of Gregory XI., sought to -remedy the evils which afflicted the Church was intolerable to some, -and hence followed the election of an anti-Pope, which gave rise to -that terrible schism which burst forth a little before the birth of -Rita, and ended only a short time before her death. - -Who can recall without tears the separations between friends, princes -taking opposing sides, the spiritual and temporal arms put in -antagonism, the neglect of the canons, the numberless scandals and -losses of the Church, which would at that time have been threatened -with absolute ruin, but that the gates of hell can never prevail -against the unshakable edifice founded on the rock of Peter, which can -never fail? The Church was at that time, moreover, filled with sorrow -by the heresies of the Beguins, the Flagellants, the Adamites, the -Waldensians, the Wickliffites, and others, and by the rapid successes -of Amurath I., who, to the loss of the Christian name, took possession -of Thessaly and Macedonia about the time of Rita's birth. Neither in -the Eastern nor in the Western Church was there an Emperor either -fitted to oppose a bulwark against the inrush of such evils or disposed -to oppose them. John Paleologus in the East had lost heart through his -frequent defeats, and was leagued against the powers of Christendom; -and in the West, Wenceslaus, given to the wine-cup and to luxury, was -become good for nothing. - -The republics of the time, amongst which was Cascia, were not much more -fortunate than the kingdoms. Genoa and Venice, which only a short time -previous might have been compared in their rivalry to Rome and Carthage -in the ancient world, had now both become exhausted of all their -strength through a long series of stubborn wars undertaken against one -another, and although they were now mutually at peace and also with the -other Powers, through the intervention of the Duke of Savoy, they were -unable to show any opposition to the common enemy of Christendom. Nor -did the avarice and ambition of these States fail to bring in their -train a fruitful crop of all other vices. Florence, too, although -happy in the cultivation of the fine arts, was infected with the -general depravity. The city was torn by faction, and weakened by those -other vices against which Blessed Simon of Cascia had so strenuously -preached a few years earlier. And although these exhortations brought -about a reform, it was but half-hearted and short-lived. Vicious -practices increased in the city, and open rebellion against the Holy -See was their eventual outcome. Of Cascia itself we read that in 1380 -the Guelphs and the Ghibellines committed horrible atrocities -throughout the city and its dependent territory. And although the -opposing factions patched up a peace between them in that year, it was -of no long duration, since, as we have said in the first chapter, the -people of Cascia rebelled against the Holy See during the first years -of the schism of the anti-Popes, just after the birth of Rita. Murder -and robbery, pillage and incendiarism followed in the wake of -rebellion, and brought ruin to many families in Cascia and destruction -upon her religious places. A war soon broke out between Cascia and -Leonessa, which lasted for twelve months, and would have continued much -longer but for the friendly intervention of the Trinci of Foligno, -through whose efforts peace was made. Such was the wretched condition -of affairs in Italy at that time. - -It is truly wonderful, as St. John Chrysostom says of a somewhat -similar case, how so fair a rose as St. Rita was could have bloomed -amid so many thorns. Yet such was the disposition of Divine -providence, which decreed that where sin superabounded grace should -abound in that chosen soul who, from the miraculous events that -preceded her birth and her innocence, which she preserved intact, -seemed almost to have been sanctified in her mother's womb. Rita, -then, was born in the village of Rocca Porena in the year 1381, during -the pontificate of Urban. Her parents were Antonio Mancini and Amata -Ferri, the child of whose old age she was, the first and only fruit of -their chaste love, or, rather, of their remarkable virtue. The pure -joy which filled Amata's heart at the sight of the infant, which heaven -itself had extolled, must have made her forget those trials which every -mother has experienced since our first mother Eve committed original -sin. Antonio, too, as he gazed tenderly on the predestined child, must -have exulted in the Lord, and must, like Simeon of old, have felt -himself ready to die content; he, too, could now sing a hymn of -thanksgiving to God, who had granted him the happiness of seeing the -glory of his family, of his country, and of the new house of Israel. -The general joy and universal congratulation of relatives and -neighbours added to the happiness of the pious couple, whose virtue and -charity had made them esteemed by all. Thus did the relatives and -neighbours of the holy Elizabeth rejoice at the equally wonderful birth -of St. John the Baptist, for the Lord desired to make known the mercy -he had shown in the first appearance of the Precursor. 'All who love -goodness,' says Simon of Cascia, 'participate in the joy that is -occasioned by the birth of one destined to live for the common good.' -Those who rejoice in grace, and in the sight of the fruits of justice, -must let their sentiments be evident to all, as in the present case, in -which a pious mother brought forth a saintly child. It is part of the -spiritual life to be pleased at the prosperity of others, and to -rejoice with those especially who have been marked by the favour of the -Omnipotent God. - -Meanwhile, the parents of the newly-born infant, in the midst of these -rejoicings, were pondering on what name they should call her, and again -that God, who had by an angel announced her birth, again in a vision of -the night made them know that Rita was to be her name. It is a rare -privilege of some saints, remarks St. Ambrose, to deserve to get their -names from God Himself. Thus Jacob was named Israel by the Lord, thus -was the Baptist named John by the angel, thus the Eternal Father called -the Word made flesh by the name Jesus before He was born, and thus did -she who was to imitate the virtues of the Baptist and be a faithful -follower of Jesus Christ get her name from heaven. The name Rita, as -being quite an unusual name, must have been meant to signify the -sanctity that was to mark the life of the child so designated, and if -we were to give credence to the opinion of the Augustinian author -Didacus, Rita signifies virtue and grace. - -But this name foreshadowed only what Rita was to be, not what she was. -For although she could be considered from then as a child of God in the -order of predestination, yet according to the order of nature, and -according to her actual state, she was, owing to original sin, a child -of wrath; and to become an adopted child of God she needed to be -cleansed from the hereditary stain of original sin in the sanctifying -waters of the Redeemer. Her baptism took place on the fourth day after -her birth, although we may believe her pious parents wished her to be -baptized with all possible speed, and from the delay we may conclude -that the time of her birth must have been in the winter season. There -was no baptismal font at that time in Rocco Porena, and the child had -therefore to be taken to the collegiate church of St. Mary in Cascia, -where that grace which was to be the beginning and the seal of her -sanctification awaited her. There Rita put off the garb of sin, and -came forth from the salutary bath of baptism clothed in the garment of -innocence and enriched with the gifts of the Holy Ghost, who from the -moment chose her to be His spouse. Thus did the regenerated babe -return to her mother's bosom and the joyful embraces of her parents, -fairer to the eyes of faith than her beauty made her to the eyes of men. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE WHITE BEES OF ST. RITA - -When the godmother and her attendants returned from Cascia after the -baptism, a feast was prepared for them and the relatives of the happy -parents, to celebrate in a manner becoming their humble position the -double birth of Rita in the order of nature and of grace. Meanwhile, -the child had closed her eyes in a tranquil slumber. When the next day -dawned, the fifth day of her existence, a swarm of bees, all of the -fairest white colour, and such as were never before seen, made their -appearance. They flew a-buzzing about the cradle of the child, and -after alighting for a moment on her angelic face were seen to go in and -come out of her slightly open mouth in a sort of regular order, as if -to take from her lips the honey of Paradise. What feelings of wonder -and awe must have been awakened in the heart of Amata and those who -were present by so marvellous an occurrence! - -The Gospel tells us that fear came upon all the neighbours of Elizabeth -and Zachary as they considered the miraculous events that marked the -birth of the Baptist, and that they noised abroad all these things that -foretold his future extraordinary sanctity. In like manner similar the -wonderful signs that were given at Rita's birth, for Divine providence -so disposed it in order that honour should be rendered to her by those -whose attention had been attracted by these extraordinary happenings, -and that those who came in contact with her should be induced to order -their own lives more exactly by following the salutary example she was -to give. This incident of the appearance of the white bees in the -cradle of our saint is the one which the painters and poets who have -illustrated her life have vied most with one another in depicting. To -avoid having to return again to the subject of the bees, which have -ever been mentioned in connection with the life of St. Rita, we will -here describe what seems to be a confirmation and perpetuation of the -wonderful occurrence we have just related. Going from Rocca Porena to -Cascia, and entering the convent where our saint resided, there, in an -old wall opposite the convent gate, at a point midway between the cell -which Rita inhabited and the spot in which her body was laid to rest, -we are met with a sight that cannot fail to move us to admiration. For -there, even to the present day, the bees, commonly called St. Rita's -bees, have their nest. They are called St. Rita's, for they have been -there since her time, and have come there, we may believe, owing to -her, and, as it were, to do her honour. There is only a small number -of them--some twelve or fifteen--and everything connected with them is -extraordinary and wonderful. In the first place, as we have hinted -above, the species to which these bees belong has never, as far as we -are aware, been determined. They live each one to itself in a hole -which it has dug in the wall, and as often as these holes have been -stopped up in the process of plastering the wall they have again -excavated them. They spin a sort of white substance, with which they -stop the entrance to their retreat, as if to hide themselves from view -during their long retirement and fast of eleven months. They appear -only on those days dedicated to the memory of our Lord's Passion, and, -be it noted, these are mostly movable feasts; and they betake -themselves to retirement about the time of the death of St. Rita, who -was devoted, as we shall see, to meditation on the Passion of our Lord. -For four centuries they have been found in the same place, without ever -having changed their place of abode. These ascertained facts seem to -declare clearly enough that it has been the will of the Most High to -extol through them the merit and the glory of His beloved servant. -There is no need to add the many anecdotes of these bees, which are -related in some lives of our saint, and which the nuns of Cascia still -tell; let one suffice. Jacobilli says that one of these bees was sent -to Pope Urban VIII. in a crystal vessel, and that it soon flew back -again to the place it occupied in the convent wall. - -Here it may be asked whether the bees we have described are the same -that appeared when Rita was an infant in swaddling-clothes. It would -be harder to give an answer to this question than to the riddle which -Sampson proposed to his bridesmen. Sampson's faithless spouse was able -to wrest his secret from him and then reveal it to her Philistine -friends: that the sweetness that came forth out of the strong was the -honeycomb that was made in the mouth of the lion that he had torn in -pieces a short time before. But we can find no answer to our question. -However, those biographers of St. Rita who, without hesitation, -confused the bees that appeared at her birth with those in the convent -may be excused, as they supposed both to be of the same white colour. -But they have been mistaken, for those at present in the convent wall -are not white--in fact, they do not differ in colour from ordinary -bees, except that they are of a deep red on the back and they want the -sting. But perhaps these writers were not so far from the truth, since -there is but the accidental variety of colour that distinguishes the -present bees from the white ones that appeared first at Rita's birth. -And who can say but that those once meant by God to symbolize by their -whiteness the splendour of Rita's baptismal innocence may not, through -the power of God, have taken on their present appearance to signify the -humiliation and sadness of the penances she took upon herself? To -change the appearance of a species already existing or to create a new -species is easy to God. Let the truth of the matter be where it may, -it is clear that both are marvellous, and worthy to be recorded in the -history of our saint. But it is time we returned to gaze on her, -surrounded in her cradle by those lilies of her incipient sanctity, and -crowned with the bright circle of bees that still buzzed around her. -We might now inquire whether the bees that entered her innocent mouth -made a honeycomb in it, as is believed to have happened to St. Ambrose -in his infancy, as if to forecast the mellifluous eloquence which he -poured forth in his manhood in defence of the Church. Although this -anecdote as related of St. Rita is not sufficiently well proven, -neither is it impossible; for when there is question of miraculous -events the difficulties of time and place do not form an insurmountable -obstacle, as they did not in the case of St. Ambrose. At all events, -we have two authors that assert it, and perhaps their opinion is -supported by the farther statement that is made--that Rita abstained -from her mother's milk on the day on which the bees appeared, the fifth -day after her birth. God may have wished to give her for corporal food -mystical or symbolical honey of unearthly origin, as He had fed her -soul with the food of baptismal grace. In this way would be more -clearly signified that which was foreshadowed by the appearance of the -bees, the insinuating sweetness in word and manner which was afterwards -the cause of the conversion of many sinners, which ever brought -consolation to the afflicted, and spiritual profit to all who had the -good fortune to converse with her. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -RITA'S CHILDHOOD - -St. Augustine in his Confessions takes up two chapters in describing -his infancy, and he discovers in that period of his life only misery -and vestiges of sin, but he recalls these evils that spring from our -sinful origin only to extol the triumphs which Divine grace obtained in -his mature years. The time of infancy is, however, one in which, since -there can be no acts of reflection, nor exercise of will, there can be -no demerit or actual sin, nor merit or virtue. It will not, therefore, -be strange if our history passes over the infancy of Rita and proceeds -to describe her childhood. From the extraordinary piety that -distinguished her parents we can easily surmise what care they took in -training and educating their child to instil into her mind the truths -of religion. They had abundant proofs that Rita was especially dear to -God, that she was born for heaven, and that Divine grace had marked her -for its own. But they knew also that God, who disposes all things -wisely, wished them to co-operate in moulding the chosen child to -virtue and in establishing her in holiness. They were well aware that -even the chiefest vessels of election had for a time kicked against the -goads of grace. Nor were they ignorant what a bulwark of defence is -raised by education and by the example of parents--a fact which many -unhappy parents either know not or are careless of, and hence by their -neglect they become the cause of the eternal ruin of their children. -It will not, therefore, be useless to remark the watchfulness, the care -and anxiety, with which Rita's parents observed all the movements, -words, and actions of a child so dear to them, lest she should take a -step to the right or to the left of the way that leads to heaven, and -which, with the dawning of reason, she began to discern for herself. -But these happy parents had no cause for anxiety during the process of -instructing and moulding the character of their child, for she had, -through God's grace, acquired a disposition marked by uncommon -submission and precocious wisdom. Let it suffice to say that even then -she could not bear those pastimes and sports which are proper to that -tender age, and which are universally regarded as innocent. She had an -example in Tobias, who, although he was the youngest in his tribe, -showed himself to be the wisest, and never did anything that was -childish. - -Another failing, which is dear not only to children, but to all, and -especially to the female sex, the love of fine clothes, was an -abomination to Rita. We must not believe that a virtuous mother like -Amata, especially considering her lowly condition, could allow her -daughter to appear in anything savouring of pride or ostentation. On -the other hand, Rita, although scrupulously obedient in other things to -the slightest wish of her parents, became uneasy whenever they wished -her to put on some pretty ornament; she used even to run away and hide -herself at such times, till she saw that her disinclination provoked a -smile. Thus, satisfied with her humble dress, she took more pains to -adorn her soul than to improve her appearance by the addition of the -least ornament. To simplicity in dress she joined a sedateness of -manner so beyond her years that it attracted universal respect, -admiration, and love, and set a salutary example not only to those of -her own age, but to older people also. She restrained to a wonderful -degree that common tendency of women to curiosity and gossip, and -having her thoughts occupied with higher subjects she avoided all human -conversation as far as good manners and obedience permitted. Obedience -was the virtue according to which she regulated all her actions. She -regarded a beck of her parents as a command of God which she could not -violate; and her obedience was all the more willing as it accorded with -the impulse of grace which impelled her to the practice of all other -virtues. For obedience, as Blessed Simon of Cascia observes, is the -gate of the virtues. Rita's love of retirement and of prayer had -already risen to the heroic point. Whoever wished to see her was -certain of finding her either at home or in the neighbouring parish -church, which was her favourite place of prayer, where she spent entire -hours in meditation and devotion, to the great edification of all. -Although penance is a virtue hardly suitable to so tender an age or to -such perfect innocence, yet Rita began from her earliest years to -chastise her body by different mortifications, and especially by -fasting; and to render her abstinence more meritorious and acceptable -to God she distributed to the poor children of the neighbourhood that -food which she denied herself, thus bringing forth fruits of mercy and -charity from the root of penance. This was the only way in which her -loving good-will and tender compassion could show themselves in action; -poverty made anything further impossible. But the Lord, who searches -the heart, and delights in men of goodwill, sought nothing more from -Rita then. But she was unconsciously increasing in charity and in -merit as she grew in years, so that she could apply to herself the -saying of Job--that mercy came out with him from his mother's womb, and -from his infancy grew up with him.[1] Not only did her spirit grow, as -it were, and become strong by the exercise of these beautiful virtues, -but her progress in all virtue was extraordinary. - - -[1] Job xxi. 18. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -RITA'S LOVE OF RETIREMENT - -St. John the Baptist experienced a similar strengthening of the spirit, -as we read in that place in which it is also written that he went into -the desert, where he hid himself, as Blessed Simon says, in order to -give himself up entirely to prayer, contemplation, and penance. The -comparison between these saints is often a fitting one, for Rita always -follows closely in the footsteps of her great model. It is true that, -according to the example of the Psalmist, she walked in the innocence -of her heart, in the bosom of her virtuous family, for she found -nothing abroad that could distract her spirit from the affairs of her -home, whilst her gravity, modesty, and habitual seclusion opened to her -a wide field for the exercise of her love of prayer. Yet she was so -enamoured of heavenly things that she wearied of the things of earth, -and desired, in a certain sense, to be out of the world; and since this -could not be, she regarded with a holy envy the lot of so many -anchorites and heroines of solitude, who, in deserts and in the depths -of woods, lived lives more like those of angels than of men. She had -before her eyes the examples of Blessed Simon, of Blessed Ugolino, of -Blessed John, and of the other saintly hermits of St Augustine, who had -only recently passed to their reward in heaven, or were still living in -the neighbourhood of Rocca Porena. The example of these models of -holiness increased in her heart her dearest desire to serve her beloved -Jesus amid the silence of the woods and on the mounts of myrrh. But -the love of her aged parents, and obedience, more than any thought of -her youth and sex, prevented her from fulfilling her generous design. -The sacred love with which she was animated made her industrious, and -suggested the thought of converting her home into the solitude she -longed for. With the consent of her parents she chose a little room -separated from the others, and turned it into an oratory. Its walls -she decorated with pictures of our Lord's Passion, and there she shut -herself in, as into the midst of all delights. Her Divine Lover -awaited her there to speak to her heart, and there, far from the eyes -of men, in perpetual silence and abstinence, she enjoyed those -ineffable consolations of grace which the profane know not of. The -constant object of her thoughts, of her ecstasies of soul, of the most -ardent love of her heart, was the Passion of her crucified Spouse; and -in the midst of the tears which accompanied her meditation, whilst her -heart was filled with Divine compassion, she experienced that true -peace and happiness of soul which only grace can produce--how we know -not--from sorrow. She felt herself transformed into the Crucified One, -for whom alone she now lived--rather, she no longer lived, but Jesus -Christ lived in her. In that school of love, through that Divine -teaching, she came to know more certainly the fallacy of all worldly -things; she saw how the world deceives us, and she saw also the charms -and pomps and pleasures of this life, but she saw them as they really -are, and could therefore say with the wise man that they are but vanity -and affliction of spirit. She therefore resolved to have no part in -this deceitful world, and since life in the desert was denied her, she -resolved to bury herself in a cloister. But she had not yet reached -the age in which to put her design into execution. Meanwhile the holy -child lived in her first place of retirement for a full twelvemonth, -until the obligation of assisting her parents and the duties of charity -and obedience forced her from the place of her spiritual happiness. -This happened probably when she was about eleven years old. Her -parents were now beginning to feel the burden of their years, and Rita -had perforce to enter upon an active life, and exercise works of mercy -and justice, without, however, entirely abandoning her practices of -meditation. Her history does not tell us how she performed the -domestic duties that fell to her lot, perhaps because, from what we -know of her life hitherto, that may more easily be imagined than -described. Whilst fulfilling the parts of both sisters of Lazarus, she -did not cease to envy John in the desert. Although the Holy Spirit -had, through her prayers, made known to her many things, and although -she continued still to be enlightened from above, yet she knew not what -was written in the eternal decrees concerning herself, that Providence -only put off to a better time the fulfilment of her thirst for solitude -and for a cloistered life. Rita was intended to be an example to every -age and condition; she should therefore live other lives before -reaching the cloister she panted for. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -RITA'S MARRIAGE - -In the year 1393 Italy, not to say the whole world, was suffering under -the evils that proceed from political disturbance, and the state of -morals throughout the peninsula was deplorable. Still, the honour of -the Church was upheld by the many saints whose lives then adorned it, -not the least of whom was Rita. Urban VI. was dead, and Boniface IX. -ruled in his place. But the Holy See had to withstand many a rude -shock, for the anti-Pope Robert, then near his end, continued to -dispute the possession of the Apostolic keys, and at his death left to -his more impious successor, Pietro di Luna, his sad legacy of obstinate -schism. Heresy, fanaticism,--religious and political--and the utmost -corruption of morals were not wanting to fill the cup of Italy's woes. - -The weak hands of the cruel and dissolute Wenceslaus still held the -sceptre of the West, and John Paleologus, who had succeeded his father -Emmanuel, could only weep over the impending ruin of his falling -empire, that was shaken in every part by the infidel arms of the Sultan -Bajazet. In Italy the rivalry of the different States, and, above all, -the vaulting ambition of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, served -to keep alive disunion, antagonism, and wretchedness. At this very -time the republic of Cascia, which, since its revolt against the Holy -See, had hardly enjoyed a moment of peace or prosperity, was in arms -against the Guelphs of Cerreto, and had at the same time to prosecute a -stubborn war against Aquila. In these contests the military portion of -Cascia, by their deeds of violence, their robberies, and their -atrocities, trampled on every law of humanity and modesty. It is true -that hostilities came to an end in 1395, when terms of peace were -agreed on; but warlike Cascia could not remain long at rest, but took -up arms against Monte Reale in a new war, which lasted till 1397. - -Whilst Cascia and the other States we have mentioned were seeking by -iniquitous means to widen the borders of the kingdom of confusion and -sin, Rita, in Rocca Porena, was meditating only how she could best -please God, that, as the Apostle says, she might be holy in body and in -spirit. The lurid picture of universal disorder rightly excited in her -feelings of horror, and convinced her all the more of the vanity and -cruelty of the world. - -She saw the deceitful pleasures, the snares and thorns, the inevitable -evils that show themselves at every step, and the dangers that at every -moment threaten the soul with ruin. On the other hand, she perceived -the great advantages that result from separating one's self from the -world; she recalled all the spiritual joy and interior consolation she -experienced during the time she lived in retirement in her home, and -she therefore felt herself more firmly grounded in her determination to -flee for ever from the tumult of worldlings. The solitude which formed -the object of her desires, and in which she resolved to offer to God -the holocaust of her virginity, was the convent of Cascia, where she -afterwards lived and died, called at that time St. Mary Magdalen's, and -occupied then, as well as now, by nuns of the Order of St. Augustine. -This pious project had been for some time maturing in her mind, and -although she was hardly twelve years of age she determined to carry it -into effect without any of those wearisome delays which the grace of -the Holy Spirit knows not of, which belong to certain weak and -hesitating souls that cannot break the world's ties, or those of vain -fear, when God calls them to a state of perfection. Although Rita then -heard the call of her Divine Lover, she did not know the time He had -fixed for the fulfilling of her wishes, but, overcome by a holy -impatience, she resolved to make known to her parents her desire for a -religious life. Who can tell what struggles the voice of nature must -have caused in her soul at this crisis, as she thought that she was for -ever about to separate herself from the side of her dearly loved and -aged parents? Even the saints feel the strength of nature, but, like -giants, they pass on to triumphs in the kingdom of grace. Thus Rita -acted. She shut her ears to the insinuating voice of flesh and blood, -informed her parents of her religious vocation, and humbly and -fervently begged their leave to obey the voice of God. When they heard -their daughter express such a wish, Antonio and Amata, pious though -they were, did not hide their sorrow and the trouble they felt. They -besought with tears that their only child, the one object of their -tenderest love, their only prop and consolation, should not abandon -them in their old age. Their tearful pleading, acting on the filial -love and obedience which filled Rita's heart, prevailed on her to put -off for a better time the fulfilment of her noble purpose. Being so -far successful, her parents turned their attention to providing a -husband for her, in order both to make sure of retaining her society -and her assistance that had become necessary to them, and to save their -family from extinction; and they fixed their eyes on a young man -called, according to some, Ferdinand, and to others Paul. But old eyes -do not always see clearly. The young man whom they selected was -impulsive and irascible, with a character formed amid the savage -surroundings of that time and place--in a word, he was well fitted to -try the patience and virtue of Rita. He was proposed as a husband to -the saintly girl, and all the weight of parental authority, and every -motive that human nature could suggest, were adduced to win her -consent. We do not know with what prayers and entreaties the -distressed girl opposed the suggestion, but we do know that she showed -the repugnance her soul felt. It was not, however, the disposition of -her intended husband that made her hate the idea of marriage, for if -the knowledge of it were hidden from her parents, it could scarcely be -known to a young girl so fond of retirement. All Rita's aversion and -complaining sprang from the fear of seeing closed to her the road that -led to the conventual life to which she aspired, and the dread of -having to dwell in the midst of an evil and destroying world, in which -she would be plunged into the dangerous cares of married life. Seeing -at last that her tears could not bend her parents to her wishes, and -feeling somewhat shaken by considerations of filial piety and -obedience, she had recourse in her hard trial to the Father of light. -During her prayer she became conscious of an inspiration that told her -to bend her neck to the yoke of matrimony, and thus understood that -what she took to be a suggestion of paternal love, purely human and the -voice of flesh and blood, was in reality a disposition of heaven. -Resignation to the Divine will partly restored her peace of mind, and -the consent to her marriage which she announced to her parents filled -them with satisfaction. Rita gave her consent through an impulse of -obedience, and since perfect obedience to the Divine will requires a -holy blindness, she took no care to inquire about the fortune, -appearance, or other qualities of her future husband. Rita was -therefore in the first flower of her youth, her beauty, and virtue -when, under the nuptial veil of her modesty, she stood before the altar -to become a party to that indissoluble contract which Jesus Christ -raised to the dignity of a Sacrament, and which gives children to the -people of God. The relatives and friends on both sides were resolved -to celebrate the nuptials with feastings, but the common joy did not -reach the heart of the pious bride, for that was fixed on nobler -objects. To the hour of her marriage Rita had been an excellent -example to all virgins. In those few years she had given enough -lessons to show how virginal candour and pure innocence should be -preserved; she had now to follow another path to become a bright -example of virtue to all who live in the married state. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -RITA AS WIFE - -The Apostle's saying, that 'all things work together for good to those -who love God,' remains always true. Rita had passed from the state of -virginity to that of matrimony, yet this step towards a lower state was -destined to lead her to a higher grade of glory. Thus St. Monica, -whose faithful follower our heroine was ever to be, would not have been -St. Augustine's mother by nature, and in the order of grace would not -have drawn the erring Patrizio, her husband, to God, would not have so -wide a field wherein to exercise her patience and fortitude, would not -have left all those examples of virtue which her son Augustine admires -and exalts in his book of 'Confessions,' if Divine Providence had not -led her by that path which, long after, her daughter Rita followed. - -The ways are diverse and diverse are the gifts, but the Spirit is the -same which guides souls in a wonderful manner towards greater good. -The way of tribulation was that which the Lord opened to our saint, and -by the means of matrimony He wished her to pass through fire and -water--in other words, through every sort of danger, temptation, and -persecution, in order to prove and purify her, as gold is purified in -the furnace, and thence to receive her into heaven as a most pure -holocaust. Hence the God whose wish placed her in the married state so -disposed it that she should pass from her original life of filial -submission to that of slavery under a tyrannical husband. Thus it was -that hardly had a few days passed after the marriage than her unworthy -husband began to illtreat the innocent Rita with reproaches, abuse, -threats, and even blows, of which the only cause was his own brutal -inclination. But our gentle heroine had studied in the school of the -Crucified One; she had already learned how to conquer her passions even -to the extent of rejoicing in the midst of tribulation, for she was -convinced that tribulation is the food of Christian patience, that -penitence is the great proof of real virtue, and that on the exercise -of it is based our priceless hope of eternal good that shall not fail -us. - -Yet because she was aware that not all who suffer are blessed, but only -those who surfer for justice' sake, she took every care and tried every -means to please her husband, whom nothing could satisfy. She waited on -him, tried to discover his wants, sought to interpret his unspoken -wishes, studied his temper--in a word, she did her utmost never to give -him the least cause to complain, at least in everything in which her -duty as a Christian permitted. She was well aware that a wife ought to -regard her husband as a master to whom that obedience and reverential -fear are due which the Church owes to her head, Christ Jesus. She not -only knew, but practised it 111 a way that astonished all who were -acquainted with the natural brutality of her husband and her own heroic -submission, meekness, and invincible constancy. She obeyed his every -beck, and undertook no duty without first seeking his approval. So far -did she carry this submission that she did not go out of her house even -to attend the Divine offices in church without having first obtained -his permission. With all this the contest was a long one between the -husband's cruelty and the wife's sweetness of temper, between his -vicious nature and her virtue, between his pride and her humility, his -ferocity and her meekness, his arrogance and her tractableness, between -his power to give pain and her ability to surfer. - -But the victory was gained by Rita's virtues, for her long-suffering at -length won her husband's heart, and brought unity and love into their -home. Whenever afterwards Ferdinand felt inclined, as he sometimes -did, to have recourse to cutting words or unseemly acts, at the sight -of her humility and patience, and the memory of her gentle admonitions, -he adopted the expedient of going out of the house till his mind -recovered its tranquillity. We read, too, that, completely overcome by -her sweet gentleness, he one day threw himself at her feet to ask -pardon from her for his faults and to promise to correct them. To the -unspeakable consolation of Rita he kept this promise, nor was she slow -to refer all the praise of this conversion to the Giver of all good -things, who alone is Lord of the human heart. When fraternal -correction is not the outcome of irritation or pride, it is an -instrument of Divine grace, and we know that it has no other object -than the salvation of him who is corrected when the word and manner -which convey it are marked by moderation and kindness. Rita therefore -brought into action all the graces, natural and supernatural, which she -possessed, in order to bind closely to her that unquiet heart of her -husband, and to draw him to the Lord, and induce him to fulfil his -Christian obligations. - -Two sons were born to them, the elder of whom was named Gian Giacomo, -and the other Paolo Maria. Both of them inherited their father's -quarrelsome and irascible temperament, and his example did not help to -improve them. We may easily imagine the trouble, the watchfulness, the -uneasiness, the fear, and anxiety which a devoted Christian mother like -Rita must have experienced in rearing, educating, and, above all, in -forming the minds of her young children. The words which she kept -continually repeating in their ears, and which she would have wished to -impress indelibly on their hearts, were words of the holy fear of God, -of piety and devotion. But not so much with words did the pious mother -endeavour to instil into them the pure maxims of the Gospel as by the -example of her own exalted virtues. Would that fathers and mothers -would learn once for all from the saints, and become convinced of the -undeniable truth that their children are moulded more by their example -than by their words, even when these are not contradicted by their -deeds! Rita, however, in her vigilance spared nothing, neither words -nor actions, nor advice nor blame, nor threats nor chastisements, to -train these tender plants heavenwards; but their natural and more easy -tendency was downwards, and this was her greatest cause of sorrow -amongst so many causes, and the worst of all her troubles. We do not -mean to say that Gian Giacomo and Paolo were like David's sons Amnon -and Absolom, yet it is a fact that the children of holy people are -sometimes self-willed and wicked, however holy their upbringing may -have been. Rita, however, knew what a mother's duty was, and she -therefore, in bringing up her children, never allowed her zeal to -slacken, nor her patience to wear out, nor her watchfulness to grow -weary. - -The trials were severe enough which our heroine had to undergo from the -society of an irascible husband, whose virtue was none of the most -steadfast, but they were redoubled by the evil inclinations she saw -appear in her children, and their hatred of all good instruction. The -citizens of the heavenly kingdom, whilst they live in this world -amongst the sinful and the wicked, must, as St. Augustine teaches, be -tossed about by temptations, in order that they may keep themselves in -the practice of virtue, and be proved as gold is proved in the -crucible. Tried by such afflictions, Rita seemed to have come to such -a pass that she could do nothing else than, with the prophet, raise her -pure hands to heaven night and day, to seek in God alone some relief in -her troubles and some defence against the evils of her house.[1] If -ever she deemed it necessary to have recourse to prayer, now assuredly -was a time that called for redoubled prayer and the greatest fervour. -She therefore prayed without ceasing. Her continued meditations on the -sufferings of our Lord was a relief in her distress; frequent communion -brought comfort to her troubled state, and her particular devotion to -our Blessed Lady, consoler of the afflicted, to St. John the Baptist, -St. Augustine, and St. Nicholas of Tolentine, often brought -forgetfulness of her woes. Women of the world enduring the like -suffering and trouble would deem themselves dispensed from the practice -of any other mortification, and in their love of ease, which readily -flatters them, would find a thousand pretexts to exempt themselves even -from the fasts that are commanded. But Rita, who was in the world but -not of it, far from suspending the acts of penitence she was used to -practise before her marriage, took refuge in works of greater -austerity, in abstinence and fastings and in chastising her body. In -spite of these acts of mortification, she still had sufficient strength -and vigour to attend to all the needs of her house and assist the wants -of her neighbours; she relieved the necessities of the poverty -stricken, and with her own hands prepared food for them; by the -bedsides of the sick she was unwearying, and, in a word, made herself -all things to all men. When she had to appear abroad, either in the -performance of her works of charity or to be present at the Divine -mysteries in the church, her angelic modesty and the goodness and -interior peace which shone in her countenance served to edify all who -saw her. These were her adornments, not the trappings of worldly show, -which from childhood she abhorred, and which were more detestable in -her eyes now that she had advanced so far on the way of perfection. -She carefully avoided all unbecoming neglect in dress, and appeared in -a garb free from everything savouring of vanity, not to say -indecency--such a dress as would escape the eyes of the curious, and -which, instead of luxuriousness, showed a contempt of the present life, -and was exactly what necessity and Christian humility required. In her -intercourse with others, whilst always well-mannered and agreeable, she -possessed singular tact in avoiding all conversations which were not of -God or of works of corporal or spiritual mercy to her neighbours. No -one ever heard from her lips any of those complaints against her -husband which are so frequent when women meet together. If ever any of -her female acquaintances who knew how she was treated by her -ill-tempered husband tried to provoke her to complain by affected pity, -as grumbling women not unfrequently did, she either turned the -conversation to another subject or covered her husband's faults with -the mantle of charity, and thereby gave a practical example of virtue -which her neighbours might to their advantage imitate. In brief, St. -Rita was another St. Monica: she was the strong woman of the parables -of Solomon, and was in all respects the best model for married women. - - -[1] Ps. lxxvi. 2. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -DEATH OF RITA'S HUSBAND AND CHILDREN--RITA AS WIDOW - -Rita had succeeded, as we have said, in assuaging the cruelty that -seemed to have been natural to her husband. The means she employed to -effect this change were the gentle manner which she naturally -possessed, and which Divine grace made still more gentle; the good -advice she ever gave, her kindness and unwearying patience, her good -example, and, above all, her fervent prayers. But whether it was that -his enemies, brooding over old causes of hate, resolved to take revenge -for past offences, or that Ferdinand, in a fresh outburst of passion, -had exposed himself to new quarrels and new dangers, the fact remains -that when he had lived eighteen years with Rita he was barbarously -murdered a short distance outside Rocca Porena (the place where the -unfortunate victim fell is still shown). Hardly had the report of his -tragic death reached the ears of his widowed spouse than, despite her -magnanimous heart, she paid the tribute of nature in an outburst of -bitter, scalding tears. In the depths of her heart the holy woman felt -the wounds that had taken from her side the husband she loved. But the -thoughts that made her weep were not thoughts of temporal losses, or of -her sorrow, or of being left alone to provide for her family, or of -having to dwell with undutiful children with no one to support her. -Far other sadder and more serious considerations were breaking her -heart. A little human feeling and a weak grasp of faith are enough to -fill us with horror at hearing of a violent death. We may, then, -easily imagine what grief Rita felt as she considered in the light of -her lively faith all the evil on the one part and the other that may -have preceded and accompanied that homicidal attempt, or as she dwelt -on the uncertainty of pardon or of her husband's penitence, or his -having to appear before his Judge without having received the last -Sacraments. Nevertheless, that lively faith which made her feel doubly -the crushing force of the calamity that had overtaken her soon raised -her above herself, above death and every human consideration. She -raised the eyes of her soul to heaven and remembered, and was sure that -Divine Providence, whose designs are inscrutable, not only disposes all -the good that is done, but permits all the evil which comes from man's -free-will. This thought sufficed to bow her down before the throne of -the Divine Majesty, to adore His just judgments, and hence came comfort -to her bruised heart. The saints have no need of the barren -consolations of the world; they find in religion that comfort which -reason alone can never give. Our noble heroine did not for a moment -hesitate to pardon sincerely from her heart the murderers of her -unfortunate husband, but, mindful of the example of Jesus Christ, who -prayed to the Eternal Father for those who crucified Him, and of St. -Stephen, who interceded for those who were stoning him to death, she -too offered fervent supplications to the Divine Mercy for those cruel -murderers. - -Hardly had Rita raised her mind above the stormy sea of her sorrows -than a new trouble appeared to afflict her. She perceived with -consternation that her sons, although yet of tender years, were -plotting vengeance against those who were guilty of their father's -blood. The afflicted widow exerted all her force by word and deed to -excite in them sentiments of resignation and of forgiveness and of -Christian charity. She ceased not to keep before their minds the -eternal maxims, the fear of judgment and of hell, the examples of the -saints, and especially the example of our crucified Redeemer, who, in -the extremity of His sufferings, interceded for His inhuman -executioners. She took care, too, immediately to remove out of the -sight of her sons the bloody garments of her slain husband. But in -spite of all her advice and solicitude, the sorrowing mother could not -touch her children's vengeful hearts, or, if she did succeed in -softening them, it was but for a moment they abandoned their wicked -intentions. Amidst circumstances of such distress, and oppressed by -her fears, the unhappy widow knew not whither to turn, and on earth she -found only subjects of sorrow and vestiges of sin. She turned her -weeping eyes once more to heaven, and there again she found the -greatest comfort in her sufferings. Although she was a mother, and had -a mother's affectionate heart, yet because she loved and sought God's -honour more than her own flesh and blood, like a noble Christian -heroine, she supplicated the Lord either to change her children's -hearts or to take them out of this world before they could accomplish -the vengeance they were meditating. Rita's vows were acceptable to -heaven, and to her was granted to complete Abraham's sacrifice in a new -way--for the patriarch's knife was arrested in mid-air, and Isaac was -saved; but she saw her two sons fall one after another victims to her -prayers that pierced the heavens. Thus we may well hope that the most -merciful Lord provided for their eternal salvation during their mortal -illness, and then took them, lest wickedness should alter their -understanding,[1] and at the same time provided for the mother by -opening to her a way into a new life far removed from the world and so -long the object of her wishes, a life altogether spiritual and by -anticipation blessed. The brave woman did not weep, and although at -the time of her husband's tragic end she was dissolved in tears through -fear about the salvation of his soul and the souls of his murderers, -yet at the deaths of her children she only thanked her God who had -taken them away from the dangers of sin and the risk of another more -dreadful death--that of the soul. - -It is difficult to discover how long Rita had to struggle with her -vengeful children, or how long she remained in the world after they had -passed to eternity. It seems certain, however, that the time she lived -as a widow was short. But we know that during that period she placed -all her confidence in God, and that she was engaged night and day in -the practice of most perfect prayer,[2] according to St. Paul's -instruction to widows. She bore the cross with Jesus Christ, and lived -a life of perpetual self-denial. More than ever she kept her body in -subjection by scourgings and continued fasting, and she distributed to -the poor that part of her food which her abstinence spared. She -rejoiced in performing works of mercy, and was, in a word, all love -towards God and her neighbour, and in no way solicitous about herself. -Amongst other instances of her heroic charity we read that, happening -one day upon a poor man half naked and trembling with cold, she took -one of her own garments and gave it to him, and went on her way -rejoicing that God had given her the opportunity and the grace to -deprive herself of what she herself needed in order to help one of the -poor of the Lord. Her dress was of coarse serge, and was a dark blue -in colour, and during the severity of the winter she added a rough -cloak. She always wore sackcloth that she might always be doing -penance. In retirement alone she found her consolation and joy; and no -sooner were her children dead than her old burning desire to enclose -herself once for all within the cherished shadows of the cloister -sprang into life again. We may relate an incident which gave a new -impetus to her vocation, as it is told by an ancient writer: Having -gone one day from Rocca Porena to Cascia, she went into the church of -the Augustinian nuns whilst Mass was being said, and there she felt as -if those words of our Saviour were being imprinted on her mind, 'I am -the Way, the Truth, and the Life'--words which then passed into her -heart to pierce it with the Divine love which spoke to her and invited -her. - -We may well believe, too, that the worthy examples of other female -saints then living or but recently gone to their reward offered new -arguments to urge her not to delay entering on a conventual life. The -memory of St. Bridget of Sweden and Blessed Angela of Foligno was still -recent, whilst St. Margaret of Monferrato and St. Frances of Rome were -then still living, all of them illustrious women raised up by God, as -Rita was in Cascia, to oppose and bear testimony against the corruption -of those times, and all of them predestined to become models to the -virgins of the cloister after having adorned in the world the three -states of virginity, married life and widowhood. But even without -these examples Rita was sufficiently conscious of the interior voice of -her heavenly Spouse, and she readily prepared to obey it. Thus Abraham -had hardly heard the angel's voice when he arose in the darkness of the -night and went to sacrifice his son; the shepherds who were watching -their flocks when they heard the announcement of the Divine Infant's -birth ran to offer Him their homage; the Magi, as soon as they saw the -new star, did not hesitate to undertake their long journey to adore the -King of kings in His swaddling-clothes; the Apostles, at the first call -of the Redeemer, left their nets and followed Him; the head of the -Apostles, Peter, at a sign from the angel, rose quickly from his broken -chains; so Rita determined to hide herself without delay in that sacred -retreat where her Divine Lover was awaiting her. That retreat, as we -have said, was the convent in Cascia of the nuns who follow the rule of -the great Augustine, who were called at that time nuns of St. Mary -Magdalen, from the ancient title of their church, and who were -remarkable for strict observance. We have said before that the -Augustinian Order flourished there not only in the convent of the nuns, -but in the wonderful sanctity of the worthy followers of the Blessed -Simon, Blessed Ugolino, and Blessed John and Simon, all of whom had -dwelt in the woods of Cascia. This, too, must have been a strong -attraction to our saint, and a further inducement to fix her mind -unchangeably on Cascia. The memory of the heroic virtues practised by -St. Nicholas of Tolentine, her special advocate, was still fresh in the -minds of men, and the fame of his stupendous miracles had spread -throughout the land. But the principal motive why she sought to wear -the habit of St. Augustine was that God in His inscrutable decrees had -called her to that state by the loving invitations of His grace. The -pious widow approached the nuns, and, throwing herself at their feet, -in simple words and with all the fervour of her heart expressed her -desire to serve God within their walls and in that penitential garb -they wore. But her request was vain; it was not thought convenient to -receive a widow in a convent intended for virgins, and it was against -their custom. Rita took her refusal patiently, but she did not lose -courage, and, like Abraham, she hoped against hope.[3] Some time after -she went back again, represented that she had a vocation, renewed her -prayers and sighs; but she was rejected a second and, again, a third -time. But the more the nuns persisted in refusing her admission, the -more did Rita acquire the merit of humility, patience, and unalterable -confidence in God. She attributed her refusal to her own unworthiness, -and in her self-contempt she more and more conformed herself to her -model, Jesus. This was the manner of life which Rita led in the world, -where she was a mirror of every virtue to virgins, to the married, and -to widows. We shall see how she became an example of sanctity to -religious in the cloister. - - -[1] Wisd. of Sol. iv. ii. - -[2] 1 Tim. v. 5. - -[3] Rom. iv. 18. - - - -END OF PART I - - - - -Part II - -RITA IN THE CLOISTER - - - -CHAPTER I - - RITA'S MIRACULOUS ENTRY INTO THE CLOISTER - AND HER RECEPTION - -All Rita's thoughts and all her affections were centred in heaven, and -the reason why she desired to lead a more perfect life in the cloister -was thereby to make more certain of attaining the object of her -desires. But the world in that century of wickedness was engaged about -far different things; the vortex of worldly hopes and ambitions had -engulfed almost all the aspirations of men. In the East, rapine, vice, -violence, murder, irreligion, and a long train of irreparable wrongs, -had followed quickly upon the victories of Sultan Bajazet and the -defeats of the Emperor Emmanuel. The prolonged war was still being -waged in the German Empire between Sigismund and the rebellious -Hussites, who despised human life in their endeavours to spread their -heresy and profane and overthrow the altar. The government of the -Church, then under Pope John XXIII., was most violently harassed by the -anti-Pope Pietro di Luna, whose contumacy the Council of Constance -failed to break down, as the Council of Pisa had failed before. Italy -continued to be the laughing-stock of tyrants and of the resuscitated -factions of the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. Of the two Visconti who -governed the Cisalpine province, one was the slave of his vices and the -other was the prisoner of his rebellious subject Facino Cane, tyrant of -Alexandria, who was the formidable chief of a marauding band and the -despoiler of the province. The tyrannous usurpations of Ottobono in -Parma, Da Vignate in Lodi, Fondolo in Cremona, and Malatesta in Brescia -still continued. The Romagna and the Marshes enjoyed no higher degree -of liberty or prosperity under the yoke of despotism. The factions of -Durozzo and of Anjou still disputed possession of the kingdom of -Naples, and the ambitious Ladislaus, with designs on the whole Italian -peninsula, began to threaten Rome with the fugitive Pontiff. The -republics of Venice, Genoa, Florence, and Siena were either plotting -against one another or actually at war. Cascia was the only one of the -republics that had begun to taste the almost forgotten fruits of peace. -But neither in Cascia nor elsewhere were good morals to be found; they -seemed to have barely secured a refuge in the cloisters. Hence Rita -was sighing night and day for the sacred shelter, and although she had -till then bloomed as a stainless lily among thorns, yet she did not -consider that she could live secure in the danger-laden atmosphere that -surrounded her. But how could she aspire to a cloistered life when all -hope seemed futile after the repulses she had received? Yet to that -life she aspired, and not in vain. For those undertakings which seem -arduous and sometimes impossible become not only practicable, but easy -to heroic faith. The invitations which Divine grace held out to her -and the refusals with which Rita was met by the nuns were nothing more -than the loving pleasantries of her heavenly Spouse, and but trials of -her virtue and constancy. Therefore the more her wishes were -frustrated, the more frequent became her prayers and the more fervent -the sighs of her heart. She had recourse, too, to the mediation of the -saints, and did not fear to make herself importunate to her protectors, -St. John the Baptist, St. Augustine, and St. Nicholas. And the measure -of the effect which her prayers produced was, as St. Augustine teaches, -the fervour of the love that preceded them. She merited the favour she -sought, and received it. Here is how the incident is related by the -writers of her life: - -The saint was one night kneeling on the ground, rapt in prayer, her -hands extended to heaven after her usual manner and as the royal -prophet teaches, when she suddenly heard a knocking at the door of her -house, and someone calling out her name. The first feeling of the -lonely widow was one of trouble and fear, but she invoked the Divine -assistance, took courage, and went to the window--but nothing was to be -seen or heard. She returned to her prayer, but was interrupted by the -same unknown voice calling her. Her fear increased, but she went to -the window again--and again there was only darkness and silence -without. She then began to think it might be some trick of the devil, -and, puzzled between doubt and fear, she threw herself at the feet of -Jesus Christ, and besought Him more fervently to enlighten and to help -her, and that He would be pleased to make known His Divine will, -whether what she had experienced was a delusion of the devil or a voice -from heaven. Her short prayer was so pleasing to God that Rita soon -felt herself rapt in ecstasy, and then she saw and heard clearly, and -her fear was changed into joyful consolation. She saw her three holy -patrons, and heard the joyous words with which the spouse of the -Canticles called his beloved, 'Arise, make haste, my love, and -come--come, for it is time at last to enter the cloister from which -thou hast been repulsed so many times.' As soon as these words had -been uttered, the rapture of her ecstasy ceased, but she still -retained, deeply impressed on her mind, a vivid picture of the entire -vision. Then, by a Divine impulse, she went to the window a third -time, and, enlightened by God, she saw, to her great surprise, a person -of venerable aspect, who invited her by signs to follow him. Whether -he appeared in his usual rough vesture of woven camel-hair, or clad in -skins, or in other guise, we know not, but for certain it was no other -than St. John the Precursor, as Rita was not slow to recognise, and he -it was who was so clearly manifested to her in the preceding vision. -She felt her heart overflowing with rapture, and hastened to obey the -signs of her heavenly guide. Hardly had she reached the spot where he -stood than her astonishment and joy were still further increased, for -there, at either side of her great protector, stood her other patrons, -Augustine and Nicholas, both ready and prepared to escort her towards -the fate she desired so ardently for herself. It will not be out of -place to remark here that the house in which Rita dwelt and out of -which she went on the night in which these extraordinary events -occurred was built at the base of a steep shelf of rock anciently -called the 'Gun' of Rocca Porena, and which it was almost impossible to -climb. Yet, leaving the usual road, it was by way of this rock that -her sainted guides led Rita, perhaps to indicate to her by the -precipitous nature of the place the steepness of the mountain of -monastic perfection which she was destined to scale, and by the chasm -below the terrible nature of a fall from grace. Rita was seized by -sudden fear at the sight here presented to her, but Divine grace and -her holy companions brought her comfort, and enabled her to rise -superior to herself, so that she mounted fearlessly through the -darkness of the night over the rough stones and trunks of fallen trees -till she reached the highest point of that beetling rock, which is now -called the 'Saint's Rock,' from so memorable an occurrence. If the -ascent of the rock is difficult, the descent on the side of Cascia is -quite impossible, from whence it is believed that when the four saints -had accomplished the difficult ascent they were either borne through -the air from mountain to mountain, or else passed without pause to -their intended goal, as if to signify the liberty enjoyed by all who -reach the highest point of perfection and have climbed the mount of -God. However the authors may differ in minor points in describing this -event, we may well judge that everything connected with it is -miraculous, as Rita's entry into the convent was also miraculous, for -she entered whilst the gates were closed, or through a gate opened for -her and closed when she had passed the portals by an invisible hand. - -When Rita found herself within the sacred enclosure where she had so -ardently desired to be, her glorious escort disappeared in a moment -from sight, and she was abandoned and left all alone in the darkness, -and had to pass the remainder of the night in an ecstasy of wonder, but -tossed about on a sea of uncertainty by the rush of the thoughts that -filled her mind. The nuns rose in the early morning to sing the -praises of the Lord, and what was their surprise when they saw within -their convent, and trembling with fright, the humble widow whom they -had repeatedly rejected! They plied her with questions, and Rita -replied simply and modestly by describing the whole history of the -miraculous occurrence of the night. For the last time she begged them -with the greatest fervour not to reject her any longer--and how could -they refuse her in the face of so evident a miracle? The nuns, -therefore, with common consent and unusual applause, received the holy -widow into their number, and after joining with her in thanking and -praising the Most High, they put on her their penitential habit, and -admitted her to the novitiate with all solemnity and every mark of -general satisfaction. The nuns were delighted at the turn of events, -and Rita's joy exceeded all bounds, till, comparing her unworthiness -with the great goodness of God, she was abashed before Him. The more -she thought on the greatness of the remarkable favours conferred on -her, the more profound did her humility become, and she poured forth a -thousand times her tribute of gratitude to heaven, but could never find -words or thoughts able to express the thanks she owed to Divine -Providence. - -This miraculous entry into the convent occurred during the unhappy -years we have before described, or about the year 1413, when Rita was -nearly thirty-two years of age; for she was married in her thirteenth -year, and lived eighteen years with her husband, and was a widow for -about a year, when her second son died; whilst the interval between -that event and her entry to the convent, the period of her repeated -rejections, must have been short. In the same year the Augustinian -Order could boast of another splendid addition to its members, for the -reception of Alexander Oliva, called the Blessed, occurred then. He -afterwards reached the highest honours within the Order, and was raised -to the dignity of Cardinal before he passed to the glory he had -prepared for himself in heaven. But the Order has greater reason to be -proud of Rita's reception, because, although her life was passed in -obscurity and far from the eyes of the world, it certainly was not less -bright with the splendour of the Saints, and after death she has -acquired more of the veneration of the faithful. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -RITA AS NOVICE: HER PROFESSION - -From her early youth Rita had a great longing for a solitary life, but -now that the Omnipotent God had placed her in the convent she had no -further reason to sigh for the deserts of the Jordan, the solitudes of -Tagaste, the silence of Valmanente, the groves of her native place, or -any other home of hermits. The cloister constituted the fulfilment of -all her desires, and her only remaining anxiety was to emulate the -great virtues of her three holy patrons, the blessed hermits of Cascia, -and the other holy ones whose lives had made the glory of the -solitudes. To say truth, it must have cost her very little labour to -follow in their footsteps, for there was no need for her to change her -habits and manners when she put off a secular dress for the garb of a -nun, and she had but to live the remainder of her life as she had -hitherto lived in order to reach the highest point of perfection. -Jesus Christ teaches us that the surest way of attaining perfection is -by renouncing all earthly possessions, and our saint, although she had -always lived completely detached from worldly things, hastened to -practise the Saviour's teaching in the most effectual manner by -distributing all her slender fortune amongst the poor. Thus, without -property, without husband or children, and far from her relatives, Rita -rejoiced to be an abject slave in the house of the King of Peace, and -deemed herself to enjoy a nobler freedom, more ample wealth, and a -happier lot than they who dwell in the sumptuous tabernacles of sinners -surrounded by the riches, the pomp, and the glory of this world. - -No one can tell us better than her companions in religion how she lived -during the year of her noviceship, and they were astonished and -confused at what they observed in her, and from the first regarded her -as a model of the purest and most tried virtue. Poverty, chastity, and -obedience had nothing to alarm her, for she was long accustomed to live -in poverty in Rocca Porena; her body she had crucified with Christ in -God; and she had lived subject not only to her prudent parents, but to -a cruel husband. So also had the other virtues which she practised in -her noviceship become familiar to her in the world, if we except alone -some prescribed corporal penances and the more abundant prayers which -she was enabled to offer. Nothing else regarding her can be -established from the scanty memorials of those obscure times, and we -only know that as the time of noviceship went on she persevered in -those holy practices of extraordinary piety and austere penance, and -prepared to bind herself to her God with stronger ties on the day of -her new regeneration. The learned Cardinal Seripando and others call -the day of the formal profession of monastic vows the day of new -regeneration, for through the sacrifice then made of one's will, of -bodily pleasures, and of property, the total remission of all -punishment due to sin may be merited. That day at length arrived, and -the holy novice, having first made a rigorous examination of her whole -life and marked all the stains on her pure conscience, which she -removed by the fire of her sorrow and the blood of Jesus Christ, -presented herself before the altar to vow perpetual observance of the -evangelical counsels. She had no hesitation in placing her hand on the -holy Rule of the great Augustine, for her heroic trust in the -assistance of grace gave her courage, and for the rest, although the -Rule may seem severe to the minds of worldlings, the saints regard it -but as a law of love, and a cord to unite souls to God. Therefore Rita -preferred this sweet servitude to all the kingdoms of earth, and -considered herself the happiest of women since she had at last reached -the goal towards which from her earliest years she had felt herself -drawn by heaven's gentle violence. - -The exact date of the profession is unknown, but it very probably took -place when Fr. Pietro di Vena Tolosano was General of the Order, and he -succeeded in that office Fr. Saracini, who was from Rocca Porena, and -who had been made Bishop of Macerata. The date of profession would -therefore be about 1414. History leaves us to imagine also the -feelings of the newly-professed nun, but we may well judge from her -past that that solemn day was one of an outpouring of love and -gratitude to God. But of one incident connected with the day we are -informed, and it is that whilst Rita, never satisfied that she had -sufficiently extolled the goodness of the Lord, was still kneeling late -at night before the crucifix, she suddenly felt herself ravished out of -her senses into a state of sublime ecstasy. She thereupon saw in -spirit what was given Jacob to see in a dream--a ladder that reached -from earth to heaven, and angels ascending and descending by it, and at -the summit our Lord, who was inviting her to ascend. We may believe -that this was the mystic ladder of charity, whose steps, as St. -Augustine says, God Himself prepares, so that those chosen souls which -He wishes to exalt may ascend by them, and at whose top He stands to -await them at the term of their journey to receive and introduce them -into the possession of heaven. But no one could penetrate its meaning -better than the ecstatic Rita. The holy woman awoke from her ecstasy -enlightened by these heavenly instructions, and came out of the light -of God to seek Him again and follow His leading with greater anxiety -amidst the darkness of our mortal state. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -RITA'S CHARITY - -What constitutes the greatness of the mystic city, the new Jerusalem, -is not the number and variety of its inhabitants, or the fame of great -undertakings, but charity alone. In fact, the Virgin Mary was exalted -above all the choirs of heaven, and St. John the Baptist was called the -greatest of the saints even before the testimony at the Jordan, -although their lives were nothing more than a continuous exercise of -charity. Hence, coming to speak of Rita, if she had charity she -possessed all things,[1] since the fulness of the law is charity, and -if she had it in an eminent degree she was a great saint, for perfect -charity is perfect justice.[2] This is the sublime principle which St. -Augustine, himself a great master of charity and evangelical -perfection, proposes in that golden Rule of his, which so many -religious Orders have adopted, and which Rita observed to the last -letter--a principle which, as Blessed Alphonsus of Oroza says, is a -summary of the entire Christian religion, and which at the same time -proves the excellence and the adaptability of the Rule to all ages. - -It was to the attainment of charity that Rita even before her -profession, but more determinedly afterwards, gave her undivided -attention, and employed all the affections of her heart and the powers -of her mind. We leave it to others to describe her heroic faith and -hope; for us it will be enough to treat of that virtue which -presupposes the other two--embraces them and gives them their life. -The first proof that one possesses this virtue is fulfilling the will -of God by observing His holy law, as Jesus Christ taught us when He -said: 'He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them: he it is that -loveth Me. And He that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I -will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.'[3] Now, all those who -have written the life of our saint and the evidence of tradition -regarding her assure us that she observed with the utmost exactness all -the commandments of God, the precepts of the Church, and the commands -of her superiors. The very manner with which she observed these -precepts was perfect, for she always obeyed cheerfully, and with joy -readily and exactly sought to anticipate commands, and to exceed in -fulfilling them. And this exact observance was extended not only to -what is of command, but to the evangelical counsels also, and yet so -light to her was the weight of this burden that she took upon herself -very many works of supererogation to give an outlet to her burning -piety. She was the first to rise from her bed at midnight, the first -at prayer, in the choir, at instruction, at penitential observances and -the works of mercy, in obedience, first at all the duties of the -community, in which latter she was always best pleased the meaner the -office entrusted to her to perform. In the midst of her uninterrupted -occupations and vigils she had no other thought than to find the safest -ways of seconding the holy will of God, a thought that produced in her -that holy fear which is the offspring of love. She was always afraid -of offending her most loving God even in the slightest matter, and so -fearsome of it was she that the very name of sin was a horror to her. -Hence, to remove as far as possible all danger of sin, she imposed on -herself a law of rigorous silence, for she knew the truth of the saying -of St. James the Apostle, that 'if any man offend not in word, the same -is a perfect man.'[4] In order more easily to carry out her design she -remained shut up in her cell alone with her agonized Spouse Jesus, like -a 'dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the -wall.'[5] She never left her cell except to find her sovereign good -either in the Blessed Sacrament or amongst the poor and sick, or in -such other works of charity as her state permitted her to perform. -Even in circumstances such as these she was on her guard to utter no -word that she had not weighed well, and it is said of her that she even -used to keep a pebble in her mouth to remind her to preserve the -silence she loved. - -Sometimes, of course, she had to speak, through necessity or -politeness, or for convenience' sake, and in such cases her words were -in accord with the feelings of her heart, and hence, since she was all -spirit, her discourses were on things of the spirit; she was all -charity, and her speech therefore tended to the greater glory of God -and the salvation of her neighbours. She was not wanting in that easy -fluency which springs from the heart and can reach hearts, which is -proper to the saints and inspires sanctity, which feeds on love and -draws souls to God. Whether Rita possessed this honied eloquence from -the time the wonderful bees appeared over her cradle, or acquired it by -the practice of the greatest charity towards her neighbour, only God, -who gave it to her, knows. We only know that she made use of the -opportunities which this gift afforded her to give advice to doubting -souls, to comfort the pusillanimous, to console the afflicted, to bring -back the erring to the way of salvation, to practise these and other -works of mercy with that happy success which the Giver of every good -gift was wont to grant her. - -Amongst her wonderful deeds of charity we find it recorded that having -heard of two persons of the town who had been long living in a state of -sin, and were thereby the cause of great public scandal, she wept for -their sins, and then determined on the difficult task of making them -separate and leading them to repent. Rita had had too many proofs of -the Divine goodness not to be confident of success in her present -undertaking. She first had recourse to prayer and to penance, which -she offered in union with the sufferings of Jesus Christ for the -conversion of the sinners, and then had each of the scandal-givers -brought to her in turn, and, alone with them, by her gentle insinuating -manner she brought them to see their deplorable condition, and she had -the happiness of seeing them shed tears of compunction and afterwards -perform constant penance for their past transgressions. In very truth, -such evils as those under which these two sinners laboured were what -excited Rita's greatest compassion, but she was by no means wanting in -compassion for those suffering from bodily ills, nor was her fervent -charity slow in coming to their assistance. Never was anyone ill in -the convent whom Rita did not nurse, often for whole days and nights. -She saw in the sick Jesus Christ Himself, and therefore delighted to be -by their bedsides. She pitied them, and sought to soothe their pains -by the sweet considerations which religion, and especially the Passion -of Christ, inspired her. With her own hands she gladly rendered them -every service, even the meanest and most nauseating, and for this -blessed work of charity she did not hesitate to forsake her usual -devotional practices, and feared not to leave God for God's work. In a -word, she was all things to all, for, as St. Paul, too, had -experienced, her compassion made the infirmities of the suffering her -own. And therefore all those who died in the convent during her forty -years of life in it had the happiness of having her for their attendant -and consoler, and drew their last breath in her holy arms, reclining -against her tender heart. Her very charity was the reason which -condemned her for many years to a total separation from her beloved -sisters in religion, lest, as we shall tell later, the offensive odour -of a sore on her forehead, by which she was afflicted, might render her -presence disagreeable to them. She then saw very well that she had -become almost an outcast from the community, but she felt no resentment -on that account, but lived as an exile, contented in her cell, since -she knew that she was no inconvenience to her neighbour, and gave no -offence to God. She even rejoiced in her humiliation and in her -infirmities and her separation from creatures. We omit many other -proofs of the greatness of the charity to God and her neighbour which -filled Rita's heart. In order to know her charity we have but to -recall how she lived with a cruel and ferocious husband, how she -interceded for his murderers, how she offered her very children as a -sacrifice to God, how she devoted her time in the world to deeds and -prayers for her neighbour's good. Such was her charity, heartfelt, -unbounded, kind, patient, strong, and unconquerable. - -Hitherto we have spoken only of Rita's effective or working charity, -or, at most, of her love to her neighbour, but what description dare we -give of her internal love of God? It would never be possible for us to -describe the ardour and fire of love which was ever consuming her -heart. How her affections soared towards heaven, how her soul was -transformed through Divine love, how the interior life of that seraph -of charity was lived, it would be impossible to describe. However, we -shall try to convey an idea, though imperfect, of it, especially when -we come to speak of her spirit of prayer. Meanwhile, the reader may -form some notion of it by gauging the measure of Rita's charity to her -neighbour, and from the consideration of what we have hitherto -described of a life not only blameless and holy, but everywhere aided -and distinguished by heaven's most singular favours. - - -[1] 1 Cor. xiii. - -[2] St. Augustine. - -[3] John xiv. 21. - -[4] Jas. iii. 2. - -[5] Cant. ii. 14. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -OTHER VIRTUES WHICH RITA PRACTISED IN THE CLOISTER - -That truth to which St. Augustine draws our attention in many passages -in his works--that charity is the source of all other virtues and their -life-giving principle--is confirmed by St. Gregory, who illustrates it -by comparing the virtues to the branches of a tree, which all spring -from the same root, which root of the virtues is charity. In fact, the -virtue of Christian prudence, for example, is nothing else than a -continued eagerness, in those who love God, to distinguish good from -evil, and to select the fittest means to please the Object of their -love, and attain to Him as their last end; justice is but a constant -desire in those who love God to render Him the worship due to Him and -their neighbour whatever is theirs; temperance is a curb which they who -prefer Divine to earthly love employ in order to keep their rebellious -appetites under the sweet yoke of that heavenly love; fortitude is but -the strength of charity which makes man superior to every trouble and -suffering; and the teaching of St. Augustine regarding the other -virtues is the same, according to their various natures. Now, if -Rita's charity was as great as we have described it, and as we shall -afterwards see more clearly, to what a pitch of perfection must she not -have reached in her practice of the other virtues! - -Prudence, which is the first of the moral virtues, was quite -characteristic of Rita, and invariably showed its presence in her -exercise of all her other extraordinary gifts. This it was that taught -her the saving art of examining and judging rightly and adopting the -most suitable means for attaining that better part which, like another -Mary, she had irrevocably chosen for herself; this suggested to her the -surest method of regulating her conduct, her appetites, and her very -works of penance and devotion; this made her sparing of conversation, -diligent, circumspect, cautious, compliant and gentle-mannered; and, -finally, this virtue, through her long practice of it, or, rather, -because its origin is in God, enabled her to give the solidest and -holiest counsel to the advantage of her neighbour. - -The virtue of justice also shone brightly in her life, for her life was -a continuous act of reverential homage to religion, the majesty of God, -the greatness of the most holy Virgin Mary, the merits of the Saints, -the authority of the Church, the laws of right, of friendship, of -gratitude, and of truth. - -Nor was she less remarkable for the virtue of temperance, for she had -conquered her passions, and kept them subject to the spirit in a way -entirely heroic, by her continued rigorous fastings and the -uninterrupted practice of the most austere penances. It is wonderful -to consider how her virtue of temperance, which increased and waxed -strong amidst harsh and stern surroundings of penitential practices, -brought in its train a pretty group of gentler virtues--modesty, -purity, clemency, meekness, urbanity, graciousness. - -Rita's fortitude also, which whilst she lived in the world was -extraordinary, increased in the cloister in proportion with her other -virtues, if we may not say it surpassed the others, since it was the -distinguishing mark of her character. The devil, of course, tried, by -insidious suggestions, to tarnish the purity of her heart and inspire -her with a love of sensual pleasures and a distaste for perfection; but -although his infernal assaults were strong and long continued, our -saint, who had prepared her mind against temptation from her youth, and -was now become an unconquerable heroine in the army of Christ, was so -well able to defend herself and fight valiantly that temptation only -served to multiply her triumphs and her laurels. It is said, too, that -the tempter, seeing that he failed in his interior assaults, sought to -frighten her by horrible phantoms; but in vain, for Rita, by the sign -of the Cross, put him to flight, and showed her scorn for him as a -powerless enemy. The flesh, too, tried to rebel against the law of the -spirit; but the holy woman kept it as a slave in bonds of sackcloth, -and brought it into subjection by sanguinary scourgings. Even the -little world of her convent tried her virtue in some sense, especially -during the years she suffered from the sore on her forehead. But -Rita's fortitude made these little trials seem but playful caresses. -The pain and the stench of the sore, the inconveniences of her poverty -and mortification, the great length of her last illness, and other -similar troubles with which the Lord tries the souls that are most -acceptable to Him, instead of depressing her were rather as food to -strengthen and increase her fortitude, magnanimity, patience, -confidence in God, and final perseverance. - -With all this precious equipment of wonderful gifts and sublime -virtues, Rita had, nevertheless, the meanest opinion of herself, and -spoke of herself as if she were the vilest of creatures, thankless for -the gifts which Divine goodness had bestowed on her, a miserable -sinner, and unworthy to enjoy the companionship of so many sacred -virgins of the Lord. She not only spoke in this manner, but wished -everyone to have the same opinion which, in her heart, she had of -herself. Hence she had a horror of praise, and when at meditation she -felt those extraordinary lights and that spiritual ardour which -preceded her ecstasies, she used to beseech God that He would -condescend so to work in her soul that her companions might not be -conscious of it, and might never be led to have a favourable opinion of -her. But it was her humility that betrayed her expectations, for the -more she humbled herself, the more was she exalted, not only in the -eyes of God, but of men, and the deeper she sunk herself in the abyss -of lowliness, the higher was raised the edifice of her sanctity. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -RITA'S OBSERVANCE OF THE RELIGIOUS VOWS - -There is a love which is the soul of every virtue, and another love -which is an incentive to every vice; the former we call charity, the -latter concupiscence. Charity, since it comes from heaven, has for its -aim three noble objects--God, ourselves, and our neighbours. -Concupiscence, since it is altogether of the earth, has low aims, which -are likewise threefold--the pomp of the world, self-interest, and -pleasure. According as one or other of these is stronger in us we -attain sanctification and happiness, or spiritual ruin and misery. To -destroy the reign of perverse love and these three hostile passions -there are no arms more reliable than those which attack their very -foundations, and these arms are obedience, poverty, and chastity. -These were the arms which Rita continued to wield until she received -from her Divine Spouse the eternal crown prepared for her ripe and -splendid virtues! - -The strongest weapon of the perfect is obedience, and when it is -employed by charity it opens up the way to every good object, as, on -the other hand, disobedience lays open the way to every evil, visible -and invisible, of the world. To begin with the consideration of this -great virtue, which Rita made a solemn vow to practise, we can affirm -that she possessed it in a most eminent degree. All her actions were -so many acts of obedience, or, rather, her whole conventual life was an -uninterrupted act of the humblest, truest, and readiest obedience. -Following the principles of her enlightened piety, she knew only too -well the truth declared to Samuel, that the sacrifice of the will is -more acceptable to God than the sacrifice of victims.[1] She always -kept before her eyes the example of a God who, for our instruction, -willed to live subject to His own creatures. She felt moved to imitate -the heroic virtue of so many sainted monks and nuns, and she saw -clearly the great advantage which obedience gave in directing our steps -through this world of darkness and sin. She therefore subjected -herself not only to all the laws of the Gospel, of the Church, of the -Rule and Constitutions of her Order, and not only obeyed with respect -and alacrity all the commands of the different superiors she had, and -carried out the duties of the various offices she filled, but she -eagerly desired to subject herself to her equals or juniors in the -convent, and sought to anticipate the commands even of these, to follow -their counsels and carry out their desires, esteeming herself only as -the unworthy servant of all. Virtue so rare deserved to be put to the -severest proof, since God often tries the virtue of the pious either -Himself or through the means of others. - -The trial of Rita's obedience was this: The Prioress, who had observed -her great spirit of submission, commanded her to water every day a -dried-up tree that was in the convent garden. Rita made no objection -against so strange a command; she did not say that such an order was -outside the matters to which the Rule obliged her; she did not even -submit that it would be time lost, for she was convinced that the time -in which any work of obedience is done is time well spent. Therefore, -with her will in complete accord with the orders she received, she -continued to obey them for several seasons, and in this she was -imitating the example of the holy abbot John, of whom we read in the -lives of the Fathers that, in order to follow the instructions of his -director, he humbled himself so far as to carry a pail of water a -considerable distance to water a dry trunk of a tree. So did St. Rita -likewise, and not in vain; for so pleasing to God were her acts of -heroic obedience that, as tradition tells, the tree bloomed again, and -began to bear flowers and fruit, and from that fact it was called the -'Saint's Tree.' - -What chiefly concerned her was that her obedience should bear fruit -unto eternal life, and hence the love which her heart felt for this -beautiful virtue was ever increasing. She therefore sought the -approval, direction, and restraining influence of another's will not -only in her temporal undertakings, but also in her devotional and -penitential exercises. When there was question of going to Rome to -gain the indulgences of the jubilee year, and again when she was to be -separated during the last years of her life from the pleasant society -of her sisters in religion, she allowed no consideration of fervent -piety, no personal reluctance, to come between her and her duty towards -holy obedience, from which she would not swerve an iota. Thus our -saint passed the rest of her life without a will of her own, or, if she -had a will, it was one that desired to do nothing except what obedience -ordered, in this way making certain of doing the will of God in all -things, which was the single object of all her desires. This is how -she conquered in herself and annihilated that great predominant passion -of man, the love of worldly glory. - -She conquered also the second strong passion--love of self-interest--by -a generous love of evangelical poverty. We have already remarked how -from her earliest years, and amongst the comforts of her father's -house, she was enamoured of this holy poverty, and how she was -accustomed to observe it in her humble manner of dress, in opposing all -outward show, in the frugality of her living, in her abstinence, in -depriving herself of her best garments for the poor, and in renouncing -in their favour all her earthly possessions at her entrance into -religion, whence it seems, there was nothing else that could be added -except the vow and perseverance. Nevertheless, the spirit of poverty -markedly increased in Rita whilst she lived in the convent, where she -was chosen to dwell till her death. There, in truth, everything -breathed humility and straitness of means, and she might well be -satisfied that by ordinary observance she was fulfilling her vow. But -saints are never satisfied unless they go beyond the goal of ordinary -mortals and if they do not reach the heroic point of virtue. It -happened thus in Rita's case, for although she loved uniformity and was -opposed to those singularities which often deserve to be the subject of -suspicion, yet she felt that she ought not to oppose God's -inspirations, or confine herself solely to the usages of the community, -but, subject to obedience, she carried the rigours of religious poverty -much farther. We might tell here of her protracted fastings and the -small quantity of food of the poorest sort with which she kept herself -alive, but we shall speak of these things in a subsequent chapter, and -shall now only touch on the poverty of her dress and of her abode. - -She did not show her poverty by wearing a coarser habit or one -differing in any way from those of her sisters in religion, yet there -is one particular that shows in a singular, not to say miraculous, -manner her spirit of poverty; for, like the Hebrews in the desert, from -the moment she put her foot in the convent till she entered the -promised land of the blessed, a period of more than forty years, she -had only one habit, which she wore night and day, and even during her -illnesses. As regards the poverty of her dwelling-place, her little -room, which may still be seen, declares it sufficiently, for it is only -a narrow cell, the least of all, crushed into a corner of the -dormitory, and with no light except a sort of twilight that filters -into it from the common window. A few pictures representing the -mysteries of our Lord's Passion were its only ornaments; the bed was -hard and rough, and more adapted to give pain than rest; all other -necessaries were wanting. Yet the holy penitent lived there contented, -and considered herself rich and wealthy, especially when she considered -the nakedness of the Crucified One, for she regarded the Cross of -Christ, her loving Spouse, as a mirror wherein to behold herself. The -cold words 'mine' and 'thine' which have been the cause of division in -families and kingdoms, and still divide hearts, never issued from her -lips, and even the things most necessary to her she let depend on her -Superior's will, and was always ready to deprive herself of them at the -slightest beck of authority, for she never had the least desire to own -anything. - -There is related of her a singular fact, which proves her detachment -from the things of earth. Going on a journey undertaken for reasons of -devotion, of which we shall speak later, with some of the nuns of the -convent, she threw into a river the money that had been given her to -defray her expenses, or, as others say, which she accidentally found. -Her companions thought that, considering their great necessity, this -was an act of real imprudence, and could not refrain from blaming her. -But Rita, who was full of confidence in the protection of heaven, -assured them they would want for nothing; and so it happened, for they -wanted for nothing throughout their journey. That God who feeds the -birds of the air and the fishes of the deep took care to provide His -servant and her companions with every necessary on their long way. In -such a way did Rita, poor in possessions and in spirit, advance with -great strides on the way of perfection, and add new riches to the -incorruptible treasures she had laid up in heaven. - -By poverty and obedience she had overcome the two passions of -self-interest and worldly glory; there remained the third passion, that -for sensual pleasures, against which our saint had to wage a more -bitter war, because, like the Apostle, she felt in herself that law -that was contrary to the law of the spirit, and because, as St. -Augustine writes, this is precisely the hardest fight that has to be -fought by Christians and the perfect. It is true that this most -virtuous woman was accustomed from her earliest years to watch over all -her thoughts and to keep a careful guard on her senses, and that from -her youth she had determined to preserve the candour of her virginity -intact; that she constantly preserved the most exemplary modesty; that -she avoided to the utmost of her power, even when in the world, all -evil discourse and companions and other incentives to impurity; that -she had lived most chastely and immaculately even as a wife. Yet with -all this she was not free from temptations, and to conquer them she had -recourse to an extreme rigour of life. - -The demon used all his power in attacking Rita's purity; at one time he -tempted her by impure phantasms, at another by seductive apparitions. -But she put him to flight by her lively faith and her austere penances. -In the fiercest assaults of temptation she went so far as to burn her -hand or foot, thus putting out one fire by the pain of another, in -order to keep herself entirely pure in the sight of her most pure -heavenly Spouse. Through love of this virtue she avoided all -opportunities of seeing or being seen, and she adopted this safeguard -even with her own relatives. When she had sometimes to appear abroad -she showed such recollection, modesty, and gravity as to excite the -wonder of others and attract universal veneration. So remarkable was -her modesty on such occasions that when she came back to the convent -(in those days the obligations of enclosure were not so strict as they -now are) she was sometimes able to declare that she had not seen a -single person. This circumspection which our saint employed in the -custody of her eyes may seem excessive to worldly-minded people, but -'everyone hath his proper gift from God';[2] and besides, the means of -attaining to extraordinary virtue like Rita's are not always ordinary; -nor were her penances, which were a means to this end, ordinary -penances. If such was the violence of her spiritual struggles, there -is no doubt but that the victories she gained were remarkable and -productive of many good results, and that the reward which God reserved -for her in a happy eternity was passing great. - - -[1] 1 Kings xv. 22. - -[2] 1 Cor. vii. 7. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -RITA'S PENANCES - -However hard and sharp penance may appear at the first glance, yet it, -too, is a daughter of love, love that gives strength to put a curb on -carnal appetites, which are ever striving to rebel against the first -uncreated love, and which incites to reparation of past offences and -atonement for them. It is no wonder, then, that Rita, who was burning -with the flame of Divine love, and who had the holiest horror of sin, -should carry her austerities even to the point of heroism. True, such -innocence did not deserve so great pains; but she who, in her profound -humility, thought herself full of defects and faults, who knew human -frailty and the frequent dangers of falling into sin, and who was not -exempt from the wicked suggestions of the world, the flesh, and the -devil, did not consider herself exempt from those penances which she -practised, for the good of sinners, as a defence against danger and an -assurance of victory in temptation. Her whole life, therefore, was one -continued exercise of penance owing to the great self-denial which she -exhibited from her early youth, but more markedly in her married life -and her widowed state, and owing also to the fastings she practised in -the world, and the other mortifications which we mentioned in former -chapters, but, above all, owing to the severe and almost incredible -chastising of the flesh, which she made a law that she observed during -all the years she lived in the cloister. - -To begin with her fastings, hardly had she embraced the Rule of St. -Augustine, which exhorts all to conquer the flesh by fasting as much as -health will permit, than she abandoned herself to a life of the most -rigorous and prolonged fasting. She never admitted any of those -exaggerated pretexts which the delicate sex finds it so easy to allege -in order to be dispensed from the laws of fasting and abstinence. She -only knew that God is not deceived, and that to desire to deceive one's -self is impious folly. She therefore had no hesitation in fulfilling -the most rigorous laws of abstinence without any ill-timed fear of -injuring her health. Every year she fasted during three entire Lents, -and also on the vigils of all holidays of obligation, of all the feasts -of the Blessed Virgin, of all the saints of the Order, and of her -particular advocates, not to mention other extraordinary fasts which -she observed. She took food only once a day, and never drank wine. -Her condiments were often wormwood, ashes, and tears. For the greater -part of the year she lived on bread and water, and as she advanced in -years and progressed in sanctity she reduced her food to such scanty -proportions that it was looked on as a miracle how she could in such a -way support life. St. Augustine's most prudent Rule does not prescribe -such things, and therefore Rita, by her heroic fasts, gave all the more -glory to the Most High; and by imitating the abstinences of the -Baptist, of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, and her other protectors, all -well-known models of penitence, she rendered them the truest honour, -for the best way of honouring the saints is to imitate their virtues. -But not only did she try to follow their example by penances of this -sort, but in all the other austerities of her life she endeavoured to -imitate them as exactly as her condition allowed. - -The very dwelling-place in which she hid herself proclaimed her -penitential disposition, for it was only a little cell, bare and dark, -and had rather the appearance of a prison to which she had been -condemned for some serious crime. We do not know for certainty whether -even for appearance' sake there was a bed in it, but we do know very -well that when Rita was overcome by natural weariness she took her -short repose stretched on the ground, or, at best, on a board. She -rose without fail from that hardest of couches at midnight to begin the -infliction of greater torment on herself; for at that hour she scourged -herself with a scourge of iron in order to appease Divine justice in -favour of the souls in purgatory, who, though still of the communion of -saints and participators in our suffrages, are left to suffer the -greatest sorrow, deprived as they are of the Beatific Vision and -tortured by the pain of their fires. Her great charity made her feel -the holiest compassion for these unhappy souls, and it was charity that -nerved her arm to continue these scourgings; but if she ever felt for -herself charity, too, might have induced her to lay aside her -ensanguined whip of iron. On two other occasions every day she took -the discipline, once for the benefactors of her convent and Order, when -she used thongs of leather, and again for the conversion of sinners, at -which her whip was of twisted and knotted cords. With all this she was -not satisfied if that rebellious enemy her flesh were not suffering -continual pain, and hence she always wore next her skin a cilicium made -of rough bristles, and on the inner side of her habit she fastened -thorns that pricked her painfully at every movement she made. Amongst -these thorns and the painful practices of her life our saint lay -hidden, like the mystic lily of the sacred Canticles, inaccessible to -passions, guarded on every side, growing more beautiful and brighter -every day, because more like her heavenly Spouse crowned with thorns. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -RITA'S SPIRIT OF PRAYER - -If Rita's body, oppressed by fastings, imprisoned in hair shirts and -galling bonds, made livid by scourgings, was forced to groan and sigh, -it was far otherwise with her spirit. The more the body was crushed -under the weight of penances, the more were the spaces of the soul -enlarged, the greater its liberty, the more readily might it raise -itself above all earthly things, to be plunged into the sublime depths -of heavenly things and taste of their ineffable sweetness. And if her -spirit sighed, it was a far different sigh from that of the body; it -was the sigh of the dove--a sigh of peace and love such as was foretold -by the Holy Spirit the Consoler by the mouth of the Psalmist to all -souls that devote themselves to penance and prayer--'Rise ye after ye -have sitten, you that eat the bread of sorrow.'[1] - -The same wonderful effects of grace were experienced by St. Augustine, -who in his exposition of that verse of the Psalms could not refrain -from exclaiming, 'How sweet are the sighs and the tears of prayer! No -pleasure of the theatres or of the world can equal the joy of such -tears.'[2] We must not, however, come to the conclusion that this -interior joy was the chief motive that made our saint love prayer, for -she loved the God of consolations much more than she loved the -consolations of God; but it was an innocent attraction to her -God-loving heart, and on that account she never could interrupt -exercises so dear to her without feeling pain. - -We have already related that from her childhood she had received the -gift of prayer, and which she developed in a striking way even in the -years of her early youth; and we have told how she gave herself -entirely to prayer during the year of her marvellous retirement in her -father's house, and how she continued to make progress in devotional -practices, especially when she was freed from the ties and cares of -matrimony. Yet when we compare all these things with her advancement -after she has embraced a conventual life, they seem but the very -beginning of piety. As a nun, Rita's prayers were offered in the -darkness of the night, in the early morning, throughout the -day--prayer, in a word, was her life, for not even for a moment could -she withdraw herself from the presence of her uncreated Love. The -hours between midnight and the break of day were the fullest of delight -for her, and the most favourable in which to treat all alone with God -the most important affairs of eternity and to pour out the fulness of -her love at the feet of the Crucified One. In the winter time, however -prolonged her vigils were, that time was always short to her, and -daylight came unlooked for. It seemed to her, as once to St. Anthony -the abbot, that the sun was doing her wrong by appearing too soon, for -she feared that he was coming to scatter with his rays the beautiful -light of her heavenly exaltations and seraphic thoughts. She never -wanted matter whereon to meditate, for the attributes of God and His -inexhaustible beneficence were to her subjects that she could never be -weary of considering. The sole thought that she was in the presence of -the majesty of God, that infinite majesty that fills with its being -heaven and earth and the abysses, was sufficient to raise her above -every created thing and transform her into God Himself. - -One subject, nevertheless, beyond every other, occupied Rita's -mind--that of the Passion of Jesus Christ. It almost seems as if she -had inherited from her parents this particular devotion, and that upon -it she had laid the foundation-stone of her sanctity. It was to the -Passion that she was accustomed from childhood to direct her thoughts -and affections, her sighs and tears. The reader may remember how at a -tender age she shut herself into the little room at home, and there -continued to meditate on the sorrowful mysteries, which also were -depicted in the pictures which hung on the walls, and, better still, -were carved on her heart. The senses should do their part the better -to assist the soul in its efforts after piety, and this was the reason -why Rita procured and kept in her cell in the convent certain -representations of the Passion of her dear Jesus. - -To this end she kept in two distinct parts of her cell objects that -recalled to her the history of the Passion. In one place she -constructed a representation of a mountain, which, whenever she looked -upon it, recalled Mount Calvary and all the torments which the Saviour -of the world suffered there. She meditated with sighs and tears on her -Divine Spouse arriving there, falling under the terrible weight of His -torments, His cross, and all the sins of men. With an outburst of -weeping she thought of Him deprived of His garments and fixed to the -cross with rough nails. She meditated with the liveliest compassion on -the cruel strokes of the hammer that tore His hands and feet, and on -all the other terrible torments that Jesus suffered for love of men. -In another corner of her cell she had a representation of the Holy -Sepulchre, and at sight of it she considered how the adorable body of -Christ was placed in it, how for three days it remained buried, how His -spirit went down to console the holy fathers in Abraham's bosom, and, -finally, how the Redeemer rose again to a new life triumphant and -glorious. During these meditations our saint was always alone; as -Jeremias says, 'she sat solitary and held her peace, and was raised -above herself';[3] in that sweet silence, in those loving soliloquies, -in that intimate intercourse with God she was superior to passion, to -nature, and to herself. So great was her mental exaltation during her -meditation on the Divine mysteries that she was often raised above the -life of the senses and rapt in delicious ecstasies, and on one -occasion, so strong was the ecstatic influence, the nuns thought she -was dead. - -Now, seeing that she soared to such sublime heights in prayer, it will -be no wonder that she possessed also as she did, and in a singular -manner, the gifts of wisdom and intelligence, so that she could reason -on the perfections of God and on the most abstruse mysteries of faith -with a subtle knowledge that could be acquired by no study nor any -natural capacity. Thus God hides the secrets of His wisdom from the -wise of this world and reveals them to His humble servants, to those -who appear ignorant in the eyes of the world. All these things excited -to rage the infernal enemy of all good and all sanctity, and in order -to make the holy nun desist from her pious practice he tried to -frighten her with horrible yells and dreadful apparitions. But she -continued to be motionless in prayer, and by prayer itself triumphed -over all the powers of hell. By the merit of her prayers, too, she -acquired a certain authority over devils. A proof of this is that a -woman who had for years been harassed by diabolical interference was -freed from it by Rita. Through prayer, too, she obtained the grace of -a supernatural healing for a young girl who was ill, whose mother had -the consolation of seeing her cured after having brought her to the -saint to ask the help of her prayers. We know that God was accustomed -to grant whatever she asked for, and so great was the fame of her -successful intercession and sanctity that devout people, confident in -her advocacy, came to her in crowds, and of all who came none went away -dissatisfied. Yet these were but the first-fruits that appeared -externally and to the eyes of men to testify to the extraordinary -efficacy of her prayers. We shall see more clearly in the remainder of -her life, and much more so after her death, in the many prodigious -works that God performed through her intercession, how great was the -merit of our saint's faith and of her prayers. - -We may also mention at the conclusion of this chapter the most fervent -prayers which she often offered before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament -and before the pictures of the most holy Virgin; but it was not the -circumstance of place that chiefly enkindled her devotion, for at every -instant and in all places she found Jesus and Mary, and a thousand -objects adapted to excite her most fervent piety. - - -[1] Ps. cxxvi. 3. - -[2] Ps. cxxvi. - -[3] Lam. iii. 28. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - A THORN FROM THE SAVIOUR'S CROWN OF THORNS - WOUNDS RITA'S FOREHEAD - -Rita had lived thirty years in the convent, leading that saintly life -we have described, and had attained her sixty-second year, when, in the -year 1443, it pleased God to mark in a wonderful manner, and, as it -were, put His seal on her merit by conferring on her a privilege that -is well worthy to be described. - -There lived at that time St. James of the Marshes, one of those -Apostolic men whom God then raised up, like St. Vincent Ferrer, St. -Laurence Giustiniani, St. Bernardine of Siena, and St. John of -Capestrano, to be strong barriers against the depravity of the world, -the rage of civil discord, the shock of schism, and the advance of -rising heresies. After many years passed with great advantage to souls -in the missions of Bosnia, Hungary, and the East, he was recalled in -that year by Pope Eugene IV., who destined him to preach the Crusade in -the province of Aquila, against the infidel Sultan Amurath II., who had -already penetrated into the heart of Hungary. On his return he had -occasion to go through the territory and towns of Spoleto preaching the -Gospel, and he expounded the word of God in Cascia amongst other -places. His discourses in Cascia were on the subject of our Lord's -Passion, and Rita was present at them. That a nun was present amongst -the people to hear the holy preacher will cause no astonishment when we -know that although the law of religious enclosure had been established -by many Councils and by Pope Boniface VIII., yet its observance was not -rigorously enforced until the time of the Council of Trent, and nuns -might go out of their convents, especially when there was question of -fulfilling religious duties or to hear the word of God preached. - -Rita, then, with the other nuns of her convent, was present at the -sermons, which she listened to with that purity of intention that casts -out all curiosity, and has for its only objects the glory of God and -the sanctification of the soul. The sanctity and zeal of the preacher, -who had long known the secret of touching the most hardened hearts, -will enable us to judge of the effects of his preaching. That his -subject was our Lord's Passion--the chief object of Rita's meditation, -and which excited her to the highest point of the love of God--will be -enough to tell us how deeply his discourses must have impressed her. A -divine compassion filled her heart, and she only restrained her tears -as she listened in order afterwards to pour them copiously forth when -she knelt before the crucifix in the old oratory of the convent. One -day, as she was there prostrated, wounded in spirit by the vehemence of -her great sorrow, with much sobbing she prayed and besought her Love, -who had been crowned with thorns, to permit her whilst still in the -flesh to taste at least of the bitter chalice of His sufferings. Her -heartfelt prayers were heard, and she saw one of the thorns of the -crown of the crucifix detach itself, as it were, and strike her on the -left side of the forehead with such force that it almost penetrated the -bone, causing her exquisite pain. She fainted from the pain, and it -seemed to her that only by a miracle could she survive such great -suffering. But love was stronger than pain in her, and grace supported -the weakness of nature itself. The wound, which by time grew larger, -festered, and became wormy, was visible on her forehead for fifteen -years. The worms and the offensive smell, similar to that which once -tormented Job, increased the pain of the wound and disgusted others. -But these things formed the delight of the patient nun, whose one -desire was to become like her Saviour, who, as the prophet Isaias -says,[1] was become for her and for the human race the most abject of -men and the Man of Sorrows, whose look was hidden and despised--a -prophecy so exactly fulfilled that He was unrecognisable when the -streams of blood flowed down His face from the wounds the thorns had -made in His head. When Rita was asked, as she sometimes was, what the -worms were that occasionally fell from her forehead, she used to reply, -with a joyous smile, 'They are my little angels,' letting it thereby be -seen that the more she was humbled and afflicted in the flesh, the more -she rejoiced in spirit, as was also the case with St. Francis of Assisi -and St. Catherine of Siena, whose great privilege of the stigmata is -celebrated by feasts of the Church, and also with another Augustinian -nun, St. Clare of Montefalco, on the living flesh of whose heart -miraculous representations of the Passion were impressed. Rita -rejoiced the more in this gift, inasmuch as it procured for her more -frequent occasion of exercising herself in humility, patience, -retirement, silence, prayer, and the love of that God who had conferred -on her so marked a distinction. From thenceforward as long as she bore -that mark of the Redemption on her forehead, which was as long as she -lived, she never ceased to thank Him for it and to praise and bless -Him. She, too, was become an outcast from amongst men, but instead of -being afflicted thereby she was only the more strongly united to God, -in whom all her desires and all her hopes of consolation were centred. -She considered that singular effect of Divine grace which is not -offended by unsightliness of body as abundant compensation for any -sufferings she had to bear and as a pledge of an ample eternal reward -in heaven. - - -[1] Isa. liii. 3. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - RITA GOES TO ROME TO GAIN THE INDULGENCE OF - THE JUBILEE - -If Rita's life till the time when she received the wound in her -forehead may be called a hidden life, from thenceforward it was a -buried life, and invisible to the eyes of men. On that account, -passing in silence over an interval of eight years, our history -proceeds to describe the events of her life in the year 1450. The -intervening years were not, however, years of idleness for our holy -nun, or if she did enjoy repose it was not very dissimilar from that of -the blessed in heaven, and perhaps of more advantage to the Church than -any active efforts of hers. The Western Church, as a matter of fact, -had just then, through the prayers of the saints, arisen from its state -of dejection and abasement. - -The schism of the Greeks, Armenians, and Ethiopians had come to an end -ten years before, and the glory of that happy event was attributed -principally to the merits of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, who was -canonized at that time by Pope Eugene IV. The other schism, of the -anti-Popes, died out, too, a few months later, when Felix V. -voluntarily abdicated; and Rita's penances and prayers must have -co-operated in bringing about so joyful a conclusion. - -Nicholas V., who occupied the chair of Peter, was thus enabled to -proclaim peacefully a solemn jubilee for the year 1450, to throw open -the treasure-house of Divine indulgences for the advantage of the -faithful. This was the sixth jubilee celebrated in the new Church of -Jesus Christ, and seeing that the Church was enjoying the lately -restored peace, and that piety had begun again to spring up, greater -crowds of people than ever before, from all parts of the world, were -flocking to Rome to participate in the extraordinary spiritual favours. -When even the least devout were hastening thither, we may judge how -ardent was Rita's desire of availing of so precious an occasion. She -was aware that even her sisters in religion were preparing to set out -for Rome, and she, who for many years and until that moment seemed in -her retirement to hate the very light of day, was not afraid to leave -her cell for a purpose so holy; and making light of the inconveniences -of travel and of her advanced age, she threw herself at the feet of the -Superior, and begged leave to join the other nuns in their devout -pilgrimage. But the Prioress did not think it prudent that Rita, owing -to the offensive nature of the sore on her forehead, should appear in -public or undertake a journey, and therefore sent her back to her cell, -telling her that she should first think of curing her wound, and then -she would grant the permission asked for. The condition imposed almost -in jest was not long in being fulfilled, for Rita had recourse to -fervent prayer to the Lord, who had inspired her with the desire of -going on the pilgrimage, and who was accustomed to grant all her -petitions, and she received instantly the favour she so ardently -desired. It is to be remarked here that Rita, who always, in her -profound humility, endeavoured to hide the favours of heaven, chose in -this instance to make use of an ointment in order to conceal the -miracle of her instantaneous healing. But the work of God was too -evident, and the Superior had therefore no hesitation in granting the -permission that Rita sought, and her blessing. - -She set out on foot in the company of her sisters in religion without -any consideration for her age, which was then about sixty-nine years, -with no dread of the long journey or the inconveniences of the season, -and she pushed forward joyously towards the metropolis of the Catholic -world. - -It was on this journey that the incident occurred which was mentioned -when speaking of her spirit of poverty, that when she was crossing over -a river she threw into it the little sum of money that was given to her -probably to supply their wants on the pilgrimage. Her companions -blamed her for what she had done; but not God, who had secretly urged -her to that act of generosity, and who afterwards provided herself and -her companions with all they needed until their return to the convent. -When she arrived at her journey's end she lost no time in gazing on -those monuments of profane antiquity of which Rome is so proud, but -directed all the feelings and sentiments of her body and soul towards -those things that were the objects of her piety--the memories of the -holy martyrs, the confessions of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, -devout visits to the churches, and the gaining of the holy indulgences. -It would seem, indeed, that having led such a stainless life, and after -so great and so severe penances, that she had no need to have recourse -to those extraordinary means of atonement for sin; but holiness is -always deeply humble, and the same humility which led St. Briget and -St. Catherine to the second jubilee brought St. Rita a century later to -the sixth. Enriched with new treasures of grace, and impatient to be -free from the din of the streets and the perpetual crush of people, she -with her companions, ever in the arms of Divine Providence, began the -journey back to Cascia, and after walking four or five days arrived -again at the convent and her beloved cell. She had hardly reached home -when, wonderful to tell, the sore on her forehead, which had healed up -by the power of God a little before she set out from Cascia, suddenly -broke out again, and thereby made it more evident that the preceding -cure had been miraculous. Never more, until the day of her death, was -Rita to be deprived of a privilege so dear to her. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -RITA'S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH - -Rita survived seven years after her return from Rome. The first three -of these, like the eight preceding years, are hidden under the veil of -God's deep designs, for it is not granted to us to discover anything of -her exterior life during that period. Of her interior life, too, there -is nothing left, if we except certain general knowledge of her spirit -of penance, her continued love of prayer, and her union with God ever -becoming closer. - -Three years passed, and Rita had reached the seventy-second year of her -age and the fortieth of her life in religion, when it pleased the Lord -to visit her with an illness which afflicted her for four years, and -ended only with her life. This is the first time after so many years -that any illness of Rita's is mentioned, except the sore on her -forehead, which goes far to prove that even long-continued and rigorous -penances are not--contrary to the opinion of the world's -delicacy--opposed to bodily health or calculated to shorten life. It -might seem, indeed, that, considering the great misfortunes she had to -bear, the many humiliations, and the many voluntary penances she -undertook, she ought to be exempted from this final suffering. With -all that, God wished that this beautiful work of His hands should be -marked by the greatest perfection, and desired to exalt her to the -higher places in His glory, and He also willed to add to her past -sufferings and the still present troubles of her wounded forehead the -pain of this long illness. We do not know with certainty what malady -she suffered from, but, whatever it was, it resisted all the remedies -of science. It is not improbable that, as one of the writers of her -life suggests, it was a wasting fever, one of those maladies that sap -the vital strength by degrees through an obstinate and mortal languor, -and finally causes death. - -During all that time she remained confined to her hard bed, and the -manner in which she bore all the pains and annoyances of her long -illness was a cause of the greatest edification to all who assisted, -for her face not only showed the resignation and serenity of her mind, -but she was always desiring to suffer still greater pain, and was for -ever thanking Divine Providence that deigned to purify her in this -world and give her some occasion of acquiring merit. But there was one -pain she felt more than any other, and it was because through illness -she was become useless to the community, and even a burden and trouble -to her sisters, especially by reason of the deformity and offensiveness -of the sore on her forehead; yet not even the grief of this could take -away from her the merit of her most heroic resignation to the will of -God and equally heroic humility and patience. Yet another matter there -was which must have weighed heavily on her, when we compare the very -lowly opinion she had of herself with that sublimest idea she had been -enabled to form of God's infinite majesty, and that was that she could -now no longer present herself at the Eucharistic table to receive her -Jesus with that frequency with which she had been accustomed to partake -of that heavenly bread, but was now, on the contrary, obliged to -receive Him lying on her miserable pallet. But the holy soul supplied -in ardent desire and in the intensest internal acts of adoration and -love for that external veneration which her bodily weakness rendered -impossible. As her disease progressed, or, rather, as her sanctity -increased, so small was the quantity of food she consumed that it could -not be told how she was able to live, and therefore the nuns who were -attending on her came to the conclusion that she was kept alive by the -bread of angels. Nor was their idea so far from the truth, for Rita -herself had to confirm it when, on their pressing her to take some more -nourishment, she replied: 'My soul, fixed to the sacred wounds of Jesus -Christ, is fed with other food.' - -Now, it happened that whilst the saint was in this state, and not far -from the end of her mortal life, a relative came to visit her, and -after passing some time in condoling with her and giving her comfort, -was about to go away. Before her departure she asked Rita if she -wanted anything, and said she would willingly do her a service. 'Yes,' -said Rita. 'I beg you to go to the garden of my house as soon as you -reach Rocca Porena, and pluck a rose there and bring it to me.' It was -then the month of January, the time in which the greatest rigour of -winter is felt, especially in that valley, which is closed in on all -sides by overhanging mountains, where the sun rises late and sets -early, and where at that season all nature is buried under snow and -ice. At the strange request the woman did not know what to think -except that Rita was wandering in her mind through the severity of her -illness. She pitied her, and went back to Rocca Porena. When she -reached home it happened that she went to the garden, either through -curiosity or because God so disposed it, and she saw, conspicuous -amidst the frozen bushes, a full-blown red rose. At the sight she was -seized by various feelings of wonder, joy, and devotion, and ran to -pluck the flower, with which she returned without delay to the convent -of Cascia to deliver the wonderful gift to the saint. Rita took it as -coming from the hands of her Divine Spouse, and with holy joy offered -it to her sisters who were standing around. They, too, were seized -with wonder and amazement, and joined with her in praising the goodness -and omnipotence of God. - -Another prodigious occurrence, not unlike that we have just related and -not less wonderful, happened very soon after. The same woman who had -brought the flower to the saint was bidding her farewell on another -occasion, and asked her again if she needed anything. Rita thus -answered the charitable question: 'Since you are so kind, I beg that -you will go to the same garden, where you will find two figs, which you -will have the charity to bring me.' This time the woman did not -hesitate a moment, but as soon as she heard the words hurried home, and -in a short time was in the garden mentioned. There, on a leafless -tree, she found the two ripe figs, which she plucked with renewed -wonder and pleasure, and carried immediately to the sick nun. At the -sight of this second wonder Rita broke forth into new acts of gratitude -and love to the Lord, in which her sisters joined. The fame of these -miraculous events was spread throughout the neighbourhood, and wonder -seized on all the people, and they conceived a great veneration for the -dying saint, whom they clearly perceived to be beloved by God. - -Thus compassed about with flowers and fruit, like the bride of the -sacred Canticles,[1] Rita felt that she was languishing with love, and -by this growing weaker, she eagerly desired to be free from the ties of -the body, and at last take flight to enjoy for all eternity her -Uncreated Good. Her chaste sighs were not in vain, for her Divine -Spouse Jesus, accompanied by the most holy Virgin, appeared to her to -announce the joyous tidings that in three days she should be taken from -the world and from pain, and received into Paradise to receive the -reward due to her virtues and sufferings. The vision disappeared, and -joy inundated Rita's heart, and well was this known from that -extraordinary and angelic serenity of her countenance which she -preserved till her last breath, in spite of the pains and sorrows of -death. The nuns alone wept as they stood around her bed. In these -last moments of hers, profoundly moved by her tranquillity and the -wonders they had seen, they had come to know her better, and to -appreciate more perfectly her extraordinary virtues. In the midst of -these tears the saint turned to her dear sisters, humbly asked pardon -of all of them for any offence she might have given them and for the -trouble she had caused, left them in remembrance of her beautiful words -of peace, obedience, and piety, and then asked the blessing of the -Superior. Her desolate sisters wanted, too, to get a blessing from her -as a pledge of that charity with which she had always loved them, and -with which they besought that she would love and protect them when she -was in heaven. Rita blessed them, tried to console them, and then had -no thought for anything but eternity. - -Our heroine, it is true, was assured from above of the possession of -future glory, yet she in no wise neglected to fortify herself with all -the aids and comforts with which our holy Mother Church prepares us for -the great passage. Gathering, therefore, all the strength of her -spirit, she expressed her desire that the Holy Viaticum should be -brought to her, and Extreme Unction administered. She received these -holy Sacraments with a fervour which cannot easily be imagined, much -less described, and with these fresh pledges of grace, and with her -eyes turned towards the home of the Blessed, her soul took its flight -thither, where she lives an immortal life filled with ineffable joy, -the reward of her heroic Virtues. Her precious death took place during -the Pontificate of Calixtus III., in the year 1457, when she had -attained the seventy-sixth year of her age and the forty-fourth of her -religious life, on the night of the 22nd of May, when Saturday was -ending, a day specially consecrated to the honour of the Virgin Mary, -to whom she was always most devout, and towards the beginning of -Sunday, the day dedicated to the Lord and figurative of eternal repose. - - -[1] Cant. ii. 5. - - - -END OF PART II - - - - -Part III - -RITA IN HEAVEN - - - -CHAPTER I - - WONDERFUL EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT RITA'S - DEATH--BURIAL OF HER SACRED BODY - -In describing Rita's mortal life, we judged it expedient to give from -time to time some idea of the trend of events and of the calamities of -the times in which she lived, and we have hopes that it will not be -displeasing to the reader nor outside the scope we proposed to -ourselves if we continue to follow the same plan now that we are come -to speak of her immortal life in so far as it may be said to be visible -in those works in which God willed to give glory to His servant even on -earth. For her, indeed, time was changed into changeless eternity, but -the world was, as ever, in its instability, and was perpetually -changing appearance. The short-lived peace which had been established -at the Council of Florence had once more fled from the distracted East, -and Mahomet II., destined by God to punish those relapsing schismatics, -had at this time overturned the Empire of Constantinople, and was -threatening with ruin the newly-established Empire of Trebizond, as -well as other kingdoms. It is true that in the year 1457--the year of -Rita's death--the infidel usurper was driven back out of Hungary and -Belgrade, and had been defeated by the brave Scanderbeg in Albania, by -Cardinal de Aquileia on the Ægean Sea, and by Uson Cassano near the -confines of Persia. But these losses caused only a temporary check, -and were but the last flattering hope of the hardened and perfidious -Greeks. Calixtus III. was then Pope, and from his Apostolic throne it -was his sad lot to see the heritage of Jesus Christ despoiled, and -could only weep over what he could not prevent. The wise Pontiff -strained every effort to prevent still greater ruin, but the -effeminacy, egoism, and rivalry of the Courts of Europe opposed his -brave purpose, and left open a free passage to the progress of the -conqueror. In the West the outlook was brighter for the Church and the -world, for affairs were directed by the Emperor Frederick III., -surnamed the Peacemaker, and Pope Calixtus, whose great desire was to -see peace firmly established in Italy, from whence it had so long been -banished. Indeed, it was only in the year before he ascended the Papal -throne that the first signs of reviving peace were seen in that -troubled peninsula. It was through the means of a humble Augustinian -friar that in the end was obtained that peace which princes and -monarchs had in vain attempted to restore; for Fr. Simonetto of -Camerino, a priest of extraordinary piety, is famous in history for -being the pacificator of Italy. Good morals and piety began to gain -vigour, and brought consolation to the Church for the irreparable -losses it had sustained in the East. The reigning houses also that -were least friendly to national concord, and which had not remained -unstained by depravity, began again to give indications of sanctity. -In this very year of 1457, Fr. Gabriel Sforza, Archbishop of Milan, -styled the Blessed, passed to his heavenly reward, and a few months -after his death Blessed Christina Visconti followed him to the kingdom -of heaven. Like Rita, both of these were Augustinians. The -Governments of the republics of Siena and of Genoa were the last to -suffer from the disasters of war, the former having been attacked by -the ambitious Picunino, and Genoa having been engaged with the maritime -forces of Alphonsus, King of Naples; but even these wars had at last -come to an end. Cascia, which still continued to be governed as a -republic, in common with the other States was enjoying in prosperity -the fruits of peace, and was now about to acquire greater renown -through the death of Rita, whose imperishable glory was soon to be -proclaimed. - -Scarcely, indeed, had she breathed her last when began a long series of -prodigious events, which immediately spread her fame abroad. The first -of these to excite wonder was that at the moment of her death the nun -who had been her closest companion in life saw the soul of the saint -take its flight to heaven, accompanied by angels, in the garb of -brightness in which it had pleased God to clothe her. The second -wonder was that at that same moment the bell of the convent rang out, -tolled by no visible agency, and the saint's cell was radiating with an -unaccustomed splendour. The sore on her forehead, too, which in life -had been most offensive, was now giving forth an odour of heavenly -fragrance, and that wound, which had been an unsightly deformity, now -took on the appearance of a shining jewel. Her body, which before had -exhibited all the wasting effects of continual mortification, but was -the seat of a most pure soul and the temple of the Holy Ghost, was now -transformed and clothed with almost superhuman beauty. In a word, not -only her soul, but her very body seemed as if it had been assumed into -the splendour of the saints. At the manifestation of events so -wonderful the nuns and the faithful who were present changed their -sorrow into a holy joy, and ceased not to bless the Lord and recommend -themselves to Rita's patronage. As the report of these prodigies -spread about, the people flocked in crowds to see and to venerate that -sacred body, and thus God was praised in the wonders He had worked, the -virtues of His saint were published, and in the hearts of many there -sprang up the desire of imitating her example. The obsequies were to -be solemnly celebrated on the following morning, and meanwhile the -crowds arriving from all the surrounding country were continually -increasing. Amongst the others came a woman who was a near relative of -Rita, whose arm had been many years paralysed. This woman approached -the sacred body, and, to relieve her feelings of love, sorrow, and -devotion, clasped it around the neck. On the instant her withered arm -suddenly regained feeling and strength. She began to cry out that a -miracle was wrought for her, and all the bystanders took up the cry of -'A miracle! a miracle!' whilst she who was healed kissed again and -again the body of her deliverer, and returned thanks to God for His -great mercy. The body was brought from the cell into the ancient -chapel, where it was quickly surrounded by a crush of impatient people, -who seemed as if they never could be satisfied with gazing on the -sacred remains of the holy nun. The last solemn offices were -celebrated, but the body had to be left visible for a long time to -satisfy the pious curiosity and devotion of the faithful. At last it -was placed in a coffin of poplar, which was enclosed in another of -walnut wood, in order that one who was so honoured by God should -receive honourable sepulture. This was but the beginning of Rita's -renown. We shall see as we advance how God gave greater glory to His -servant. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - MIRACLES WROUGHT BY GOD THROUGH RITA'S - INTERCESSION BEFORE HER BEATIFICATION - -The primary object of miracles is to establish the Catholic religion, -and this is the reason why the Son of God and His disciples performed -so many miraculous works that filled the world with amazement and -invited men to embrace the faith. Even when the kingdom of Christ had -been established miracles did not altogether cease, but rather it -pleased God for His greater glory to raise up miracle workers in every -age for the edification of the faithful, to place a more distinctive -mark on His Church, and to confirm His followers in the faith. A -little before Rita's time there were chosen, amongst others, St. -Nicholas of Tolentine, St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. -Francis of Paul to be famous ministers of His omnipotence and mercy. -Then followed St. Rita, who, although during her life she did not -perform marvels as did these Apostolic men, yet after her death became -celebrated, and is still celebrated throughout the whole world for the -many great miracles with which it pleased the Lord to publish the -merits of His beloved spouse. - -But as St. John the Evangelist has said, speaking of our Lord, so very -numerous were the miracles He wrought that only a small proportion of -them is recorded in the Sacred Writings, we may say, preserving due -proportion, much the same of Rita. For not only have lapse of time and -carelessness deprived us of the memory of many of the miracles worked -through her intercession, but even in the present, when nearly every -part of the world is ringing with the fame of her great prodigies, -authentic testimony is often wanting, and sometimes we are at a loss -for a simple relation of the facts. We must therefore perforce be -contented with recording a certain number of them taken from the -process of her beatification, and we shall follow the order in which -they are related by those writers of her life who have preceded us. -The series of miracles of which we have authentic knowledge begins from -the third day after the saint's death. We give it here in compendium. - -On the 25th of the month of May in which St. Rita died a certain -Baptist d'Angelo of Col Giacone, in the territory of Cascia, who had -completely lost his sight, having heard of the miracles which God was -working through her intercession in those first days after her death, -had his faith quickly aroused, and with confidence recommended himself -to her patronage, and in an instant his sight was restored. - -Two days later a woman named Lucrezia di Paolo, from Col Forcella, a -village also in the territory of Cascia, whose body was swollen and -doubled up through advanced years and owing to a sort of dropsy from -which she suffered, went to where the saint's body was lying, and, -having prayed there with strong faith, was enabled to return to her -home free from disease and in perfect health. - -On the same day another woman named Frances, the wife of Antonio -Fucelli of Cascia, who had been deaf for five years, was praying before -the body of the saint in the presence of a multitude of people. On a -sudden she felt that her hearing was restored. The truth of this -miracle is attested by the people who were present. - -Two days later still a man named Salimbene d'Antonio, from -Poggio-Primocaso, one of whose fingers had lost all power of motion and -was dried up for many years, went to pray that he might be cured, and -touched the saint's sacred body with his powerless finger; he, too, was -instantaneously cured, and went back to his home rejoicing. - -On the last day of May a woman called Giacomuccia di Leonardo, from -Ocosce, a village quite close to Cascia, was miraculously cured of -grievous pains, from which she had been tormented for two years, and -which had reduced her to a state of extreme weakness. This grace was -granted to her after having prayed most fervently for eight days, at -the end of which her persevering faith was rewarded by her restoration -to health. - -Frances di Giovanni, from Bisella, in Nursia, who was deaf and dumb -from birth, was brought on the same day to visit the miraculous body of -the saint. She ardently recommended herself to her patronage, and -performed the acts of devotion possible to a deaf mute. Speech and -hearing were thereupon suddenly granted to her. The first words she -uttered were 'Ave Maria,' a fact which amazed her parents and the -people who witnessed the miracle. - -Still another miracle was wrought by the omnipotence of God, through -Rita's intercession, before the end of that month of May. A certain -Lucrezia, wife of Ser Paolo of Golforalla, who was all swollen with -dropsy, and whose case the physicians judged incurable, had herself -brought before the saint's body, and there with the strongest -confidence begged that her heart's desire might be granted. She, too, -was restored to health and strength. - -On the 2nd of June in the same year a youth named Bernard, the son of -Matteo Del-re, from Ocosce, who was suffering from the gravel and was -in very great pain, was brought to where the saint's coffin was by his -father, who besought for him the pity of the saint, and was granted the -grace he prayed for. - -The next day a man called Spirito d'Angelo, from Cascia, through the -intercession of St. Rita, was cured of chronic sciatica, from which he -had suffered grievous pain for four years. - -Four days later a young girl from Rocca, in the territory of Nursia, -whose name was Maria d'Angelo, who had been deaf and dumb from birth, -went with her parents to do homage to the saint of Cascia, and, like -Frances di Giovanni, she, too, obtained hearing and speech. When this -miracle was made known the girl had to get into the pulpit to satisfy -the pious curiosity of the people, and there for the first time she -pronounced the sweet name of Mary and the names of other saints, and so -great was the wonder of the people that a thanksgiving procession was -formed, in which the clergy took part, and a sermon was preached by Fr. -Giovanni Paoletti of Cascia. - -On the 13th of the same month Francesco, son of Antonio Pasquali, of -the village of San Cipriano, in the district of Amatrice, who was also -a deaf mute, was brought by his father and others to Rita's glorious -tomb, and departed thence with the full use of his senses, astonished -at the novelty of his sensations and the greatness of the miracle. - -Another miracle took place five days after in favour of Lucia di Sante -Lalli, from the town of S. Maria, in the territory of Nursia. One of -her eyes was entirely blind for fifteen years, and the other was nearly -so. She went, accompanied by her mother, to visit the holy body of the -saint in Cascia, and remained there praying for fifteen days, at the -end of which, through her faith and the intercession of the saint, she -regained her sight, as she had ardently desired. - -After describing the last-mentioned miracle there is a break in the -ancient records, and we read of no other miracles till thirty years -later. Under the date of the 3rd of June, 1487, we find that Pietro di -Giovanni of Paganelli, and his wife, a native of Nursia, made a vow to -St. Rita for the restoration to health of their son Pietro, who was so -tongue-tied that he could not utter a word. The saint consoled them, -for in a short time their son was in perfect health, with full use of -speech. - -A daughter of Gregorio d'Antonio of Col Giacone, who had lost the power -of speech after a severe illness, recovered it after being brought to -the saint's tomb. This fact is mentioned under the date of the 22nd of -June in the same year. - -About the same time Sante di Mariano of Rocca Porena, whilst playing -bull, was thrown violently against one of his companions, who had a -knife in his belt, and was accidentally so severely wounded in the -ventral region that the physicians despaired of curing him. He had -recourse to the saint, and although he was not cured instantly, yet he -immediately began to improve, and ultimately he was restored to perfect -health. - -On the 18th of May, about two years afterwards, Angela, wife of -Domenico Berardi of Logna, a town in the territory of Cascia, whose arm -was crippled and so diseased that it brought on feverish feelings every -day, had recourse to the invisible virtue of that holy body, and was -completely healed. - -Father Nicola Galli, who had been confessor of the nuns in the convent -in which the saint lived, and who wrote her life, which to a great -extent we are making use of in this chapter, and who declares that he -took his account of Rita's miracles from the process of her -beatification given him by the nuns, relates as the sixteenth of her -miracles that a certain Giovanni di Rocca Porena was restored from -death to life through the merits of the saint, but he mentions no -circumstances. - -A woman named Fior di Pier Antonio had a son named Spirito, who -suffered from a sort of insanity, which doctors would call -_lycanthropy_ (a species of insanity in which the patient imagines -himself to be a wolf), owing to which he was given to wandering through -the woods and mountains, and felt a tendency to hurl himself from high -places. His afflicted mother, seeing that all the remedies of science -were useless, had recourse to St. Rita, and was consoled by her son's -being restored to health and his right mind. - -About the year 1491 a certain Vannetta, daughter-in-law of Ser Antonio -di Nardo, from the town of Fogliano, near Cascia, was suffering from so -dangerous an affection of the throat that she could swallow neither -food nor drink, and therefore believed that she had reached the end of -her days. Once, on being awakened from a heavy sleep, which her -friends thought was the lethargy of death, she complained of being -deprived by them of the beautiful vision she had been enjoying. To -their questions about her vision she replied that she had seen St. -Rita, who had called to her and touched her throat with her finger and -disappeared. It was found that the cure was not simply imaginary, but -that the girl was freed from her disease. - -About the same time a boy named Amico, the son of Antonio of Col -Forcella, who was suffering great pain from gravel, was recommended by -his mother to the powerful intercession of the saint, and her faith was -rewarded by his instantaneous cure. - -In the following year Giovan Marino, of Logna, was cured of a disease -called _serpentina_, through which his whole body was paralysed, for it -pleased God to hear, through the intercession of Rita, the fervent -prayers offered in his behalf by his aunt Donna Santa. - -Towards the end of the same year Pier Marino, son of Marino Bruchi of -Nursia, who had received two mortal wounds in a scuffle, had recourse -to the patronage of Rita, and not in vain, for he was seen to get -better, and through persevering prayer was soon restored to health. - -Three other miracles are described as having taken place about this -time through Rita's intercession. The first was the healing of Donna -Santa (perhaps the same as was mentioned before), daughter of Domenico -of Logna, who was suffering from headaches, and tumours, and swelling -of the throat. She besought the saint to obtain her restoration to -health, and vowed to send a florin as offering to her convent. Rita -heard her prayers, and became her advocate before the Giver of every -good gift, who instantly gave her back the health she prayed for. - -The next was that wrought in favour of a certain woman named Giacoma, -the wife of Martino of S. Anatolia, in the territory of Cascia, who -broke her shoulder-blade and her thigh by falling from a height on a -rock. She was tortured by most violent pains, against which she could -find no better remedy than to have recourse to Rita, to whose convent -she vowed to present a half-florin. Her prayers were heard, and she -was instantly cured. - -The third of the cases, registered under date of the 18th of November, -happened thus: Antonio, the son of Giuliano and Gemma of Nursia, was -lying mortally wounded and left for dead, having received fourteen -wounds, one of which had almost severed his shoulder from his body. -His mother and his sister Maria determined to trust themselves to the -help of heaven, and had recourse to the intercession of St. Rita. They -therefore made a vow to visit her venerated body and to bring a waxen -image. Hardly had they made the vow than the young man was cured of -his wounds. - -Lucchessa, the wife of Giovan Marino of Collecurioso, now destroyed, in -the territory of Cascia, had been possessed by the devil for many days. -She was brought to Rita's grave, and there was delivered from that -molestation through the saint's intercession. When this favour was -conferred there were many present, religious and seculars, who also -bore witness to the horrible yells uttered by the infernal spirit as it -left the body. - -In 1494 Monica di Colantonio of Colle, in the district of Nursia, was -cured of a fistula solely because her father, Domenico, had gone to -Cascia to honour the saint, to whose efficacious patronage he had -recommended himself. - -Towards the end of the same year, on the 16th of December, a man named -Giovanni Andrea, son of Giovannuccio, from Atri, a town in the -territory of Cascia, came to Cascia to thank his protectress Rita, who, -he affirmed, had formerly delivered him from a serious illness, and had -saved him again from imminent danger of death when a chestnut-tree had -fallen on him and threatened to crush him. - -Two years later a certain Paolo, son of Giovanni, a native of -Collecurioso, whose son Angelo was suffering torture from the gravel, -made a vow to bring his son to return thanks at the saint's tomb if he -were cured, and to have the miracle painted on a tablet. His faith was -rewarded by his son being cured. - -In the same year Andrea d'Angelo, from Onelli, in the Cascia district, -was cured, through the intercession of the saint, from an illness by -which he was confined to bed for ten months. - -In 1501 a woman named Perna, wife of Marino di Aliena, who was -tormented by evil spirits, was delivered from them by favour of the -saint, to whom she had had recourse. - -At the same time Giovanni di Bartolomeo, from Roccatervi, in the -neighbourhood of Cascia, who had cut a vein near his left instep eight -years before, and whose case was considered incurable, besought St. -Rita with fervent prayers to come to his aid. When he perceived that -his prayers were heard, and that a cure impossible to human science had -been effected, he made an offering on the 10th of June of a silver -crown to the church that guards the saint's body. - -Pier Angelo, son of Pier Domenico, from the neighbourhood of Spoleto, -had fled in the year 1503 from that district to escape an epidemic that -was raging there. When he thought the danger was past he returned, but -one of his daughters was seized by the malady. The afflicted father -bethought him of seeking the protection of the miracle-worker St. Rita. -He promised to visit her venerated tomb and to make an offering of four -carlins. His faith was rewarded by his daughter's deliverance. - -Vannuccio di Sante of Foligno, one of whose arms was withered, had -recourse to the saint to obtain the favour of being cured, and made a -vow to offer the figure of an arm in wax. The power of his arm was -immediately restored. He determined thereupon to fulfil his vow on a -certain Sunday, but when the day came he changed his mind, and meant to -go to Nursia. But he paid the penalty of his ungrateful fickleness, -for he was seized with such a pain in one of his feet that he could not -walk. Thereupon he resolved to fulfil immediately his vow, and he -added a second one of bringing also the waxen figure of a foot. He was -relieved of the pain, and hesitated no longer to fulfil his double vow. -This happened in 1506. - -It happened about the year 1510 that a certain Messer Francesco of -Monferrato, who was five years bedridden owing to gangrene of the -throat, saw St. Rita appear to him in a dream. He paid no attention to -the vision, but the saint appeared to him a second and a third time. -On the third occasion she informed him who she was and whence, and -exhorted him to go to her tomb; she then touched his throat, and he was -restored to health. He arose from his bed cured, and set out for -Tuscany, and from thence he went to Rome, for he did not know where -Cascia was, where Rita was buried. But in Rome he found a farmer from -Nursia, who gave him the information he needed, and when he arrived at -Cascia he made an offering of a box full of silver coins, had a -procession of thanksgiving celebrated, and on the occasion of it a -sermon was preached by Fr. Ludovico of Cascia, a Franciscan. - -Giovan Angelo, the son of Leonardo, from Ocosce, in the district of -Cascia, was freed on the 26th of April, 1525, from an evil spirit by -which he was obsessed, and to express his gratitude for the favour, -obtained through Rita's intercession, made an offering of four carlins -to the convent, a thousand wooden stakes for the vineyard, and his own -services as long as he lived. - -In the same year and month another man obsessed by the devil, whose -name was Bernardino, the son of Domenico Saccomadi, from the town of -San Giovanni, in the Cascia district, was delivered from the infernal -enemy after being brought to visit the body of St. Rita, before which -public prayers were recited for his liberation. - -On the 26th of December of the same year a son of Giovan Francesco of -Nardi, in the suburbs of Cascia, a child three years old, after a very -serious illness, which lasted for thirteen days, was become quite -blind, and could take no nourishment, and was, in fact, at the point of -death. The father went to Cascia to beg the intercession of St. Rita, -and to his prayers were added those of the nuns, who also gave him a -little piece of Rita's habit. He returned home, and with firm faith -touched his son's eyes with the relic he had received, and invoked the -name of Rita, and immediately it was seen that the grace he had sought -had been granted. As a sign of gratitude he brought an offering of -eight florins' worth of articles to be used in the services of the -saint's church. - -A similar miracle happened towards the year 1535, in the case of -Constantino, the son of Scolastica and Giacomo di Pietro Zocchi, from -Agriano, in the district of Nursia. He, too, was suffering from a -mortal illness when his mother made a vow in his favour to St. Rita, -and he was cured on the instant. To fulfil her vow and testify her -gratitude, Scolastica presented a vestment to the church on the 1st of -June. - -About the same time it also happened that a little girl of ten years, -called Antonia, who was the daughter of Giovanni di Silvestro of Rocca -Porena, fell into the river Corno, then very much swollen by floods, -and was swept along in the strong current for nearly half a mile. -Before losing consciousness she offered herself to St. Rita, and the -waters bore her to the river bank as one returned to life from the dead. - -Donna Brigida, wife of the noble Marsiglio di Marino of Nursia, was -also the recipient of a singular favour from St. Rita in the year 1548. -She was lying ill in bed, despaired of by the physicians and near -death. A certain Girolamo di Giovanni, who occupied a room not far -from where the sick woman was lying, twice heard a voice commanding her -to make a vow to the saint. At the second time of hearing he woke the -servants, the vow was registered by the invalid, who instantly spoke. -She was cured without the application of other remedies, and the same -day the little silver crown she vowed to send to Cascia was despatched. - -The year after a certain Ferrantino di Benedetto of Collecurioso, in -the Cascia district, was so terrified by a phantom of the night that he -fell into convulsions and became delirious. St. Rita, to whom he had -remembered to pray, appeared to him in one of his lucid intervals and -advised him to go to her tomb and pray there, and that he would there -regain his health. He went on St. James's Day, and although he was as -ill as usual whilst going, no sooner had he reached the blessed tomb -than he was cured in body and mind. - -Nicola, the son of Francesco Cascianelli of Antrodoco, in October, -1562, had recourse to the saint to heal him of a chronic illness, -promising to make an offering of three crowns at her sepulchre. He, -too, was instantaneously cured. - -On the last day of May, in the year 1563, there happened another -noteworthy miracle wrought in favour of Donna Cheava di Paolo, of the -Castle of Uncciafora. Two months before she had an apoplectic fit, and -during all the intervening time her tender mother could obtain no -relief for her, and was herself condemned to useless weeping, till she -determined to make a vow to the saint. After two days she had the -happiness of seeing her daughter restored to her former health. On the -very day of the recovery the mother went to Cascia to perform her vow -at Rita's tomb, and the assembled people celebrated the miracle with a -procession. - -Four years afterwards, on the 23rd of April, Angelina di Marco of -Poggio-Primocaso was prostrate at the saint's tomb, returning thanks to -her for having saved her nephew, who had been at the point of death -after falling down a precipice. - -Many other wonderful cures are recorded in the process of beatification -without a date being mentioned. We read, for example, that a woman -from Monte Leone named Pazienza, who was obsessed by the devil, was -freed from her great misfortune on being brought to the tomb of the -saint; that Ristorio Sarsio from Amatrice, who was brought almost to -death's door by pains in his sides, was cured whilst in the act of -making a vow in the saint's honour; that a child of four -years--Giovanni Andrea, son of Fabiano Fortunati--who had fallen into a -vessel of boiling water, and thereby lost sight and speech, as soon as -his mother had asked the saint's intercession for him, again spoke and -recovered sight, and in a short time was as well as ever; that a -certain Bernardino di Tiberio, who had become blind of an eye from a -wound, was brought to the saint's tomb, and instantly regained the -sight of his eye whilst the coffin was being uncovered; and that a -woman from Logna, who was returning from Cascia after being cured there -miraculously, suggested to another woman to make a vow to St. Rita in -order that a daughter of hers who was blind might recover sight. The -daughter promised St. Rita to become a nun in the Augustinian convent -in Cascia, and her vision was immediately restored. She was afterwards -Prioress of the convent for thirty-five years. Fr. Galli, who wrote -the saint's life, through fear of wearying his readers contented -himself with simply alluding to many other like miracles and wonderful -favours worked by St. Rita. Most other writers of her life have -followed his example, except that a few have given some little -additions. We, too, shall imitate these older examples, and close our -list of miracles worked by St. Rita before her beatification. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -EFFICACY OF RELICS OF ST. RITA - -It is quite certain that the power of working miracles belongs only to -Omnipotence; nevertheless, the many wonderful works done at the tombs -of the saints seem to indicate that in those holy places there breathes -an air participated through that incommunicable virtue by means of -which not only those sacred bodies, but everything that belongs to -them, co-operates in performing the wonderful works of God and in -celebrating and making known these wonders. This is the same power -that first accompanied the shadow of St. Peter, as the Holy Spirit -assures us it did,[1] and that afterwards, on the testimony of St. -Augustine, was communicated to those renowned chains that were the -instruments of his generous confession and his guide to martyrdom. The -Church's history supplies us with innumerable examples of cases in -which similar virtue was annexed to relics of the saints and to objects -connected with the veneration of them, and in St. Rita's case we have a -special confirmation of this fact. And, to keep to our subject, the -truth of this assertion as regards St. Rita is witnessed by immemorial -report, by such examples being recorded in the process for her -beatification, and by proven cases, some of which we here record. - -Before the saint's body was removed to its new resting-place--that is, -before the year 1745--it was the long-established custom of the nuns to -cover it with a new veil every year, the old one being divided into -minute portions and distributed to the faithful to satisfy their -devotion. 'Many miracles were worked through them,' says Father Rabbi, -who cites the following case as an example: - -On the 27th of April, 1652, twenty-four years after an office in honour -of St. Rita had been granted, a fire broke out in the house of Giovanni -Polidori in Narni, and soon spread to an alarming degree. His wife -Chiara, seeing that human aid was of no avail in overcoming the -increasing flames, and recollecting that she had a little piece of the -saint's veil, hurriedly sent her daughter to the roof of a house that -had not yet taken fire to cast from there the piece of veil into the -flames. The daughter did as she was told, and for fear the relic, -which was wrapped in a piece of paper, should not carry so far owing to -its lightness, she tied it with a thread to a piece of mortar. As soon -as she had done so, she threw it, and the fire immediately ceased. -Then Chiara, her family, and the others who were living in the house, -went directly to St. Augustine's Church to offer their thanks to God -and His saint. They found in the church the woman who had given the -piece of veil to Chiara, and who was of even greater faith than her. -Chiara considered that the relic was burned, but the woman maintained -that it must have escaped the fire, for the instrument of the miracle -ought not to have become the food of the conquered flames, and told -them to go and look for it amidst the ashes. They went, and Chiara -soon had reason to wonder at a second marvel, for she found the relic -just as it had been when it was thrown into the flames, and neither the -paper around it nor the string was in the least burned. They then -returned to the church to renew their thanksgiving for the wonderful -works done in their favour. The report of the occurrence was soon -spread abroad, and a public account of it was printed on the 25th of -the following May. - -It was also a pious custom of the nuns to distribute to the people the -dust, the scrapings from the walls, and such things, of the saint's -cell, and of the first coffin in which her sacred body had been placed -and in which it had lain until 1745, and many marvellous results were -obtained also from the employment of these things. Amongst other -wonders Father Rivarola relates this one: A servant of Cardinal -Fachinetti, Bishop of Spoleto, had a daughter who was blind of one eye, -and whose other eye was so diseased that no hope could be entertained -of curing it. She recovered the sight of both eyes by the sole use of -that dust, which her mother cast into her eyes, an act which would -naturally have further injured her eyes if the dust had not been made -salutary by the Omnipotent, who, as we read in the Gospel,[2] gave -sight to the blind by using clay. A certain Francesco Armilli obtained -a similar grace by the same means. Both of these afterwards went to -Cascia to give public testimony of the facts, and to return heartfelt -fervent thanks to St. Rita. - -There are authentic documents in existence to prove that marvellous -cures were also wrought through the means of the oil of the lamp that -burns before the receptacle wherein the saint's body is placed. By -means of that oil Alessandro Alessandrini of Amatrice, who had been -stabbed in the side, and was almost at death's door, got better in a -moment of the violent pain he was suffering, and was afterwards -entirely cured without the use of any other remedy, nor did any sign of -the wound remain on his body. - -Granita, the wife of Antonio Vanatelli of Atri, was cured in the same -manner of a large abscess on her side. Signor Pompeo Benenati of -Cascia, who was a captain in Ferrara, was cured of a dangerous -hemorrhage by the same marvellous remedy, and as a mark of his -gratitude sent a silver lamp to the sepulchre of the saint of his -native town, his deliverer. A son of Signora di Giovanni Andrea of -Nursia, whose feet, legs, and arms were so crippled that he could not -stir from his bed, was healed by the virtue of that same oil, and was -afterwards as able to go about as if he had never been ill. Don Sante -Mazzuti, parish priest of Castel San Giorgio, near Cascia, who was -attacked by the plague, which was devastating many parts of Italy in -the time of Pope Alexander VII., was also cured by applying the same -wondrous oil. - -It was also customary with the nuns, from the year 1500 at least, to -bake little loaves on which they impress the image of St. Rita, and -these, after having placed them in presence of the sacred body, they -distribute in large quantities, and even send them to distant -countries. Devout people who are seeking favours from the saint in -their necessities, after reciting a _Pater Noster_ and _Hail Mary_, or -some other prayer, eat a little of that bread, and they drink a little -water, perhaps in memory or in honour of the very little food the saint -was accustomed to use, for bread and water were her usual sustenance. -Now, as many authors testify, on the authority of the process of -beatification, and the witnesses cited for the canonization confirm -them, the sick have often found this bread a very efficacious remedy in -their illnesses, and especially those suffering fever. Moreover, in -cases of storm by sea or land, it is a pious practice in some places to -throw a bit of the bread towards the sky or into the sea whilst -reciting a prayer to the saint, and it has often been observed that -thereupon calm and tranquillity succeeded. It is, in fact, related -that many sailors have been thereby delivered from shipwreck, and, -amongst others, Pompeo Martini of Cascia and his companions whilst they -were on a voyage to Sicily. They tell, too, that in time of pestilence -many were either preserved from infection by using this bread, or else -regained their lost health. - -With regard to this matter, there is one fact at least which we ought -not to pass over in silence. We have already made mention of that -contagious disease which was rife in the year 1656, to the great loss -of many Italian cities, and which brought desolation to Rome itself. -There lived in Rome at that time a girl of about twelve years of age, -daughter of an innkeeper, whose house was near the Church of St. Blase, -which had been dedicated about that time to St. Rita. The little girl, -by reason of the great devotion which she had towards the saint, was -accustomed to make use of these little loaves. It happened that whilst -she was sleeping one night with her two aunts they were both -unexpectedly attacked by the pestilence, and both of them died that -night whilst she was asleep. When she awoke she was so frightened by -what had happened that she fell off into a faint so deep that she, too, -was thought to be dead, and she was put with the two corpses on a car -and carried to the cemetery of St. Paul that had been arranged for -those who died of that disease. When they were removing the bodies -from the car she was found to be alive and conscious, and was carried -back to her home amidst the astonishment and joy of all who were -present. When she was asked at home how it was that she was alive, she -answered, 'I do not know, except that when I awoke and saw that I was -lying between two dead bodies I said, "Blessed Rita, help me."' Now, -let us ask how could a person of tender years, after being so long -between two persons just then dead of the plague, escape the contagion -without the special favour of heaven, or of that saint who had been the -special protector of her devout client? How admirable, indeed, is God -in His saints! - - -[1] Acts v. 15. - -[2] John ix. 6. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -MARVELS OF ST. RITA'S SEPULCHRE - -It was the Almighty's will that the body of the saint, born of a mother -so long barren, visited by the wonderful bees, miraculously brought -into the convent, marked by a wound from a thorn of the Crucified One, -and in death crowned with splendour and clothed with a beauty almost -heavenly, should also be glorified in a singular manner after death. -And so it has remained for several centuries without showing the least -sign of decay, and may be seen even to the present day miraculously -preserved. Before the year 1628--that is, for a space of 171 -years--its eyes were always seen to be closed, and so they appear in -pictures taken before that date; but in that year there was a tumult -excited in the church by an insignificant cause on a day on which -ceremonies more solemn than usual were being observed to celebrate the -granting of an Office in the saint's honour, and on that occasion the -eyes of the saint were seen to open, to the great amazement of all -present. The scandalous conduct of those who caused the tumult, and -through passion violated the laws of charity and the sanctity of the -holy place, seems to have awakened that venerable body from its long -repose; for it raised itself aloft out of its resting-place, whilst a -perfume as from Paradise filled the church, its eyes opened, and thus -struck terror into the hearts of the brawlers, and filled them with -penitence for their deeds, so that the sacred offices were finished in -peace. - -The scene we have described calls us to consider a second prodigy, that -of the odour which is often observed in the vicinity of the saint's -body--an odour of unsurpassed sweetness, which invites to devotion and -brings spiritual comfort and consolation. It lasts sometimes for a -considerable period, sometimes is very transient; it diffuses itself to -a great distance at times, or is only apparent in the vicinity of the -body, and at different times has different degrees of pleasantness. -This, which we might call an odour of Paradise, is sometimes so widely -diffused as to be noticeable not only in the church where the body is -preserved and in the adjacent convent, but also in the neighbouring -houses and in the streets, and it is wonderful that it has never seemed -unpleasant to anyone, but, on the contrary, has brought spiritual -consolation, and excited the devotion of those who have had the -happiness of experiencing it. - -There are many documents in existence which give the fullest testimony -regarding this wonderful odour, and notably the processes of St. Rita's -canonization, which put beyond all doubt the fact that it is really -supernatural, for neither was Rita's body ever embalmed, as we have -said, nor were any spices or other odoriferous substances ever placed -either within or near the receptacle wherein it lies. - -Moreover, it is an ancient tradition in Cascia, which is confirmed also -by the writers of her life and by the processes of beatification and -canonization, that on the occasions of the triduums that are accustomed -to be offered at the altar of the saint for the sick who have recourse -to her, it is not hard to discover whether they are going to get back -health or are going to die; for a sweeter perfume is given forth when -the object of prayer is to be granted, whereas an odour somewhat like -that of incense, or the absence of odour altogether, is an indication -of death. Stranger still, the same wonderful fragrance has been -experienced even in distant countries, when extraordinary graces have -been obtained by the intercession and through the invocation of St. -Rita. So the constant tradition affirms, and the processes of -canonization confirm tradition in this point. Fr. Rabbi quotes a -specific case in proof of this belief. A medical doctor, Signor -Andrea, came from Sinigaglia to Cascia with his wife Violante to thank -the saint for her intercession and to present a silver votive offering -for the healing of their son, who had been cured of a mortal illness. -The healing of their son had been signified to them a little before -they came to Cascia by the same wonderful fragrance. These sweet -odours are also manifest, not to mention many other occasions, whenever -the Bishop of Spoleto or the Augustinian Provincial come to hold their -usual visitations. - -Another fact calculated to cause still greater surprise is that Rita's -body has been seen to raise itself in its coffin from the bottom of -that receptacle up to the grating on its top, especially during the -time of the Provincial's visitation. The same wonderful occurrence has -also been remarked during the visitations of the Bishops of Spoleto in -the convent, as if the saint thereby wished to renew her homage to her -episcopal Superior. On these occasions the motion of the body is not -always the same. Sometimes it has been remarked to be much slower than -at other times, and it has on occasions been seen to raise itself for a -moment and then sink back again into its usual place. On many other -occasions besides at times of visitation this spontaneous raising of -the body has been noticed. In order not to make so seemingly -incredible a statement without sufficient evidence, we transcribe a -deposition sworn by some of the most prominent people in the town of -Cascia. - - - -NOTE TO CHAPTER IV - -_In the Name of God. Amen._ - -On Saturday the 16th May, 1682, in the church called anciently St. Mary -Magdalen's, but now called B. Rita's, we the undersigned, of the -territory of Cascia, diocese of Spoleto, by means of our oath, etc., in -the presence of me a notary and Chancellor forane of the bishop of the -territory of Cascia, give full and undoubted testimony, etc., for the -truth, and not otherwise, etc., that at the present the blessed body of -our B. Rita is entire, uncorrupted, with its flesh white, without any -stain of corruption, with its eyes open, and especially the left, which -is seen to be more open than the right, and with the eyelids separated, -and with the mouth somewhat opened, in which are seen and very clearly -distinguished the white teeth, the hands likewise white, etc. - -Similarly have been observed by us, and recognised, the garments and -the veils, that she has on her head, which are the same that she wore -when she was alive, and with them was the blessed body placed and -arranged in the same coffin, where at present she is found, as by -relation and continued ancient tradition of the nuns of this convent, -which garments and veils have been found to be sound, entire, and not -corrupted by moths, nor by time, these garments appearing, as the veils -also, as if they were worn at the present time by a living person. - -Similarly we attest as above, that we have felt many times an odour and -a fragrance wonderful and of Paradise, without being able to say what -kind of odour it is, and this sometimes has been observed in a manner -that it was felt outside the church. And by much more is this odour -marvellous inasmuch as her body was not embalmed, or opened, but placed -in the coffin where it is found, with all the internal portions not -separated, nor divided from the body. - -Similarly we fully testify as above, that we have many times observed -that her blessed body had raised itself from the place where ordinarily -it lies up to the top of the little grating which is above the said -coffin, where reposes the same blessed body, and especially this -happens on the occurrence of her feast, and when she has worked some -miracle, as happened in the year 1628 for the first time, when was -celebrated the feast of her beatification, of which appears authentic -testimony made under date 13 June, 1660, by deed of Signor Giuseppe -Benenati, native of Montefalco, with the legal form of this public -office, and so much we say and attest for the truth, etc., not only, -etc., but in every other better way, etc. - -I Carlo Giudici, Vice-Governor of Cascia, was present, and affirm as -above with my own hand. - -I Raffaele Cittadoni, Archpriest of the collegiate church of said -place, was present and affirm, etc. - -I Dionigi Panfili, Vic. forane of Cascia, was present and affirm, etc. - -I Ortensio Martini, Canon of the collegiate church of said territory, -was present and affirm, etc. - -I Antonio Frenfenelli, Canon of the collegiate church of said -territory, was present and affirm, etc. - -I Cerulino Berardi, Captain of the company of the cuirassiers of said -place, was present and affirm, etc. - -I Angelo Graziani, Captain of the infantry of Cascia, was present and -affirm, etc. - -I Alessio Martini, notary public of Cascia, was present and affirm, etc. - -I Giovanni Graziani of Cascia was present and affirm, etc. - -I Giovanni Battista Leonetti of Cascia was present, etc. - - -_In the Name of God. Amen._ - -In the year of our Lord 1682, the fifth declaration, on the 28th day of -the month of May, 6th year of the Pontificate of Innocent XI., Pope by -Divine Providence, I Petrus Gentilis of Tutia in Cascia, of the diocese -of Spoleto, by public Apostolic authority notary, etc. - -L+S. - - -_The Consuls of the Renowned Territory of Cascia._ - -To all, etc. The aforesaid D. Petrus Gentilis and our other -fellow-citizens are such as they describe themselves in their public -and private declarations, and in this the usual and due forms were -observed, and in the present matter undoubted faith is to be given -them, etc., and therefore we have given these at Cascia from the -Consular Palace this last day of May, 1682. - -L+S. - -DOMINICUS DE LANCELLOTTIS, - _Canc. Secr._ - - - - -CHAPTER V - -IMMEMORIAL WORSHIP OF ST. RITA - -It had been provided by the sapient Pontiff Alexander III. three -centuries before Rita's death that no one, however remarkable for -holiness of life, and dying in the fame of sanctity, should receive -public and ecclesiastical worship, unless after the approbation of the -Holy Apostolic See. But it must be admitted that Rita's sanctity and -miracles had more effect than any decree that interfered with the -devotion of so many, and, indeed, the decree was unknown to most of -them. Hardly was Rita dead than there was a great concourse of the -people of Cascia gathered at the feet of the sacred body, with hands -raised in veneration and entreaty, beseeching the favour of their new -protectress. The constant and wonderful works which it then pleased -God to perform to the advantage of those faithful people justified -their confidence, and served to augment their fervour and at the same -time the veneration and glory of the saint. Following the example of -the people of Cascia, and incited by the fame of Rita's miracles, the -peoples of other places, near and far, hastened to offer her their -religious homage also, in order to become participants in her favours, -or to make votive offerings, or to leave memorials of graces received. -As a consequence, lamps and candles were soon burning around her -venerated tomb; her picture became honoured, and many votive tablets -and gifts in ever-increasing numbers were offered. Hence, also, devout -processions began to be celebrated on the occasions of the more -extraordinary miracles, and hence her feast began to be kept on the -anniversary day of her death, or, rather, of her birth to immortal life. - -This singular devotion to the saint never declined; it rather acquired -greater vigour and wider bounds as years went on. The processions took -place only in Cascia in the beginning, but in the course of time they -began to be held by the faithful of the neighbouring towns and -villages, who had begun to invoke, as they still invoke, the favour of -their common advocate. These pious demonstrations of public and solemn -veneration are usually celebrated about the time of her feast, and are -always accompanied by pious offerings. The feast itself, which at -first used to be observed in an ordinary way, came to be celebrated -even magnificently when the devotion increased, and to be regarded as a -holiday of obligation. The Offices of the Church, which were attended -by great crowds of people, many of them from distant places, were made -more impressive by the aid of the choicest music and the rich -decoration of the church. But what has ever caused the greatest -edification in connection with this festival was to see the number of -strangers, and especially women, who came on pilgrimage in bare feet -and humble attire. - -From that period the convent and church, which were formerly known as -St. Mary Magdalen's, came, in a beautiful way, to be called, as they -are so called at present, by the title of St. Rita. For the pilgrims, -as they approached the goal of their journey, had no other care than to -find out where the convent of St. Rita was, and on their return were -used to say that they had been in the country and in the Church of St. -Rita. Hence that manner of speaking, which has prevailed from an early -date, has finally succeeded in giving its fixed name to that venerated -shrine. - -It is also deserving of notice here that the custom of calling her the -Blessed, which had been introduced even during the century after her -death, in a short time became public and general. About eight years -after her most glorious death the learned Cardinal Girolamo Seripando -had already placed Rita on his list of the Saints and Blesseds of the -Augustinian Order; Panfilo, Crusenio, Gelsomini, and Ferrario had in -their works already confirmed these titles and honours; the -Fathers-General of the Order were already accustomed in their official -documents and letters patent to style her either by the title of -Blessed or that of Saint, and distinguished her convent by the same -title. In a word, the general body of the faithful had already -beatified her long before the Vicar of Jesus Christ had her name -inserted in the Roman Martyrology or had granted an Office in her -honour. Now, if the worship given to Rita was so great before it was -allowed by the Church to honour her publicly, we may imagine how much -it was increased when the decree of the Supreme Head of the Church, who -could do no less than add his voice to the general chorus of praise, -set his seal and approval on it. Religious veneration to the famous -Rita then speedily spread throughout the whole earth, and together with -the people, Kings, Cardinals, Prelates, and personages of the greatest -distinction, bent their knees in devotion before the humble servant of -God, and deemed themselves happy in her patronage. Amongst the -countries remarkable for devotion to her, the kingdoms of Spain and -Portugal were pre-eminent, both in their European possessions and their -vast colonies in the Western world; for throughout them all the name of -Rita was glorious, and their monarchs gave the most edifying examples -of piety and munificence. And it was in these Catholic dominions that, -owing to the very many great miracles she wrought, she began to be -known by the title of '_the Saint of the Impossible_,' and in them hard -to find a church which has not an altar dedicated to her honour. So -much was her veneration extended that the inhabitants of the city of -St. Sebastian, in Brazil, made a supplication to Pope Benedict XIII. to -obtain the extraordinary faculty of consecrating a church under the -invocation of B. Rita, and when the faculty had been granted their -pious intention was soon carried into effect. Seventy years before -that Monsignor Giuseppe Cruciani of Cascia, chamberlain of Pope -Alexander VII., had obtained possession of the Church of St. Blase in -Rome, with the intention of rededicating it to B. Rita, and to-day we -find it so dedicated, and it has become the church proper to the people -of Cascia in Rome. Still earlier, and immediately after her -beatification, Monsignor Fausto Poli, himself a native of Cascia, who -was then Maggiordomo to Pope Urban VIII., and afterwards became -Cardinal and Bishop of Orvieto, acquired possession of the house in -which the saint lived during her married life, and at his own expense -had it converted into a little chapel; and so it remains to the -present, and in it is preserved as a relic the mantle she wore in the -world. - -We must not pass over in silence a noteworthy fact recorded by some -biographers of the saint, which is confirmed by a tradition in Rocca -Porena, and sworn to in a deposition included in the first process. It -is this: The saint's room received its light whilst she dwelt in it, -and until it was changed into a chapel, from a little window, or, -rather, aperture, in the roof, and there, as is piously believed, the -angels used to appear who came to comfort her in her sorrows. When she -entered the convent others dwelt there until the time of her -beatification. Her successors in the house--and amongst them was a -priest, Don Diamante di Pier Felice, who was examined as a witness in -the first process--tried to close the aperture; but all their efforts -were fruitless, for as often as they closed it they found it opened -again, and it was, moreover, observed that through that opening neither -rain nor snow ever entered. - -The convent cell, too, which Rita sanctified by so many years of her -presence, by her profound meditations, and by the pitiless scourging of -her body, and where the two coffins in which she was first buried are -at present preserved, began to be held in veneration from an early -period and to be looked upon as a private oratory. In brief, it is an -undoubted fact that the religious honours shown to our saint began from -the very time of her death, and as time went on they increased without -any interruption and became more distinguished, till veneration to Rita -was spread in a singular manner throughout the whole Catholic world. -Thus are the humble exalted by God, and thus are the just in the -everlasting memory of the ages. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -SOLEMN BEATIFICATION OF RITA - -A period of one hundred and seventy years had passed since Rita went to -live crowned with glory in the kingdom of the blessed, where there is -no change of years or of things, and from whence she was regarding with -compassionate eyes the ever-changing vicissitudes of this valley of -tears. In that interval between Rita's death and her solemn -beatification the world had changed a hundred times its form and -appearance. Convulsions of nature, ruling passions, kingdoms ceasing -to be, new Governments, dominions extended, fires of war enkindled, -extinguished, and enkindled again, heresies ever variable, now -spreading themselves, now kept within bounds, councils assembled, -Apostolic enterprises, and the barque of Peter always safe amid the -shocks of tempests--these are the things that make up the long history -of that time, and, indeed, of every epoch. - -However, at the time in which the honours of beatification were being -prepared for Rita, the world and the Church were enduring only minor -afflictions, and the aspect of affairs would have been still more -serene but that the question of the succession to the extinct House of -Mantua was giving rise to some hostile movements in Italy, and that the -rebellious Calvinists were causing civil discord in France. Still, -compared with the past, those were times of peace, of gentleness, and -of religion. In the East, in fact, the infidel Amurath IV., sunk in -debauchery, had lost the taste for war and conquest. The Emperor -Frederick V., in the West, was keeping the heretics in subjection and -preparing the way to restore to the Church the rights and property they -had usurped. Italy had no longer to tolerate those wandering troops of -armed men of which we have elsewhere spoken, who, however they may have -bargained to bring help, were much more accustomed to bring ruin and -mourning in their train; nor was there that multiplicity of -Governments, each as ambitious and tyrannical as it was insignificant. -Cascia, too, although fallen from its primitive splendour, was yet at -peace, as was the rest of the Pontifical dominions. - -The arts were flourishing and gaining new lustre in this time of -tranquillity. But what is of most importance is good order, religious -and moral, and the Council of Trent had brought back order into the -bosom of Christianity, and there it continued to rule. - -At that time the chair of Peter was occupied by Urban VIII., whose -virtue, learning, and illustrious enterprises have made his name -immortal. Before ascending the Papal throne he had governed the Church -of Spoleto with great edification and splendid success, and there he -had every facility for inquiring into Rita's virtues and miracles, and -the antiquity and fame of the veneration paid to her. God afterwards -so disposed it that he should take upon himself the government of the -Universal Church, and should co-operate in the fulness of power in -exalting our saint. It is true that she had already been beatified by -the people from the time of her death, but in strict truth and in -accordance with the sacred Canons, it did not belong, nor does it -belong, to the people to declare anyone saint or blessed, for the -oracle of the Apostolic See is needed. For Jesus Christ alone -sanctifies in the Church triumphant, as He teaches in the Book of -Leviticus, where He says, 'I am the Lord who sanctifies them,' and so -in the Church militant it is the prerogative of His Vicar on earth, the -Roman Pontiff, to set the seal of his approval on sanctification and -publish it to the world. - -Never was there a more favourable opportunity than that which then -presented itself, when the Papal throne was occupied by a Pope who had -been himself a witness of the devotion with which the faithful flocked -to Rita's tomb and of the ever-increasing veneration in which she was -held; and therefore the Augustinian fathers, the nuns, and the Council -of Cascia, determined to unite their influence with that of Monsignor -Fausto Poli and other distinguished persons, amongst whom was -pre-eminent the Lady Costanza Barberini, the Pope's sister-in-law, in -supplicating him graciously to proceed to the anxiously desired -beatification of Rita. Their petitions were sufficient for the Pope, -who ordered the Sacred Congregation of Rites to set about the affair. -The Congregation committed to the Bishop of Spoleto the task of -investigating into the fame of the sanctity, the virtues, and miracles -of the saint, and instructed him to prepare what is called the -informative process. - -On the 16th of October, 1626, the legal inquiry was therefore begun, -and in due time brought to a happy conclusion. In the month of March -of the following year the results of the Bishop of Spoleto's -investigation were submitted to a rigorous examination by the Sacred -Congregation and approved of. The Cardinals of that Congregation -delivered the canonical relation of the investigation and its issue to -the Pope, who was rejoiced with the success of their labours. -Thereupon, by a Special Brief of the 2nd of October, 1627, he granted -leave to the whole Augustinian Order and the Diocese of Spoleto to -recite the Office and celebrate Mass in honour of B. Rita, and this -privilege was extended four months later by a Brief of the 4th of -February, 1628, at the instance of the Father-General of the Order, to -all priests celebrating Mass in any church of the Order, or of the -Diocese of Spoleto, on the day of Rita's feast. The joy of the -Augustinian Order and of Spoleto for so sovereign and gracious a -concession may not be described. But the solemn beatification was not -promulgated until the 16th of July, 1628, when the religious ceremony -was celebrated in the Church of St. Augustine in Rome in the presence -of twenty-two Cardinals and a great number of other prelates. We make -no mention of the splendid festivals organized in honour of the -illustrious Blessed Rita, of the panegyrics preached, of the poetical -compositions with which her virtues and miracles were celebrated. The -devout clients of Rita vied with one another in defraying the expenses -of these pious festivities, but the most distinguished for his -liberality was Cardinal Antonio Barberini, the nephew of the reigning -Pope. - -The pomp of the ecclesiastical functions was renewed in all the -churches of the Order, but the people of Cascia and the nuns of Rita's -convent rightly determined that their celebrations more than any other -should be remarkable for magnificence. The joyful pealing of the -bells, which continued for several days and nights; the bonfires on the -hill-tops that illuminated the whole country around; the silken -hangings and rich ornaments that decorated the church within and -without; the new paintings representing Rita's glorious deeds and her -miracles; the solemn procession in which all the clergy, secular and -regular, and all the confraternities of the town and district took -part, bearing in triumph the banner of the blessed one; the band of -children dressed to represent angels that accompanied it; the many wax -torches and gifts; the enormous concourse of the faithful, many of them -from distant places; the solemn religious functions; the sacred plays -and representations; and other like pomps, all publicly testified the -common applause and universal joy. - -Even the body of the saint seemed as if, on so glorious a day, it -wished to add to the splendour and gladness of the extraordinary -festivity; for, after the many years that had passed since Rita's -death, it opened its eyes, as if to take pleasure from the solemn feast -and general rejoicing, and at the same time to appease that momentary -tumult of which we have already spoken. Then, too, the church was -filled with that sweet odour we have described, and the sacred body -raised itself to the height of the grating at the top of its -resting-place. And, lest anything should be left to mar the -tranquillity of that happy day, she imposed silence on the demons by -then liberating from their influence two women--one from Spoleto and -the other from Sinigaglia--who had been obsessed. But all that we have -hitherto narrated was only accidental honour, and but a shadow of the -immortal glory which Rita enjoys in heaven. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -MIRACLES WORKED BY RITA AFTER HER BEATIFICATION - -It is related in the holy Gospels that once when the Saviour was going -to Jerusalem, as He entered into a certain town He saw ten lepers -coming to meet Him, who began to shout from afar off, 'Jesus, have -mercy on us,' and that all of them were miraculously healed by Him, but -only one fulfilled the duty of gratitude by publicly giving glory to -God and going back to give thanks to his Divine Benefactor. - -We are forced to think that something similar must have been the case -with those who have received extraordinary favours and graces through -the invocation and protection of Rita. For, on the one hand, the -constant appeals of the faithful for her intercession, the numerous -triduums and novenas which the sick cause to be celebrated in many -places in order to be cured of their diseases, and the fame which is -spread throughout the earth of the benefits she has conferred and the -miracles she has worked, show with sufficient clearness the truth of -them and their frequency. But, on the other hand, there are few who -give full praise to God by publishing the wonderful works He has done -in honour of His beloved, or, at most, they content themselves with -hanging a tablet or votive offering on her altars. The present author, -too, may perhaps be not altogether free from fault, for he confesses in -his nothingness that he has neither sufficient zeal, nor correspondence -sufficiently wide, to enable him to know all the facts. Nevertheless, -we shall for the last time, for the glory of God and of Rita, relate a -few of the more striking miracles we have been able to gather, and -which seem best authenticated. - -When we were speaking of the marvels done through such relics of the -saint as the portions of the veil or by the use of the little loaves, -we took occasion to mention some miracles that took place after the -time of her beatification, and now, in order to avoid repetition and to -pass over what is hidden in the obscurity of a period long past, we -shall confine our attention to the century in which the cause of her -canonization was resumed. - -A youth of fifteen years, by name Francesco Cavalieri of Cascia, was in -the year 1746 confined to his bed by gangrene of the leg, which had -broken out in five different places, and was so bad that the surgeons -had resolved to amputate the limb. His father thereupon made a vow to -the saint, who heard his prayer, and deigned to appear to the sick -youth, first in the silence of the night, and again at dawn, telling -him to get up and go to her church. He went as told by the saint, and -was restored to perfect health. - -Sister Chiara Isabella Garofili, professed nun of the convent of -Cascia, was twice cured through the saint's intercession in ways that -were certainly more than natural. The first case happened in 1775, -when she had been suffering for eight years from a complication of -diseases, of which the description would be long, and which had then -become incurable. St. Rita appeared to her in a dream, telling her to -get up--that she was cured. When she awoke she found that she had been -restored again to health. The second case occurred in 1786, in which -year Sister Chiara's right arm unexpectedly lost all power of motion, -and she was also deprived of speech. She tried several medical -remedies without avail, and ultimately abandoned their use, and put all -her confidence in the help of Rita alone. Her trust was rewarded, for -then, to the surprise of the doctor and of the community, she found -herself well once more. Yet the impediment in speech still remained to -some extent; but she went to the saint's tomb accompanied by her -sisters in religion, and the Superior anointed her tongue with oil from -the lamp that was burning there, and in an instant her cure was -perfected. This fact is confirmed by the legal testimony of the -doctor, Laurenti. - -During the year 1777 Giovanni Graziano of Poggiodomo, in the district -of Cascia, fell from his horse, and was dragged for a considerable -distance along the road, receiving a number of bruises and lacerations; -but as soon as he invoked St. Rita she appeared to him, and restored -him to his former health and strength. - -Another miraculous recovery, which has been authenticated in legal -form, was that of Sister Vittoria Teresa Bargagnati, which took place -in 1781, when she was a novice in the convent of St. Teresa in Terni. -Her malady was that she could retain no food in her stomach. She had -in consequence been confined to bed for several months, and seemed at -the last extremity. In this state, seeing that all the resources of -medical science were of no avail, she resolved to have recourse to more -effective aid, the intercession of St. Rita. Animated, then, by that -lively faith which is able even to move mountains, she applied to her -stomach a picture of her saintly advocate, and immediately after rose -from her bed, went to the refectory, and ate the same food as the -others, nor did she ever after experience any trace of her malady. - -There is a still more marvellous recovery, which is also proved and -confirmed by legal testimony--that of Rosa Mazzi, a young lady of -Cittei di Castello, who was afterwards Sister Anna Rita of the -Augustinian convent of St. Maria Maddalena in Spello. In the year 1780 -she began to suffer from pains, difficulty of breathing, and vomitings -of copious quantities of blood, and afterwards from inflammatory fevers -and ischury, so that in two years she was reduced almost to the point -of death. In this desperate crisis her confessor, who was attending -her as a dying person, told her of the miracle we have just related, -which had recently happened in Terni, and encouraged her to have equal -confidence. She determined to make a devout triduum to the saint. The -triduum was hardly finished when Rosa felt herself well again, rose -from her bed, and continued to be even haler and stronger than she had -been before her long and mortal illness. This wonderful miracle -occurred on February 6, 1783. - -Signora Rosalia, the daughter of Francesco Pelagalli of St. Anatolia, -but then living in Camerino, was seized in the year 1802 by constant -rheumatic pains, which tormented her for two years, and brought her to -a deplorable state. One evening, when she was suffering more than -usual, and so much that she was forced by the pains to cry out aloud, -she thought of recommending herself in her extreme anguish to the -merciful intercession of Rita. She put into her mouth one of the -little loaves blessed in her honour, and that instant was completely -cured, and she continued to enjoy good health from that time. The -documents, drawn up in legal form, which attest this remarkable -recovery, are still extant in the archives of the convent. - -For the sake of brevity we omit many other wonderful cures obtained by -those who sought the assistance of St. Rita. But we must not -altogether neglect to speak of the solemn transposition of her body. -After death, as we have already said, Rita's body was placed in a -coffin which was enclosed in another coffin, and there it remained for -public veneration for the space of 288 years, from the year 1457 till -1745. But in that year a devout client of the saint resolved to -provide a more worthy resting-place for those venerated remains, and a -new urn, ample and beautiful, was sent to the convent. This the -Augustinian nuns adorned with hangings and ornamentations, so that its -appearance should in some way correspond with their devotion. -Monsignor Paolo Bonavisa, Bishop of Spoleto, added by his presence to -the solemnity of the occasion, and on Sunday, October 24, in the -presence of many notable witnesses, carried out with due formality the -transposition of the sacred body into its new place of repose, where -now it lies. So may God grant us, through the abundant merits and -powerful intercession of Rita, to keep our minds and hearts raised -above earthly things, so that we may one day be transported with her to -participate in the immense and eternal joy of Paradise. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII[1] - -MORE RECENT MIRACLES OF ST. RITA - - -[1] Added to this edition. - - -We must not pass over in silence the marvellous fact that, as the time -of the canonization of our heroine was drawing nearer, it pleased the -Lord to let men see more clearly how powerful before the throne of His -infinite mercy is her patronage in favour of those who piously invoke -her. - -The devotion towards St. Rita, which was already of ancient date and -widely spread, has, in fact, in these latter years become more -universal and more fervent. Amongst every class of persons are found -some who confidently have recourse to her intercession; triduums and -novenas are offered in her honour, her pictures are looked for -everywhere, relics of her are eagerly sought, and in the severest -crises her name is invoked. - -This great increase of worship is due principally, we believe, to the -very many signal graces which have been obtained in every country -through Rita's intercession. - -It would be too long to narrate all those cases we have knowledge of, -but we must not entirely disappoint the pious curiosity of devout -readers by omitting them all. We select, therefore, a few cases from a -collection of these extraordinary favours made by Monsignor Casimiro -Gennari, titular Archbishop of Lepanto, who is himself a most devoted -client of St. Rita and most zealous in spreading veneration towards so -powerful an advocate. We have chosen those which in our opinion are -most extraordinary and miraculous. - -At the same time we wish to protest, out of veneration to the decrees -of Urban VIII. of the 13th of March, 1625, and of the 5th of June, -1831, and of those of the Congregation of Rites, that if anything we -have hitherto written or are about to write of the miracles of St. Rita -be not approved by the Holy See, it ought to receive only that amount -of credence to which the evidence adduced entitles it. - -Sister Mary Consiglia Giona, a native of Naples, who entered the -convent of St. Cosmo in Conversano in the year 1859, contracted in 1863 -a very painful malady of the eyes, which gave her no rest night or day. -During six years she consulted many doctors, who prescribed various -internal and external remedies, but always without result. Ultimately -she had to leave the convent and go to live at Bari for six months -under the care of an expert oculist, but even then she experienced no -relief. The malady went on increasing, till, to her great grief, she -lost the sight of her eyes, whilst the pain in them continued as great -as ever. She thus returned blind to the convent, and having lost all -confidence in human aid, she turned to God and asked Him to cure her -through the patronage of the Blessed Virgin and the saints. She -thought many times that in a dream she had seen the most Blessed -Virgin, who was blaming her for having too much complained of her -sufferings, and who exhorted her to offer her pains to God. One night -when Sister Mary Consiglia had been suffering more than usual, worn out -she fell asleep, and she seemed to see in a dream the three Babylonian -youths, who wanted her to give them some bunches of grapes that were -not yet ripe which were hanging from a branch near her room. She -refused, and the youths then said: 'Why do you want a grace that is not -yet ripe?' They disappeared as soon as they had uttered these words, -and the nun was covered with great confusion. - -She continued, however, to have Masses celebrated, and to address her -prayers to the most holy Virgin and to various saints, but the grace -she sought was still denied her. About this time she heard people -speak of Rita of Cascia as the saint who obtains from God what is -otherwise impossible, but having lost her confidence she had no desire -to have recourse to that saint. Nevertheless, she was induced, and -almost constrained by violence of pain, to begin a novena of prayer in -her honour. Shortly after the saint appeared to her in a dream, and -assured her that she should soon be cured. And so it was. Her -recovery had not long to be waited for; it was speedy and complete, -without any human aid, for once more she joyfully opened her eyes to -the light of heaven, and her pain ceased as if by magic. She has -preserved her sight strong and perfect even to the present day, nor has -she any need of spectacles even for reading, as so many of her sisters -in religion have. - -This nun, grateful for the great favour conferred on her, began to -spread devotion to St. Rita with the utmost zeal. She had her statue -placed in the convent church and exposed for veneration by permission -of the Holy See, and her proper Mass is said on the feast day, which is -celebrated with great solemnity and attended by a large concourse of -the faithful. In this way special devotion to St. Rita began in -Conversano and the neighbouring towns, and many wonderful graces have -been granted in those places by this most powerful patron. - -Sister Anna Rosa Biscozzi, a nun of the same convent, was, in 1885, -attacked by a violent pain in the ear, which continued for four months, -and not only rendered her completely deaf, but nearly drove her mad -with agony. The disease made such progress that one evening blood -began to pour from her ear, and no means of stanching it could be -found. The doctor's efforts were quite useless, and not being able to -suggest anything better he ordered the ear to be dressed with oil of -almonds. But the invalid, instead of using the oil that was -prescribed, made use of oil from St. Rita's lamp, and she anointed the -affected part with it for seven days, reciting three Glorias and an -Ave, whilst she made the sign of the Cross with the oil, and finally -saying the ejaculation, 'Blessed Rita, pray for me.' On the seventh -night she had a feeling as if something inside her head had opened, and -from that moment she noticed she could hear the ticking of the clock, -and in a short time every trace of her malady had disappeared. - -Signora Nicoletta de Bellis of Rutigliano was often complaining of an -intolerable pain in her head, which came on every fifth or sixth day, -and had reduced her to a condition of the utmost emaciation. She had -consulted many physicians, amongst them some of the most distinguished -in Naples, and had submitted to many courses of treatment, but all to -no effect. The malady was obstinate, and her health was failing day by -day. Her aunt, who was a nun in the convent of St. Cosmo in -Conversano, of which we have had reason to speak already, told her of -St. Rita's miracles, and persuaded her to have recourse to that saint -by a fervent novena. The invalid followed her advice, and we may -imagine her joy and wonder on finding herself freed from her malady at -the very beginning of the novena. The recovery was a perfect and -lasting one, and no vestige of disease was left. - -A poor man from Conversano had the misfortune to get a fistula on one -of his eyes, which could be got rid of only by a difficult and costly -surgical operation. He would have to go to Bari and pay 200 lire to -the surgeon, which it was quite impossible for him to do. He had -recourse to St. Rita in his trouble, and besought her intervention with -a lively, ardent faith. His prayers were heard; the fistula -disappeared from his eye without the intervention of the surgeon's -knife. He had a solemn Mass of thanksgiving sung every year in honour -of his deliverer. - -In 1886 a little boy of four years fell on the fire of a brazier, and -besides being badly burnt, his eyes were so seriously injured that he -could no longer open them. His afflicted mother called in the doctors, -and applied the remedies they prescribed, but without effect. Day -passed after day, and the child remained blind, nor was there any hope -left that he would recover his sight. His pious mother then betook -herself to prayer to God and His saints; she addressed many appeals on -her child's behalf to various heavenly patrons, but the favour she -sought was not granted. One night, whilst she was sleeping, there -appeared to her a nun, who said, 'You have had recourse to many saints: -why have you not applied to me?' 'And who are you?' asked the woman. -'I am Blessed Rita,' was the reply, 'whose statue is in the Church of -St. Cosmo. I promise you that if you come to visit me your son's eyes -will be opened when you return.' The woman was in the church early -next morning to pay the visit suggested to her and to beg the saint's -intercession. On her return she heard her son calling, and on going to -him found him with eyes open and entirely cured. - -In March, 1887, Signora Maria Soria Carcaterra of Conversano received a -remarkable favour from St. Rita, which she herself thus describes: - - -'I, the undersigned, testify that I have received the following favour -from B. Rita of Cascia. A cyst having appeared on my right eyelid, I -consulted various distinguished doctors, who told me I should have to -undergo an operation. But I thought it better to recommend myself to -B. Rita, and after many prayers she did me the favour of causing the -cyst to disappear without any need of doctors or of medicine. - -'MARIA SORIA CARCATERRA.' - - -Signor Giovanni Biscozzi had in 1887 been ill for a long time with a -painful malady. The physicians thought he was suffering from disease -of the heart, and therefore incurable. It is certain that he had to -remain shut up in his room, for every changing of place caused him -grievous torment. When his aunt, who was a nun in the convent of St. -Cosmo in Conversano, came to learn this, she sent him one of St. Rita's -blessed loaves, advising him to take a little piece of it every day and -then drink a little water in memory of the saint's fastings, and to -recite three Glorias and an Ave and the invocation, 'Blessed Rita, pray -for me.' The sick man followed the advice, and immediately had -experience of its salutary effects, for he felt considerably better, -and very soon was restored to his former health. As a mark of -gratitude he sent the convent a present of oil to be used in the lamp -at the saint's statue. - -Paolina Giannetti, a lay sister of the same convent of St. Cosmo, had a -large pustule on her arm which was very painful, and since she could -not be dispensed from working, it festered, and her whole arm became -swollen, and in consequence of this she fell into a violent fever. It -was thought indispensable that a doctor should be called in, and that -evening a message was sent to the doctor asking him to come next day, -that a lay sister had need of his services. That night a picture of -St. Rita was given to the sick nun, and she placed it on her diseased -arm all night. Hardly had she awakened from sleep when she found that -the swelling had entirely subsided, that the fever had left her, and -that every trace of the pustule had also disappeared. The doctor came -later, and was told there was no need for his services. - -Signora Natalizia Scattone of Conversano relates that her husband had a -large tumour on one of his legs, which forced him to keep his bed for -many days, and which had ultimately to be removed by an operation. His -wife was very much afraid that the wound made by the surgeon would -become a fistula, for even the slightest scratch on her husband took -several days to heal. She had before received many favours from St. -Rita, and was therefore very devout towards her; and on this occasion, -hardly had the surgeon departed after the operation, than she placed a -relic of the saint over the bandages, and prayed with all her heart for -her husband. On the following day the surgeon returned to dress the -wound, but when the bandages were removed, it was found to be -completely healed, to his great amazement and that of the family. - -Signor Domenico Lopriore of Conversano had a tooth extracted in 1887, -and perhaps owing to the damp to which he exposed himself by going into -the country at an early hour, an abscess was formed in his mouth, which -reduced him to the last extremity. A very high fever, with swellings -in his throat, face, and tongue, deprived him of all repose. His -tongue especially had grown so large that he had perforce to keep it -full two fingers' breadth hanging out of his mouth. The doctors, -seeing that he was growing worse, ordered him the last Sacraments. He -had a cousin who was a boarder in the convent of St. Cosmo, and who was -very devoted to St. Rita. She, with the nuns, prayed very fervently to -the saint for the sick man's recovery, and his uncle, a priest, offered -Mass for the same intention on the saint's altar in the church. The -holy sacrifice and the prayers soon brought about the desired effect, -for the sick man suddenly became much better, and in a short time was -completely cured. - -Devotion to St. Rita has not only brought health to bodies, but -salvation to souls, as the following shows: Sister Genefosa Perrini, -nun of the convent of St. Cosmo, having to live out of _clausura_ for -some time owing to ill-health, had occasion to go to Bari one day with -her brother, Canon Francesco Perrini. In that town they heard of a -young lady who was dying, and who, masquerading as a freethinker, -refused to have anything to do with priests or Sacraments. Her -relatives, who were in the utmost affliction at such a misfortune, -begged the Canon and his sister to go and see her, in the hope that -their visit might excite some good thought in her. They went to see -the invalid, but as soon as she caught sight of them she began to abuse -them bitterly. Said the Canon to her: 'Signora, I am only come to pay -you a simple visit, and also, if you please, to bring you a cure for -your disease.' 'What cure?' asked she, growing calmer. 'If, indeed, -you have an efficacious one, you are welcome.' By good fortune the -Canon had a little picture of the saint, and, offering it to the sick -lady, he said: 'Here is the cure. If you will have recourse to this -advocate, who is called the Saint of the Impossible, you will be -saved.' The sight of the picture, indeed, worked a wonder. Instead of -flying into a passion and throwing it back to them, as she had done on -other occasions, the invalid freely accepted it, took it with devotion, -and placed it under her pillow. After this the Canon with his sister -took his leave and went away, but hardly had he gone a few yards than -he was called back in a great hurry, and when he went to the invalid -she asked him to hear her confession. The Canon showed her that he -could not hear confessions outside his own diocese, and he exhorted her -to avail herself of a confessor of the place. She allowed herself to -be persuaded, a confessor was called in, and she made her confession -with great sorrow. She said that Rita had appeared to her as a nun, -and incited her to die well. She received the Holy Viaticum and -Extreme Unction with signs of sincere piety, and then delivered up her -soul to God. - -In March, 1888, Signora Caterina Bianchini had a little son of five -years of age who was attacked by cancerous diphtheria in the throat, -which soon placed him in extreme danger of death. The physicians had -despaired of him, and gave him only four hours to live. His mother, -who at other times had received signal favours from St. Rita, had -recourse to her, confident in her assistance, and beseeching her with -tears to help her. She anointed the child's throat with the oil of the -saint, and, most wonderful to tell, hardly had the oil touched his -throat than he moved himself, recovered consciousness, spoke, and in a -few days was well. On the following day the doctor and their relations -called rather to visit the parents than the child, who they thought was -dead, but imagine their astonishment on seeing him restored to health! -'My mother,' said he, 'rubbed me with St. Rita's oil, and said. "Saint -Rita, give me my son," and I was well again.' - -In 1890 Signorina Susanna Pallieri of Conversano had suffered from a -severe pulmonary complaint, and when she recovered from it she was -troubled by a gathering in one of her eyes which remained from that -disease, and which resisted all the efforts of her doctors. When she -found that none of the doctors of her native place could effect a cure, -she put herself under the care of Dr. Vitali, a distinguished oculist -of Bari, for three months. But the gathering in her eye grew worse -instead of better, and finally the oculist, seeing that all his -attempts produced no result, had to throw up the case. It would be -impossible to tell the sorrow of the poor young lady at so unfortunate -a result of her efforts. Having lost all hope in human aid, she, with -her mother, began to beseech St. Rita either to cure her of her malady -or else take her out of this world to escape the intolerable anguish of -the pain she had to bear. Their prayers were not in vain, for on the -very next day after beginning the prayers her eye was very much -improved, and that evening she was entirely cured. Dr. Vitali was -immediately informed of what had happened, and at first did not believe -it; but when he saw that she had really been cured, he declared openly -that such a cure ought to be regarded as a real miracle. From that day -Signorina Pallieri was entirely cured of the disease of her eye, and -enjoyed excellent health, nor does she cease to return thanks to the -Saint of the Impossible. - -In the town of Turi, in February, 1893, a boy of five years of age -named Filippo d'Addabbo, who had just had an attack of scarlatina, -developed symptoms of violent fever accompanied by swellings of his -whole body. For two days he had remained in bed unable to speak, and -the doctors gave him up for dead. In this state he suddenly opened his -eyes, made a sign towards a picture of St. Rita that was hanging in the -room, and said to his mother: 'Take down that picture, and light some -candles before it,' and they did so. Early on the following morning he -said: 'Mamma, write to Aunt Chiara Maria (she was a nun in the convent -of St. Cosmo) in Conversano to have a Mass said to St. Rita.' And they -immediately did as he wished. On the evening of that day the child -grew worse, and they were afraid he was dying, as the doctors had -assured them. At a certain time of the night, however, he became -noticeably better. When the doctors came next day to visit him they -found him, to their astonishment, entirely recovered, and repeating the -words, 'Blessed Rita has cured me.' - -Natale Esperti, a shoemaker of Conversano, had been in a deplorable -state of health for a long time, for his feet and legs were swollen, -and a pain in the heart deprived him of all chance of repose. The -heart disease became worse, and the doctors attending him lost all hope -of saving his life. On Tuesday in Holy Week, 1895, he received the -last Sacraments, as he was almost on the point of death, and his end -was expected every hour. His sister-in-law, who was most devoted to -St. Rita, pitying his sad case, went to pray for him in the Church of -St. Cosmo, and brought some candles to light before the saint's statue. -Whilst all the others were weeping about the bed of the dying man she -obtained a little picture of the saint, which was placed on his breast -whilst they recited the invocation, 'St. Rita, pray for him.' They -also gave him a little piece of the saint's blessed bread, which he -tried to swallow. A wonder was instantly seen, for the swelling -decreased considerably, and the pain at the heart disappeared. In -three days the man who had been dying was able to rise from his bed -cured, to the incredible wonder of all who had assisted him dying. - -Signora Antonia Bernardi of Cisternino also obtained a stupendous -favour from our saint. In May, 1895, she had an attack of scarlatina, -which was epidemic in that town, and had proved fatal in many cases. -In her case it was so violent and so much resisted all the skill of the -doctors that she was declared incurable, and she was preparing herself -to receive the last Sacraments. Her parents were distracted with -grief, but knowing the miracles that St. Rita works in every place, -they had recourse to her patronage in their sorrow. The dying woman -also recommended herself confidently to St. Rita, and joined her -prayers to those of the others. Whilst she was in a paroxysm of fever, -and hence could not say whether she was sleeping or waking, St. Rita -appeared to her, and with her another saint whom the sick woman could -not distinguish. The saint came close to her bed, and said to her, 'I -have cured you; now you will be well, but mind, return me the visit at -Conversano.' The saint disappeared, and the sick woman found herself -instantly well. Her parents and relatives were seized with the utmost -astonishment, and they took care to betake them to Conversano to return -the visit of their beneficent visitor. There is no need to say that -after this event the worship of St. Rita was extended to people of -every rank in Cisternino. - -Amongst the very many places into which the worship of St. Rita has -been publicly introduced in very recent years, Noci, a large town in -the diocese of Conversano, is deserving of special mention. There is -an altar, richly ornamented, erected in the principal church there in -honour of the saint, and never a day passes that crowds of the faithful -do not go there to offer their prayers or pay their vows. And Rita, -looking with pleasure on the piety of the people of Noci, repays them -every day with help and favour. For brevity's sake we shall mention -only three examples of this, and in the first place that obtained by -the priest, Don Francesco Morea, who is remarkable for promoting -devotion to St. Rita. Here are his words: - -'About midnight on the 10th of April, 1895, I was awakened by violent -beatings of my heart, so frequent and continuous that I could not -breathe. I remained a long time sitting up in bed with my hand tightly -pressed over the region of the heart, in great trouble, without being -able to utter a word. However, I turned to Blessed Rita in thought, -placed her picture over my heart, and vowed a silver heart if she -liberated me from this sudden illness. I recited three Glorias in her -honour, adding, "O, Blessed Rita, pray for me." As soon as I had done -this I was quite well. The beating of my heart became regular; I was -able to lie down and sleep. From time to time since this nervous -palpitation has returned, but never in the same form as that night, nor -for so long. I redeemed my vow on the 14th of May by hanging on her -picture the silver heart I promised.' - -The influenza, which was rife in many parts of Puglia in 1895, did not -spare the town of Noci. Amongst others, Maria Luizzi, wife of Simone -Sansonetti, a bleacher, was attacked by it. After struggling with the -disease for several days at last it left her, and the doctor allowed -her to leave her bed. Hardly, however, had she put foot on the floor -than she felt entirely prostrated, and experienced such a feeling of -dizziness that she fell at full length on the floor, and was with great -difficulty got into bed again. On the next and three following days -the same feelings of weakness and dejection continued. On the evening -of the fifth day, animated with strong confidence in St. Rita, to whom, -as we have said, an altar in the parish church was dedicated, she -prayed in this way: 'O Blessed Rita, I promise to present you with my -breloque if you allow me to remain out of bed all day to-morrow.' When -the time came to get up, she left her bed and dressed herself, without -the least doubt that her prayer had been heard. She tried to walk -about her room, and found she could do so without difficulty, for she -felt herself fortified with new strength, and all the ill-effects of -the influenza vanished. She redeemed her vow to the saint on the 5th -of June, 1895. - -The following fact that happened in Noci on the 28th of June, 1895, -crowns all the wonderful works which the Saint of the Impossible -performs every day. It is the case of a doctor--as pious and religious -as he is skilful in the healing art--who was unexpectedly attacked by -cerebral congestion and reduced to the last extremity, and even thought -to be dead, who, after simply being anointed by the saint's oil moved -himself, revived, and completely recovered. But let us leave it to -himself to tell the story, for out of gratitude for the favour received -he has written the following with his own hand: - - -'On the 28th of last June, in the forenoon, whilst I was making my -usual round of medical visits, I began to feel unwell; and about eleven -o'clock, whilst I was standing by a sick man, I could not complete my -visit, for I almost fell into a swoon. The women who were standing -opposite me noticed that I was ill and gave the alarm. The priest, Don -Pietro Gentile, near whose house I was, was sent for and soon arrived. -He asked me how I felt, and I replied, "I mistrust myself." "Do you -wish to go home?" said he. "Yes," I answered, "let us go." And with -the utmost difficulty I got there. I threw myself on the bed, lost all -sense, was seized with epileptic convulsions of the Jacksonian type, -proceeding from congestion of the brain. I had three attacks at short -intervals, each more serious than the preceding one. Blood was let, -leeches were applied, many mustard cataplasms were used, ice was kept -constantly to my head. My colleagues who affectionately attended me -already despaired of my recovery, and had the last Sacraments -administered to me; the priests were reciting the prayers for the -dying, and it was rumoured that I was dead. The good people poured -into the church, and now had no hope except in a miracle. Ceaseless -prayers were offered, especially before the altar of Blessed Rita. The -oil of the saint was requisitioned. I was conscious of waking as from -a calm sleep, whilst I felt a hand anointing my cheeks; I afterwards -learned that the same thing had been done over my stomach and on my -temples. From that moment I WAS COMPLETELY RESTORED TO HEALTH, and but -for the concern of my friends I would have dressed myself and gone -about my usual occupations. This event, really extraordinary, believed -by all the people to have happened by the intercession of Blessed Rita, -I consecrate in this account of it, as a proof of my gratitude, to the -glory of the same Blessed Rita. - -'PASQUALE TATEO, M.D. - - 'Noci, -'2_nd of July_, 1895.' - - -Since this case is so singular, and the miracle so great, we subjoin -the account of it given by the zealous priest of the place, Don -Francesco Morea: - -'The deaths of the three ladies, Vavalle, Mansueto, and Anguilli, had -impressed the town with sadness, when a new and unexpected sorrow came -to disturb all the people. In less time than it takes to relate the -sad tidings had passed from mouth to mouth; people of every condition -were seen to stop in astonishment, to ask news of one another, and turn -their steps to the house where the sick man lay. It was singular to -see the stairs crowded with little children of both sexes, to see the -people come out tearfully on the balconies and ask news of the -passers-by, and the universal sorrow would have told you the great -esteem in which he that was so near the tomb was held. The news that -he had already received the last Sacraments, and that the priests, who -with the doctors were about his bed, had begun the prayers for a soul -departing, made it clear to all that very few hours of life remained to -Doctor Pasquale Tateo. In the midst of such heartfelt sorrow there -were some, however, who were offering fervent prayers for him to the -Most High through the intercession of the Saint of the Impossible. -There were some who, whilst they slept, felt inspired by the same -blessed servant of God to light a lamp before the picture of the -miracle-worker, and thus obtain for certain the favour they desired; -there were some who began in secret a triduum for the sick; and by the -dying man's bed were some who, provided with the miraculous oil, -anointed with it, whilst reciting the usual prayers, his head, his -stomach and abdomen, that were swollen to an extraordinary extent. And -such great faith in the intercession of our new protectress was crowned -by a most singular grace. As soon as the anointing was completed there -came on a more violent fit of convulsions than any that had preceded -it, and it was thought the doctor's last hour had come. But that fit -was the last, and it seems that the powerful advocate wished to have it -understood that she intervened on behalf of her faithful clients -exactly when they were in direst peril, and when all hope of recovery -by human means had been abandoned. Whilst the convulsive fit was in -progress they began again to anoint him with the marvellous oil, and -then he came to himself, and looked as if he were waking from a calm -sleep of three hours. - -'The transition from death to life was so sudden that those who were -present could not but acknowledge that the recovery was a true miracle -granted to the prayers of the entire town by its new protectress, -Blessed Rita. Pleasant to relate, there was no time of convalescence, -no getting better by degrees, no further remedy applied to him; but on -the 30th the doctor, without any trace of weakness from the -blood-letting, but full of energy, cheerful, and witty, as he usually -had been, woke early in the morning, and, hearing the bell of the -Capuchin church ringing, wanted to get up and go to Mass, as it was a -feast day, but he was not allowed to do this. He rose later in the -day, was able to take his meals, and returned to his house without -assistance, amidst the wonder and applause of the people. The next -day, early, he resumed his ordinary professional duties. These -circumstances were such as would make those who did not know of the -miracle believe that the occurrence must have been the result of an -excited imagination rather than undeniable fact. Yet such they were, -and the miracle is all the more wonderful on this account, and worthy -of being published for the glory of God and Blessed Rita. To this end -the doctor, out of gratitude, promises to make the altar dedicated to -her in this principal church even richer than it already is, by -presenting a beautiful silver lamp to be hung from the arch in front of -it.' - -On the 20th of January, 1896, Signora Anna Gregori of Rome was seized -by a violent fever, which at first was thought to be simply rheumatic -fever, but which very soon developed into that terrible malady -pleuro-bronchial pneumonia, which is in most cases fatal in Rome. In -spite of the prompt and skilful treatment of the well-known Professor -Masciarelli, the disease continued to gain force so rapidly that the -patient, who was also _enciente_, received the last comforts of -religion on the 25th of the month, and also the blessing of the Holy -Father, and after having tearfully given her last messages to her -friends, she was awaiting the call of the Lord with resignation. - -Meanwhile her husband, Signor Augusto Gregori, who was inconsolable at -the loss that threatened him after only eight years of married life, -turned with confidence to Our Lady of Pompei and to St. Rita of Cascia, -that well-known sketch of whose life he had read a few days before, -called 'The Saint of the Impossible.' He fervently besought her aid, -promising to present a silver votive offering and to spread devotion to -her. Even before midnight of that day the invalid felt relief, the -fever went down, her strength came back, and after two days the doctors -declared her out of all danger. She was shortly after able to rise -from her bed completely recovered. The favour was a complete and -perfect one, for after her serious illness there was no trace of -tuberculosis, which was feared, and after less than a month she gave -birth to a strong and healthy little daughter. Her husband, who -quickly redeemed his vow, does not cease to give glory to the Saint of -the Impossible. - -Simone Rotunno and his wife, Rosa Naracci, of Conversano, were -overwhelmed with grief at a serious illness that threatened the life of -their little daughter Maria, a child of four years. On the 27th of -January, 1896, about five in the morning, they found her writhing in -convulsions and almost at the point of death. Immediately they -besought the help of their great patron St. Rita, and anointed the -child's members with oil from the saint's lamp whilst they were -offering fervent prayers. They had not long to wait, for at eleven -o'clock on the same morning the child, who had hitherto shown no signs -of life, stirred in bed, opened her eyes, and began to speak, and after -ten days was restored to perfect health. - -A boy and girl, children of Doctor Vito Antonio Argenti of Polignano, -on the sea-coast, caught the influenza, which was rife there in 1896. -The disease took a very serious turn in the boy's case, and developed -into pneumonia, accompanied by high fever and pain in the shoulder. -The dangerous development of the disease caused consternation in the -family. - -They immediately began a novena to St. Rita, to whom devotion is very -generally practised in that place, and in whose honour an altar is -dedicated in the Church of the Sacred Heart. They had two lamps -lighted before her picture, and promised many gifts if their son should -be restored to health. Their prayers were answered, for the child grew -markedly better during the novena, and was completely cured by the time -it was finished. The same remedy was adopted in the case of the little -girl, on whom the disease had told severely. They put a picture of the -saint on her breast, which she often kissed devoutly, another novena -was begun for her recovery, and an improvement was soon evident, and -continued till she was restored to perfect health. - -A woman from Casamassima, who was married at Bari, had an only son of -about seventeen years of age, who was very wild and dissolute. He was -for ever running away from home, getting into trouble, and giving vent -to his vicious inclinations, and staying out at night more often than -not. Seeing that all good advice and even threats were thrown away -upon him, his afflicted parents applied to St. Rita in prayer, for they -had heard of the wonderful deeds she had done. They began a novena of -certain Paters and Aves as well as they could. On the third day their -son appeared at home, but shortly after went off again and returned no -more. Nevertheless, they still had confidence in the saint, and began -a second novena after the manner directed in a little book they got -from an aunt of theirs. When the novena was nearly finished the son -came back quite changed from what he had been. He threw himself at his -parents' feet, and with tears asked their pardon for the grief he had -caused them, promising to lead a new life for the future. To remove -all occasion of giving way to his vagrant propensities, he asked them -to have him taught some business in which he could by his conduct give -proof of his sincerity. His parents, beside themselves with joy, -hastened to Conversano to return thanks to St. Rita, and as a proof of -their gratitude they had a lamp lighted before her altar, which they -made arrangements to keep burning on Friday in every week. - -The brother-in-law of a certain Sister of Charity was dangerously ill -of pneumonia in February, 1896. The doctor who was called to attend -him did not let his friends know how critical the case was, in order -not to frighten them, but he only said to the patient's wife, 'Pray to -God for your husband.' Luckily for her, she had a copy of the book -'The Saint of the Impossible,' which her sister the nun had given her, -and she entrusted everything to the saint, and earnestly begged her -help for the sick man. One night he almost swooned from the violence -of his cough, and had to sit up in bed. About midnight he saw a nun -come close to him and gaze at him fixedly without speaking. She stood -by his side for half an hour and then disappeared. From that time the -longed-for recovery commenced, and to the doctor's astonishment went on -rapidly till he was entirely restored to health. It would be -impossible to describe the joy of the family at this marvellous result. -The fame of it was spread about, and devotion to the Saint of the -Impossible spread to such an extent that a picture of St. Rita had to -be placed in the parish church to satisfy the people's veneration. - -Twelve children of the house of Ventimiglia were all suffering from the -measles in March, 1896, in Vatolla, which is a town of the province of -Salerno, and the youngest, a little girl of two years of age, was, in -addition, attacked so badly by laryngitis that it was feared she would -choke every moment. Her eldest sister, beside herself with grief, took -her little picture of St. Rita, and, fastening it about the little -patient's neck, earnestly prayed for the grace of her recovery. Only a -few minutes passed when little Teresa--for so the sick child was -called--raised herself without assistance in her cot and asked for -milk. That evening the fever, which had been very high, had almost -disappeared, and her cough, too, had ceased to a very great extent. A -few days later the child was able to get up, fully recovered. The -family, out of gratitude to their great protectress, had a Mass -celebrated at her altar in Conversano. - -In 1896 the marriage of Giuseppe Centrone to Maria Rotunno, two very -good and pious young persons and fairly well off, was to have taken -place. Through a slight quarrel, however, the marriage was broken off -by the bridegroom. The bride, troubled at this sinister turn of -events, together with her parents had recourse to St. Rita, and -promised to present a golden votive offering if the groom should of -himself reopen negotiations for the marriage that had been abandoned. -On the vigil of her feast the saint appeared to the bridegroom in his -sleep, and said: 'Beppino, your wife must be Maria and no one else.' -This was enough to bring him back to his bride and to have the marriage -take place, as it did, in fact. The vow to the saint was not only -fulfilled, but they had a High Mass offered on her altar. - -One night in 1896 a young woman from Castellana was sleeping on the top -of a very high rick of straw, when suddenly it gave way and fell to the -ground. The young woman, who would have been crushed to death under -its weight, immediately invoked St. Rita, and was rescued from danger -without receiving the slightest injury. The saint appeared to her the -following night whilst she was asleep, and said: 'I have saved you from -death, and I want in return that new dress you have made.' The poor -girl had, by dint of careful saving, made a new dress for herself, with -which she wished to make an appearance on the feast days, but she made -the required sacrifice to the Saint of the Impossible. She sold it and -brought its price to be used in spreading the devotion to St. Rita from -the church in Conversano. - -In 1896 there was a family in St. Vito dei Normanni which was plunged -in the greatest misery owing to its head having entirely abandoned -himself to a disgraceful vice, which he still continued to practise in -spite of the terrible consequences it brought upon him. For although -symptoms of paralysis and rheumatism showed themselves, and he was -reduced to a state of the utmost weakness and almost blindness, he -still went on to follow the path that ends in ruin of body and soul. -His unfortunate family, having heard of the innumerable miracles of the -Saint of the Impossible, had recourse to her. They made a most fervent -novena in her honour, and ended it with receiving Holy Communion, and -very soon the good effect of their prayers was evident. After a couple -of days the man who had been brutalized by his base pursuits began to -take heed for himself; the spirit of prudence awoke in him again; he -abandoned his wicked practices, regained sight and strength, and -recovered the health he had squandered. It is no wonder that the name -of St. Rita is glorified in that family, or that the eldest daughter -has made a vow to recite the prayers of St. Rita's novena every day as -long as she lives. - -A young lady named Franceschina Gabrielli, from Noci, fell dangerously -ill in 1896, whilst she was on a visit to some relatives in Rutigliano. -All the doctors of the town were called in successively to prescribe -for her, and others were brought from distant places, but they could -not stop the progress of the disease that was killing her. The grief -of her family and relatives was indescribable on being informed by the -doctors after three consultations that nothing but a miracle could save -her. The young lady, worn out by the disease and in her last agony, -had received the last consolations of religion, and the special -benediction of the Holy Father, and was preparing herself for the -passage to eternity. All preparations were made for her funeral, the -dress for the corpse and the coffin were got ready, and the clergy and -confraternities appointed to assist in the procession to the tomb. - -But Franceschina had very special devotion to St. Rita, and was -recommending herself to her protection with most fervent prayers. She -held a picture of her in her hand, which she was kissing every minute, -and although resigned to make the sacrifice of her life to God, she -promised the saint to honour her by procuring a little statue of her if -she should obtain the grace of recovery. One evening she was suffering -a great deal, and the doctors foresaw that she would die that night. -The priests were watching by her bedside and comforting her by reciting -the prayers for the dying. At midnight she thought that St. Rita with -St. John appeared to her, and that St. Rita said: 'Do not be afraid; -you will be well.' What is certain is that just at that time she broke -silence and began to sing a hymn of St. Rita. But the really -astonishing fact is that all danger was at an end from that moment, and -her disease disappeared as if by magic. The next morning she was -convalescent, and the doctors in their astonishment had to confess that -in this wonderful recovery God had intervened. - -The Salesian Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart amongst other -occupations are employed in the religious and literary education of -young girls, whom they watch over with a care that is truly maternal. -Their mother-house is in Rome, and there is attached to it what is -styled a providential boarding-school for young women who attend the -normal schools, and at the end of their course get a Government -certificate that entitles them to teach. Providential this college -really is, for its pupils attend the Government schools and yet are -carefully preserved from every danger. In 1896 the annual examinations -at the end of the scholastic year were approaching. The students were -in a state of trepidation, for with all their diligence and labour in -study very little was needed to have girls make mistakes in the -presence of examiners who were perhaps not too favourable to them. -Having heard of the miracles of St. Rita of Cascia, they confidently -turned to her, and confided to her care the result of the examinations. -They had recourse to her patronage, they offered prayers in her honour, -and other works of piety. Nor were their hopes frustrated. The -examinations resulted most brilliantly, and to the entire satisfaction -of all who took part in them. To thank her for so remarkable a favour -the grateful girl students elected St. Rita their special protectress. - -On the 29th of May, 1897, a Calabrian gentleman arrived in Conversano -on a pilgrimage, and, going into the Church of St. Cosmo, he went to -the altar of St. Rita, and, prostrate before it, offered his thanks to -the Saint of the Impossible. He afterwards told the nun who was -promoter of the devotion that his name was Luigi Naccarato, of the -province of Cosenza, and that he had come to redeem a vow made to the -saint for a remarkable favour granted to him. He had been suffering -for many years from a disorder of the brain that rendered him incapable -of doing anything. His brother, a doctor, had used every means to -eradicate his disease; he had consulted the most eminent medical men in -Naples and elsewhere, but without any good effect. Having lost all -hope in human means, he had recourse to the aid of Heaven by prayers to -several holy patrons, but it seemed that Heaven, too, was deaf to his -appeals. At last a lady in Cosenza had advised him to trust himself to -the Saint of the Impossible, who had granted many extraordinary graces -to those devoted to her. The young man, who was truly religious, -willingly followed her advice. He began to invoke the saint, and made -a vow to visit Conversano if his prayers were heard. His petition was -granted; the disease that had hitherto baffled every remedy -disappeared, and he felt himself free in mind and vigorous in health, -as if he had never suffered from any malady. - -Not dissimilar from the preceding case was the disease from which the -Princess Telesio Antonacci of Naples suffered, and by which she was -brought to a deplorable state. Her brain was so weakened that she -could not fix her mind on anything or do anything. When all the -efforts of medical science had proved vain, her sorrowful sister, who -had the book we have so often mentioned, wrote to Conversano to have a -novena offered to the saint. The novena was made, and some of the -blessed oil was also sent to have the invalid's forehead anointed with -it. Instantly a wonderful change was wrought. As they anointed her -forehead the disease grew less, her mind became clear, and her strength -came back. The application of the oil was persevered in and so did the -improvement continue, and the oil of St. Rita was recognised as the -only remedy against that terrible disease. The Princess, in gratitude -for so signal a favour, sent a present of a barrel of oil to -Conversano, and money also to be employed in worship in honour of the -saint. - -A little girl, the daughter of Sebastiano Giannuli, a merchant of Bari, -had suffered from her earliest years from a tumour in the knee. The -doctors of the town held different opinions as to the nature of her -disease, and the well-known Doctor Giuseppe Luciana was consulted, who -diagnosed the case as caries of the bone, and declared a surgical -operation indispensable for a cure. This operation would be painful, -difficult, and full of danger. The family by this opinion was reduced -to a state of consternation, and had recourse to prayer, and by the -suggestion of a nun made a novena to St. Rita, but the favour they -prayed for was then denied them. The operation had to take place on -the 22nd of July, 1897, and the tibia was almost entirely separated -from the thigh-bone; the knee-pan was almost entirely removed, nearly -four fingers' length of the tibia was removed, and as much of the -thigh-bone, and both were united so as to form one bone only, whence -all power of bending the joints was lost. Owing to the difficulty of -the operation the doctors could not promise that she would surely -recover; they only said the child would have to suffer a great deal. -And, indeed, the poor child did suffer a great deal from high fever, -excruciating pains, and a weakness so extreme that she could not even -cry out. - -On the next day the child, who up to that time, owing to the pain she -was suffering, had not even opened her mouth, asked for a picture of -the saint that was hanging in the room, and began to say, 'O, Blessed -Rita! oh, grant me the favour, because I am suffering very much! It is -true that I have been ungrateful towards you, because when the others -were saying the novena I was distracted, and I took very little care to -pray to you; but now I know how wrong I was, and I ask your pardon. -Oh, grant me the favour, for I think I cannot suffer any more.' And -whilst the attendants were drawing close to her bed, she added: 'Make -way; she is coming now.' 'Who?' they asked. 'A nun,' answered the -child. 'Where is she coming from?' 'From there--from that door.' -'What is she doing?' 'She is moving about my bed--coming to sit near -me.' The child then remained motionless, as if she were listening to -something being said to her, and soon after said: 'With the help of the -saint, doctors, how well she has settled my leg! She has put her -beautiful hands on me and cured me!' and, turning to those near her who -were weeping, 'Do not cry any more,' she said; 'be all very glad. Do -you not see how glad I am at getting so beautiful a favour? I have no -more pain. Blessed Rita has told me that all my pains will end in -three days; with my injured leg I shall be able to dance, to jump, to -run about without trouble.' - -And so it turned out. The child was able to get up after three days -free entirely from all trace of disease. But the most stupendous part -was that her right leg, from which half a palm's length of bone had -been cut off, and which would be shortened, even supposing her cured, -and quite incapable of bending, was found after the intervention of -Blessed Rita to be of the same length as the left, and equally flexible -and sound. - -Most grateful for so great a miracle, the family did not put off going -to Conversano to return thanks and redeem their vow to the Saint of the -Impossible, and many people took notice of the child that had been -cured, how she walked without difficulty and without a halt, both her -legs being precisely of the same length. - -The following stupendous fact that happened in the case of a person who -had never even heard the name of St. Rita of Cascia shows how much God -wishes glory to be given to His famous servant. - -To Vito Palazzi and his wife Rosina Surico of Gioia del Colle, near -Bari, a child was born in 1897, who was christened Filippo. From birth -the infant had one of its feet turned, so that the sole of the foot was -twisted to a right angle from the place it ought to occupy. Doctors -were consulted, but to no effect. They declared no care could remedy -the defect, and that an operation would be dangerous and useless. The -poor mother could only weep distractedly. One night, after crying -excessively, she was sleeping, when a nun appeared to her in her sleep. -'Rosina,' said she, 'why do you weep? Can you not have recourse to me -in your affliction?' 'And who are you, O, blessed sister?' said she. -'I am Blessed Rita of Cascia,' said the nun. 'O, Blessed Rita,' said -the afflicted woman, 'cure my little Filippo for me;' and she showed -the saint her infant's twisted foot. 'Have faith, Rosina,' said the -saint to her; 'the defect in the child is a serious one, but God can do -all things;' and so saying she made the sign of the Cross three times -on the foot and disappeared. When the woman awoke on the following -morning she remembered the vision, and, hurrying from her bed, she ran -to the infant's cradle; she undid the bandages and looked at its feet, -and found them both as they ought to be, for the deformity of the left -foot had disappeared. She knelt on the floor and thanked the saint -most earnestly. She then called her husband, showed him the infant's -foot, and told him of the vision and miracle. She remembered St. Rita, -and wrote to Conversano for a large picture of her, which she had -framed, and before which she keeps a lamp burning night and day; and -she likewise had a High Mass sung before the saint's altar, nor is she -ever wearied in telling the miracle and giving glory to the saint to -whom she owes it. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -HER CANONIZATION - -In reading the wonderful and miraculous facts of the life of St. Rita -and the very many prodigious works done by God through her -intercession, the reader must have asked himself more than once how it -is that so grand a soul, whose heroic virtues shine so brightly, and -who was, like the greatest saints of the Church, favoured by God with -most singular graces and sublime privileges, should be adorned with the -aureole of a saint and raised to highest honours of the altars only -after more than four centuries had passed since she had gone to -immortal glory in heaven. - -The only reasonable answer to this question, the only explanation of a -delay not by any means unique in the history of the canonization of the -great heroes of the Church, is that the judgments of God are -incomprehensible and His ways unsearchable, and the Divine wisdom which -in His own time makes each cause produce its effect, and all things -regulates in number, weight, and measure, so disposes it that the -exaltation of His servants on earth then takes place when it is for the -greater glorification of His Church and the greater spiritual advantage -of Christians. This just reflection ought to console us in the sorrow -we naturally feel at the long delay that has occurred in bringing to a -happy termination the process of the canonization of our heroine. - -After the privilege of reciting the office and celebrating Mass in -honour of the saint had been granted to the Augustinian Order and the -Diocese of Spoleto in 1627, as soon as the solemn festivals we have -described were brought to an end, devotion to St. Rita increased to -such an extent, and the desire of the faithful became so fervent to -have their great advocate enrolled by the Church's supreme authority in -the catalogue of the Blessed and afterwards of the Saints, that in -August, 1737, her cause was resumed in the state and terms in which it -was found. On the 3rd of August in that year an ordinary session of -the Congregation was held to debate the point whether the case excepted -in the decrees of Pope Urban VIII. was fully established, and in the -result the Congregation found the answer to be in the affirmative, and -Pope Clement XII., on the 13th of the same month, confirmed the finding -of the Congregation. On the 25th of July in the following year -remissorial letters were therefore sent to the Ecclesiastical Courts of -Spoleto, in whose jurisdiction Cascia then was, authorizing them to -institute an Apostolic process of inquiry regarding the virtues and -miracles of Blessed Rita, it being the unbroken practice of the Holy -See not to grant the supreme honours of the altars unless it be shown -that the theological and moral virtues were practised in a heroic -degree. But the process then begun was interrupted by various events, -and was not resumed until 1851. Without further interruption it was -finally perfected in 1855, and its validity was approved in 1856 in -Rome by Pius IX., of happy memory. Meanwhile the fame of the -extraordinary graces and miracles granted by God through the saint's -intercession was everywhere increasing, but it is hard to collect the -proofs and institute a process that will satisfy the rigorous -requirements which the Church exacts in those matters. - -Nevertheless, juridical proofs of some of these miraculous occurrences -were not wanting. In fact, in the years 1851 and 1852 there was held -by Apostolic permission in the Ecclesiastical Courts of Nursia, under -the jurisdiction of which Cascia had passed, a process of inquiry into -the reported case of instantaneous curing of a girl--Elisabetta -Bergamini, who had been suffering from conjunctivitis complicated with -ulcerous keratitis. Owing to the efforts of the Most Rev. Mons. -Casimiro Gennari, then Bishop of Conversano, and at present titular -Archbishop of Lepanto and Assessor of the Inquisition, who is most -zealous, as we have said, in spreading devotion to St. Rita, the -authorization of the Holy See was asked for and obtained in 1887 to -institute a formal Apostolic process of inquiry into the case of Cosimo -Pelligrini, of the town of Conversano, who was reported to have been -miraculously cured. As soon as the inquiry was perfected, it was -scrutinized in an ordinary Congregation of the Rota on the 28th of -June, 1892, and its validity recognised. On the 17th of the following -month the Holy Father deigned to confirm the sentence of the Sacred -Congregation. - -Almost at the same time there was held, by virtue of remissorial -letters of the 18th of February, 1892, in the Ecclesiastical Courts of -Nursia, a special inquiry, in which the Promoter of the Faith, Mons. -Agostino Caprara, intervened, into the most sweet and miraculous odour -which from time immemorial is at intervals experienced about the -blessed body of St. Rita. By other remissorial letters of the 22nd of -August following, the Promoter of the Faith was empowered to examine -the venerable body itself, in order to make certain that it had never -been embalmed, nor any odoriferous substances placed in it. - -When this process of inquiry into the marvellous odour was brought to -an end, it was decided to join it to the process that had been executed -in the courts of Spoleto by ordinary authority in 1626. On the 25th of -February, 1896, the Sacred Congregation of Rites delivered its judgment -that the validity of the two processes of 1626 and 1892 had been -established, the reporter of the cause being his Eminence Cardinal -Gaetano Aloisi-Masella, Prefect of that Congregation. As regards -another process of inquiry executed in 1775, with only ordinary -authority, into the instantaneous and miraculous curing of an -Augustinian nun of the convent of Cascia, it was decided to supplicate -the reigning Pontiff, Leo XIII., that he would deign to make good the -defect of jurisdiction, and make the acts of that process valid. But -the Holy Father, rather than grant the convalidation, was pleased to -dispense, by most special favour, with the fourth miracle, for from -time immemorial the proof of four miracles has been required for the -canonization of the servants of God. - -Owing to the sovereign concession of the Holy Father, the promoters of -the cause of canonization had high hopes of bringing it to a happy -conclusion before much more time should pass. They obtained leave to -introduce the Ordinary Process of 1626 as having equal value as proof -with the Apostolic Process that closed in 1855; and the presence of the -consulters and their voting being dispensed with, on the 6th of April, -1897, in an ordinary meeting of the Congregation, the writings of St. -Rita were inquired into, and it was further debated and discussed -'Whether the virtues of Blessed Rita had been so clearly established -that the discussion of her miracles might be proceeded with?' The -session gave an affirmative decision, which was confirmed by the -Sovereign Pontiff on the 9th of the month. - -The way was thus prepared for the discussion of the miracles. -Information regarding them and summaries were prepared, and the -opinions of two distinguished experts were added. On the 27th of June, -1899, the Congregation met under the presidency of the Most Eminent -Cardinal Aloisi-Masella, reporter of the cause, to discuss the -miracles, and on the 9th of January, 1900, the preparatory Congregation -held its meeting in the Vatican palace, and on the following 27th of -March, in the general Congregation, assembled, as is customary, in the -presence of the Holy Father, the following subject was discussed: -'Whether any, and what, miracles have been conclusively proved, after -veneration had been allowed to the Blessed, in case and to the effect -of the present discussion?' And by a very special favour of the Holy -See the following was also discussed: 'And granted the approval of the -miracles, whether her canonization may safely be proceeded with?' - -The Most Eminent Cardinals and Most Rev. Consulters delivered their -opinions on both matters, and were heard most attentively by the -Sovereign Pontiff; and although he described the cause as _most rare_ -and _most noble_, he nevertheless, according to the usual custom, -deferred giving his definitive decision, but _redoubled his prayers to -implore the help of Heaven_. - -On Palm Sunday, the 8th of April following, the Holy Father, after -having most fervently offered to God the Eucharistic Sacrifice, had the -decree of approval of the three miracles, of which we shall speak -afterwards, read and published with the accustomed solemnity by -Monsignor the Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Rites. He next -published the decrees, called the 'Tuto,' for the beatification of -seventy-three Venerable Martyrs of China, Tonquin, and Cochin China, -members of the Dominican and Franciscan Orders, the Congregations of -Missionary Priests, and of Foreign Missions; and the decree of -beatification of the Venerable Martyrs of the West Indies, members of -the Order of Discalced Carmelites, and that of the beatification of the -Venerable Servant of God, Maria Cresenzia Hoss, professed nun of the -Third Order of St. Francis. His Holiness then deigned to address to -the assembly a Latin allocution, in which he manifested the joy that he -felt, especially for the decrees regarding Blessed Rita of Cascia, the -glory and ornament of the Augustinian Order, and the jewel of the -Umbrian province, which gave birth also to St. Benedict and St. -Francis, and where for many years the Sovereign Pontiff himself had -exercised as Bishop his pastoral ministry. All the more did he rejoice -since it was a question of this most humble and most holy woman's -canonization, a solemn religious ceremony, and supreme act of the -Pontifical authority and of the infallible teaching of the Vicar of -Jesus Christ. He added that it was desirable that the marvellous odour -which is diffused and given forth from time to time near the sacred -remains of the Blessed Rita, and called prodigious from the time of -Urban VIII., should soon be renewed, as a happy augury of a better -future in this Holy Year and in this century that is about to commence. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE THREE MIRACLES APPROVED FOR HER CANONIZATION - -_First Miracle_.--The odour which is felt near St. Rita's body, -especially when miracles are worked through her intercession, and which -is diffused in a wonderful manner. - -As regards this miracle, we told in full everything about it in the -fourth chapter of the present part. We have only to add our joy that -the oracle of the Holy See has solemnly confirmed what historians have -written regarding this sweet odour, and what has been alleged in the -processes and confirmed by experience. - -_Second Miracle_.--Complete and instantaneous recovery of Elisabetta -Bergamini from conjunctivitis complicated by ulcerous keratitis of the -small-pox form. - -Elisabetta Bergamini of Terni, about seven years before the time of -which we wrote, had been attacked by the small-pox in so virulent a -form that it left her whole face pitted, and destroyed the sight of her -eyes, so that she could hardly distinguish light from darkness. -Several physicians consulted by her parents had submitted her to -different forms of treatment for the recovery of her sight, but to no -purpose. She was then sent as a boarder to the Augustinian convent of -Cascia, where her father's sister was a nun, known as Sister Maria -Maddalena, in order to pray the Lord through St. Rita's intercession -either to restore her sight or else take her to Himself. She was there -principally because her father's stepmother had been miraculously cured -by St. Rita some years before. - -The girl was brought to the convent and confided to the nuns' care in -1833. Pitying the sad case of the afflicted child, they took most -loving care of her. The doctor who attended the convent was called in -to visit her, and he confirmed the opinions of the doctors of Terni -that her disease was incurable, and that only a miracle could restore -her sight. The poor child suffered great pain, and even the light -caused her so much inconvenience that two patches of green silk had to -be hung over her eyes. Besides, there was a constant flow of humour -mixed with tears, which was so corrosive that it ate away channels on -her nose and cheeks, and gave forth a nauseating and insufferable -stench. To give some relief to the little patient, her aunt and the -mistress of the boarders used to wash her eyes, by the doctor's -directions, with a decoction of marshmallows; but even from this -treatment she suffered a good deal, for in the course of it her eyelids -had to be raised as much as possible, and this caused her acute pain. - -Elisabetta continued in this deplorable state till September of that -year, when the nuns thought of getting her to wear a black votive dress -in honour of St. Rita. This dress was first blessed by the confessor -and touched to the receptacle in which the saint's body lies. She was -dressed in that habit and her eyes touched with a little silver rod, -which tradition says once touched St. Rita's forehead. The mistress -noted that afterwards the flow of humour from her eyes had decreased, -and this fact gave Elisabetta courage to have greater confidence in the -saint's protection. That morning the nuns, according to custom, were -sorting in the courtyard the corn to be employed in making the little -loaves of St. Rita. The mistress brought Elisabetta to them, and she -sat down near one of the nuns, and, owing to her blindness, began, -instead of selecting the best, to mix what had already been sorted with -the inferior corn. The nun told her to keep quiet, and the mistress -then gave her a cup with some corn in it to play with. As soon as -Elisabetta got the cup she began to stir the corn with her little hand, -and suddenly called out that she could see, and as she did not know -what corn should be rejected, she held out a grain in her hand and -asked whether that should be put aside or not. At the same time she -threw off the green patches, and the nuns ran in astonishment to look -at the child's eyes, and saw that they were most beautiful and entirely -cured. To make sure that she had recovered her sight they made her -sort all the corn that she had in the cup, and she did it perfectly. -Then they all went together to where the saint's body was to thank her -for so great a miracle. The child then saw for the first time the body -of her benefactress, and she wept with love, and with her arms crossed -returned her thanks in a loud voice. When the doctor of the convent -saw Elisabetta he declared that the saint had worked a great miracle, -and that otherwise she never would have been able to see. - -The child remained in the convent for nearly three years after, and her -eyes were always strong. She learned so well to read that she used to -recite the office in choir with the nuns, and read instruction for the -lay sisters. She also learned to write and sew, and do other feminine -work that needs very acute sight. - -As a complement of the narration of this miracle, we judge it right to -quote the words of a famous Roman physician, who was called on to give -his judgment on this prodigious event. His learned opinion, delivered -in writing, ends thus: - -'It is a matter of conscience and of necessity to reiterate my opinion -that this cure has been instantaneous, perfect, and lasting, in no way -caused by art or by natural forces, impossible to take place except by -miracle, which by science and by conscience must be classified with the -great inexplicable portents which the Omnipotent God allows to be -performed by His faithful servants, and in our case by Blessed Rita of -Cascia; and this I again repeat in my deposition under my oath.' - -_Third Miracle_.--Instantaneous and perfect curing of Cosimo Pelligrini -from chronic catarrhal gastro-enteritis, hemorrhoidal affection, and -serious and permanent chronic anæmia. - -Cosimo Pelligrini, of the town of Conversano, in the province of Bari, -a tailor by trade, and fifty years of age, broken in health by long -years of labour and by troubles of mind, began to lose strength, and -his eyesight became so weak that although he used very strong glasses -he could distinguish only with difficulty objects a short distance -away. He had, besides, grown so deaf in both ears that it was -necessary to speak in a very loud voice to make him hear, and so great -was his deafness that he did not even hear the strokes of a hammer with -which on one occasion his cloak was nailed for a joke to a bench on -which he was sitting. - -Besides his great loss of strength and the weakening of his organs, he -also suffered from serious disorders of the stomach, pains in the -abdominal region, frequent vomitings and hæmorrhoids. He, moreover, -experienced frequent sudden attacks of dizziness, which were so serious -as to make him fall to the ground unless he speedily retired to bed, -and stupefied him for hours, during which time his sight was altogether -obscured. At night he often suffered from muscular contractions, and -if he spoke for long or listened to others for any length of time he -was seized with shakings in all his members. His ways of curing -himself made his already sufficiently deplorable state of health still -worse. For, instead of consulting a doctor, following his own caprices -he took frequent purgatives, and bled himself so often and to such an -extent that he developed chronic anæmia, which showed its presence in -his pallid, emaciated countenance. He was thus often forced to keep -his bed, and his bodily weakness and mental agony made life a burden. - -Such for many years was Pelligrini's miserable condition. About the -year 1877, on the 22nd of May, the feast of St. Rita, to whom he had -great devotion, when he was entering his house after hearing Mass at -the saint's altar in the church of the nuns of St. Cosmo, he fell to -the ground, deprived almost entirely of sense. He was put to bed, and -the doctor immediately sent for. On his arrival the doctor instantly -saw the very grave state of the man, prescribed some remedies, of -which, however, almost no use could be made, and ordered the last -Sacraments to be administered. After being anointed, Pelligrini became -so ill that he lost all strength and the use of his senses, and was -hardly able to breathe; his face became corpse-like in its pallor as he -lay motionless in bed. In this state he passed two days, and on the -third day the doctor was of opinion that he would not live till evening. - -Meanwhile a lay sister of the convent, who was sister of the sick man's -wife, sent to ask how he was, and in sending an answer his wife -requested the nuns to light the lamp at the saint's altar and offer -prayers for her husband, who was in his last agony. The request was -immediately attended to by all the community. Little over an hour -passed when Pelligrini, as if waking from a profound lethargy, opened -his eyes, began to move his arms, and, calling his wife, said to her, -'I am cured. Blessed Rita has made me well.' He then began to tell -how the saint had appeared to him, had touched him on the forehead, -shoulder, and breast, and assured him that he would be cured, and that -after only a day or two of weakness he would be entirely well. He also -gave the same account of the vision to others who came to see him, and -the fact proved that the saint had miraculously saved him from imminent -death. - -The next day he left his bed completely cured, as Rita had told him he -would be. He was able to eat and digest his food as well as any person -of strong robust health, and all those chronic ills that afflicted him -for so many years were instantaneously and entirely eradicated, and his -deafness and lack of vision also were entirely gone. He could see as -well as if he had never been shortsighted, and could detect the least -noise, and although he was seventy years of age he had regained full -vigour and strength. - -Many people went to see Pelligrini, who seemed as one raised from the -dead to a new life, and who was filled with a new strength. All who -saw him gave glory to God and to Rita for so wonderful and surprising a -fact. After ten years, when he was eighty years old, he was examined -by doctors, and found perfectly healthy and full of vigour. - - - - -CONCLUSION - -We have now come, oh, reader, to the end of our journey, and however -short it has been, you, the faithful follower of our steps, cannot fail -to look back, as travellers do after a difficult passage, and consider -with us the difficulty and roughness of the way that Rita traversed in -order to reach her sublime goal. We are convinced that it is not -simply curiosity that has moved you to follow our plain narration of -facts, but the proposal to follow on the path that Rita has travelled -by, and walk in her footsteps, for the lives of the saints are written -and read for no other object than with the Divine assistance to cause -their virtues to be imitated. And you must have remarked that Rita's -virtues have this peculiar characteristic--that persons of both sexes, -of all ages and conditions, may put themselves in the way of practising -them and turning them to account. The young, married persons, parents, -widows, persons in religious life, the troubled and afflicted of both -sexes, have each in the life of this saint a bright and shining mirror -wherein to behold their stains, their weakness, their imperfection, and -see also how to remove these blots under Rita's care and protection. - -The incident of the wondrous bees flitting about her cradle, described -in the first part, seems to us to symbolize the great multitude of -Christian souls, each of which in its proper place may extract, like -industrious bees, the honey and fragrance of virtue from this mystic, -odoriferous, and precious garden. She is indeed the jewel of the -Umbrian province, as the inspired Pontiff, Leo XIII., styled her in -most happy phrase on April 8, 1900, whose beauty can never fade, about -which thousands of souls may gather and be excited to thoughts of -ineffable sweetness that will produce good fruits in time and in -eternity. - -You young people, you parents, you religious, you troubled and -afflicted, never lose sight of your model! Have recourse to her in all -your trials, and even when your troubles seem irreparable, do not lose -courage, for she who is commonly called the _Saint of the Impossible -and of desperate cases_ will then especially guard you and bring you -consolation. - - - - -R. & T. WASHBOURNE, 4 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON - - - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of St. Rita of Cascia, O.S.A., by -Richard Connolly - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF ST. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Life of St. Rita of Cascia, O.S.A. - from the Italian - -Author: Richard Connolly - -Release Date: July 2, 2016 [EBook #52481] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF ST. RITA OF CASCIA, O.S.A. *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines - - - - - -</pre> - - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-front"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-front.jpg" alt="ST. RITA RECEIVES HER MIRACULOUS WOUND" /> -<br /> -ST. RITA RECEIVES HER MIRACULOUS WOUND -</p> - -<h1> -<br /><br /> - LIFE OF ST. RITA<br /> - OF CASCIA, O.S.A.<br /> -</h1> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - from the Italian<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - BY<br /> - VERY REV. RICHARD CONNOLLY<br /> - O.S.A., D.D.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - R. & T. WASHBOURNE<br /> - 4 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON<br /> - BENZIGER BROS.: NEW YORK, CINCINNATI AND CHICAGO<br /> - 1903<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="noindent"> - Nihil Obstat:<br /> - FR. JOANNES L. CONDON, O.S.A.,<br /> - CENS. DEPUTATUS.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - PERMISSION TO PUBLISH<br /> -</p> - -<p class="t3"> - We approve of the publication of the 'Life of<br /> - St. Rita of Cascia,' from the Italian, by the<br /> - Very Rev. Fr. Richard Connolly, O.S.A., D.D.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - FR. W. O'SULLIVAN, O.S.A.,<br /> - VICAR PROVINCIAL.<br /> - CORK, <i>Feast of St. Patrick</i>, 1903.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - Imprimatur:<br /> - HERBERTUS CARDINALIS VAUGHAN,<br /> - ARCHIEPISCOPUS WESTMONASTERIENSIS.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -CONTENTS -</p> - -<p class="t3"> -PART I -</p> - -<p class="t3"> -RITA IN THE WORLD -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -CHAPTER -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - I. <a href="#chap0101">CASCIA: A GLANCE AT ITS HISTORY</a><br /> - II. <a href="#chap0102">RITA'S PARENTS</a><br /> - III. <a href="#chap0103">RITA'S WONDERFUL CONCEPTION</a><br /> - IV. <a href="#chap0104">RITA'S BIRTH</a><br /> - V. <a href="#chap0105">THE WHITE BEES OF ST. RITA</a><br /> - VI. <a href="#chap0106">RITA'S CHILDHOOD</a><br /> - VII. <a href="#chap0107">RITA'S LOVE OF RETIREMENT</a><br /> - VIII. <a href="#chap0108">RITA'S MARRIAGE</a><br /> - IX. <a href="#chap0109">RITA AS WIFE</a><br /> - X. <a href="#chap0110">DEATH OF RITA'S HUSBAND AND CHILDREN—RITA AS WIDOW</a><br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -PART II -</p> - -<p class="t3"> -RITA IN THE CLOISTER -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - I. <a href="#chap0201">RITA'S MIRACULOUS ENTRY INTO THE CLOISTER AND HER RECEPTION</a><br /> - II. <a href="#chap0202">RITA AS NOVICE—HER PROFESSION</a><br /> - III. <a href="#chap0203">RITA'S CHARITY</a><br /> - IV. <a href="#chap0204">OTHER VIRTUES WHICH RITA PRACTISED IN THE CLOISTER</a><br /> - V. <a href="#chap0205">RITA'S OBSERVANCE OF THE RELIGIOUS VOWS</a><br /> - VI. <a href="#chap0206">RITA'S PENANCES</a><br /> - VII. <a href="#chap0207">RITA'S SPIRIT OF PRAYER</a><br /> - VIII. <a href="#chap0208">A THORN FROM THE SAVIOUR'S CROWN OF THORNS WOUNDS RITA'S FOREHEAD</a><br /> - IX. <a href="#chap0209">RITA GOES TO ROME TO GAIN THE INDULGENCE OF THE JUBILEE</a><br /> - X. <a href="#chap0210">RITA'S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH</a><br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -PART III -</p> - -<p class="t3"> -RITA IN HEAVEN -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - I. <a href="#chap0301">WONDERFUL EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT RITA'S DEATH—BURIAL OF HER SACRED BODY</a><br /> - II. <a href="#chap0302">MIRACLES WROUGHT BY GOD THROUGH RITA'S INTERCESSION BEFORE HER BEATIFICATION</a><br /> - III. <a href="#chap0303">EFFICACY OF THE RELICS OF ST. RITA</a><br /> - IV. <a href="#chap0304">MARVELS OF ST. RITA'S SEPULCHRE</a><br /> - V. <a href="#chap0305">IMMEMORIAL WORSHIP OF ST. RITA</a><br /> - VI. <a href="#chap0306">SOLEMN BEATIFICATION OF RITA</a><br /> - VII. <a href="#chap0307">MIRACLES WORKED BY RITA AFTER HER BEATIFICATION</a><br /> - VIII. <a href="#chap0308">MORE RECENT MIRACLES OF ST. RITA</a><br /> - IX. <a href="#chap0309">HER CANONIZATION</a><br /> - X. <a href="#chap0310">THE THREE MIRACLES APPROVED FOR HER CANONIZATION</a><br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#chap04">CONCLUSION</a> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0101"></a></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -Part I -</p> - -<p class="t3b"> -RITA IN THE WORLD -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t2"> -LIFE OF ST. RITA OF CASCIA -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER I -</h3> - -<h3> -CASCIA: A GLANCE AT ITS HISTORY -</h3> - -<p> -St. Bernard observes that the place in -which our Saviour died attracts our devotion -in a greater degree than any of those places -in which He dwelt during His life, and can -therefore boast of a certain pre-eminence. Speaking -of St. Rita, we can say the same of Cascia -compared with Rocca Porena, her birthplace. Cascia -governed Rocca Porena as did Jerusalem Nazareth, -but it is not on this account we claim its superiority, -but because our saint lived there for many years -and died there, and there her relics are venerated. -Cascia is therefore looked upon as St. Rita's -home, and hence she is called St. Rita of Cascia. -Were we but to give a cursory sketch of the history -of Cascia from its annals, which still exist, the -present volume could not contain what we should -be forced to write, so important did it become; -we will therefore content ourselves with alluding -to a few of the more salient points in its story. -</p> - -<p> -This ancient and illustrious town is built under -the shadow of the Apennines, at a point in that -chain of mountains almost midway between the -Alps and the Mediterranean. It is on the borders -of Umbria, seven miles from Norcia, ten from -Leonessa, thirty from Rieti, and twenty-three -from Spoleto. It stands on the site of the ancient -Cursula, which is believed to have been a Roman -free-town—that is, its people enjoyed the honours, -rights, and privileges of Roman citizenship, and -their town was governed by its own laws. That -Cursula was a town of some importance is attested -by its remains, which are still extant, notably by -the Temple of the Augurs, the Temple of Mars, -and the House of the Duumviri. -</p> - -<p> -We have nothing else than these remains to -guide us in inquiring into the history of Cursula, -nor can we surmise the epoch from whence to date -its existence. We know from Dionysius of -Halicarnassus that it was destroyed, and that a new -town rose on the ruins of the original one, but -the dates of these events cannot be fixed with -certainty. The date of the rebuilding of Cursula -may, with some probability, be placed at -something more than ten years before the birth of -our Saviour, and hence its pagan inhabitants -were strengthening the foundations of its future -greatness when Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, -was laying the <i>foundation of the Redemption of -man</i>. We know, too, that it was a republic, but -are left in the dark as to how it managed to achieve -and preserve its independence. It is credible -that, like other Italian cities, it acquired its -liberty at the time of the second fall of the Roman -Empire, after the death of the Emperor-Saint -Henry, during the Pontificate of John XIX., or -about the year 1025. This independence it -retained till 1260, in which year, through the -ambition of rival leaders, the seeds of civic -dissension were sown, and the republic was -exposed to dangers from without. It was at this -time that the people of Cascia determined to put -themselves under the authority of Alexander IV., -who then occupied the Papal chair. They were -induced to this action by what they saw of the -peaceful nature of the Papal government, and -because they adhered to the Guelph party, which -was favourable to the Holy See. Alexander IV. was -the great Pontiff who, uniting the greatest -virtues to the highest mental attainments, -contrived during the height of the sanguinary -quarrels between Guelphs and Ghibellines, which -had for twenty years torn and divided Italy, -to stamp out incendiarism, to crush tyranny, -and cause peace and happiness to flourish again -in the distracted peninsula. Cascia had no reason -to regret the changed state of affairs, for the -monarchical system which its submission to the -Pope introduced by no means destroyed its -republican form of government. Hence it retained -the right of regulating its own affairs by its own -laws; hence its mayor, elected every six months, -retained his authority; hence it retained those -chiefs of the people, at first called 'Ateposti,' -then 'Gonfalonieri,' and finally 'Consuls.' To -these latter a troop of soldiers, called the people's -jury, was subject, who had the duty not only of -defending the people, but of acting on the -offensive when necessary. The court of justice, the -guards and robes of the consuls, the stately retinue -of the mayor, the fortifications with their garrisons, -the number of subject towns and villages—of -which more than forty recognise Cascia as their -chief at present, without speaking of the many -which the ravages of time have destroyed—the -right of peace and war left, at least in part, to the -brave people of Cascia—these and other memories -of the past, which even now may be seen in the -consular registers, constitute a proof of the -liberty which Cascia enjoyed under the Popes -and of the fame which it acquired. -</p> - -<p> -But at the beginning of the disastrous and -prolonged schism of the anti-Popes, Cascia -unfurled the standard of rebellion, either through a -desire of complete independence, or, as some say, -on account of the insolent conduct of the Papal -soldiers, and for a period of about 131 years—till -the year 1517—it remained under a sort of -mixed government. This interval of complete -independence was filled up by an uninterrupted -series of wars waged with its neighbours of Norcia, -of Leonessa, of Monreale, of Aquila, or of Cerreto. -But after the first outburst of enthusiasm for -complete independence, and in the midst of -quarrels with its neighbours, the republic of -Cascia took occasion to show its pristine reverence -and love for the See of Rome. A clear proof of -the correspondence between Cascia and the Papal -See is the formal announcement, made by the -Cardinals met together in council at Constance, -to the commune of Cascia, of the election of Pope -Martin V. to the Pontifical throne. The prompt -assistance given by the people of Cascia to -Eugene IV., successor to Martin V., against -Corrado Trinci, Governor of Foligno, who tried -to make himself lord and master of that city, is -another proof of their loyalty to the Holy See. -When the wise and great-minded Leo X. ascended -the Papal throne he brought back Cascia to its -obedience to the Holy See by a brief dated 1517. -All its ancient privileges and distinctions were -confirmed by him, and a Cardinal was appointed -to govern the city; for Cascia still continued to -have the title 'city,' as it had till 1600 at least. -Some speak of money coined there, of its coats of -arms, of printing done there, of its prosperity -and commerce, of the cultivation of the fine arts; -but the cultivation of souls is what chiefly adorns it. -</p> - -<p> -And, in the first place, if nobility presupposes -the talents or merits of ancestors either in field -or court, what must we say of Cascia, which -reckoned in its environs 200 famous families, -which are extinct only within the last two -centuries, without speaking of others that betook -themselves elsewhere, or of the ancient patrician -families that still dwell in the homes of their -ancestors? -</p> - -<p> -There is no need to go back to remote antiquity -to catch a glimpse of the great men who had their -origin in Cascia in the splendour of its greatest -glories. The great ones born there, even in the -latest years of its decadence, are a proof of what -it produced in the past, and are sufficient to renew -the honours it merited in its beginnings. -</p> - -<p> -The Cardinals, the Bishops, the Prelates, the -names distinguished in science and in arms of -the Poli, Frenfanelli, Benenati, Cruciani, Squarcipani, -Colangeli, Negroni, Graziani, Franceschini, -Leonetti, Giudici, Elemosina, Girolami, Gregorietti, -and of other illustrious families, would supply -ample material to whosoever would wish to -pronounce the praises of Cascia. We, who have for -our study a nun and a saint, shall content -ourselves with going into the shadow of the cloister -and of the sanctuary. We find Andrew of Cascia, -a Franciscan who lived at the same time as -St. Rita, who had the happiness of bringing the -Gospel to the Turks at Fez, where he suffered -martyrdom after converting many to Christ and -working many miracles. The glory of this humble -friar outshines the glory which the honours of the -world can give. Blessed Pace, a Minor Conventual, -born in Cascia, great in virtue and by the -miracles he worked, raised himself above every -earthly greatness. -</p> - -<p> -But what must have most drawn the soul of -our St. Rita to desire from her childhood the life -of the cloister, and to follow it in her mature years, -were the singular models of sanctity which the -Augustinian institute in Cascia could furnish. -The memory of the saintly heroes, followers of -the great Augustine, who dwelt in the woods -about Cascia, was to her the memory of a recent -event. The first of these recluses is Blessed John, -who from being lord of three towns shut himself -in the Valley of Attino, not far from Cascia, in -order to lead a life hidden in God in the deepest -contemplation. Then comes Blessed Ugolino, -who imitated the example of Blessed John in -renouncing the pleasant things of this world to -engage himself entirely with heavenly things -in the hermitage of St. Anatolia, in the territory -of Cascia, where, living in misery, he prepared for -himself a way to a high degree of glory in heaven. -The third is Blessed Simon Fidati, whom the -shades of the hermitage could not hide from the -world. For the books on the ascetic life which -this very learned hermit of St. Augustine wrote -in these solitudes began to make him known; -then his unwearying and fruitful preaching through -the chief cities of Italy, especially Florence and -Siena; the conversions of which he was the -instrument; the number of enemies he reconciled; -his spirit of prophecy; his unconquerable charity -on most difficult occasions; the foundation of two -monasteries in the city of Florence; the other -works written by him, whence he deserved to be -reckoned the brightest ornament of the -Augustinian Order at that time, both by his eloquence -and profound learning, more infused than acquired, -as well as for the piety and fervour which -animated him in writing—these and many other -of his merits made him glorious in this world, -and still more glorious in heaven. -</p> - -<p> -Contemporary with Blessed Simon were many -other remarkable men of the same Order, and -born in the same place, as Fr. Bartolo, Vicar of -the Lateran Basilica, who enriched his convent of -Cascia with more than 600 relics; the Venerable -Andrew, noble standard-bearer of the Gospel in -Turkey; another Venerable Andrew, of the Capozi -family, rendered famous his country, his name, -and the Augustinian Order by his fruitful preaching -and his learning. Fr. Nicholas, of the noble -family of the Saracini of Cascia, was also a -contemporary of St. Rita. After leaving the pomp of -the world to follow Jesus Christ in poverty and -humiliation, he was raised through all the ranks -of the monastic hierarchy till he was elected and -re-elected General of his Order, and then promoted -by Pope John XXIII. to the episcopal See of -Macerata and Recanati, where he died in the odour -of sanctity in the arms of the people whom he had -reformed and whom he loved. In those times, -too, Stephen of Castel San Giorgio, in the district -of Cascia, by his virtues and talents, obtained the -highest honours in his Order, and became -Procurator-General. We might mention the names of -many other famous men of the convent and city -of Cascia, either contemporary with St. Rita or -nearly so, as Angelus and Louis of Cascia, Cherubinus -Lavosi (Bishop of Telesia), Paoletti, Squarcipani, -Amici, three of the Simonetti family—all -either theologians of some eminence or famous -preachers, or remarkable for their writings; but -the notice of these and of others, however -praiseworthy for virtue or honourable to their native -city of Cascia, might seem beside our purpose -and be tedious to those who wish to read the life -of St. Rita. At all events, it may be deduced -from what we have written that Cascia was not -without honour in its history and in its inhabitants. -</p> - -<p> -Still, what is Cascia in the sight of God? -What is even Jerusalem before Him and in the -light of His inscrutable judgment? Human -greatness, which dazzles our eyes, disappears in -the glance of God, and is lost in its own -nothingness. There is no distinction of persons with -Him, nor is there distinction of places. The -little town of Nazareth, out of which, in the -common very poor opinion of it, it seemed nothing -good could come, was, in the Divine councils, -preordained to be the fatherland of the Saviour -of the world; and the still meaner town of -Bethlehem—even a stable in Bethlehem—was -chosen as His place of birth. Thus it often -happens that God chooses the weak things, the lowly, -the despicable, the things of naught to confound -the goodly things and the strong, and to work -great designs, in order that the creature may not -have whence to vaunt himself before his Creator. -Such was the case exactly with that humble spot -Rocca Porena, which was destined to be the -birthplace of St. Rita. -</p> - -<p> -To give some idea of it, let us say it is two miles -and a half from Cascia towards the west, where -it is closed in, not to say buried. An overhanging -mountain crushes it in on all sides and dominates -it, and with difficulty gives access to it from the -east by two narrow roads, one on either side of a -precipitous rock. The river which flows to the -base of this rock, famous in the life of the saint, -does not approach the small piece of level ground -which, together with the village, forms the bottom -of a deep basin. The sun is tardy there in rising, -and sets early, leaving the barren plain to its -languor and sadness. One would say that a -place so isolated and confined, where neither the -beauty of nature nor of art appears, and where -the sky is almost the only thing in view, was -created for contemplation and to be the home of -innocence. The two houses of St. Rita are still -to be seen, almost at opposite ends of the village, -the one in which she was born and lived until her -marriage in that part called the Borghetto, and -the other where she lived a wife, and which is -now turned into a little chapel in her honour, in -the place called the Piazza. The saint's garden, -now grown wild, is also shown to the pious -traveller. Besides these there does not seem to -be anything worthy of mention. We may therefore -infer that as Bethlehem was styled the least -amongst the cities of Judea, so, perhaps, is Rocca -Porena the least amongst the towns of Cascia—the -least, indeed, as a place, but memorable by -reason of the favour shown it, which exalts it -far above the others, since it has given to us that -great saint who, by her singular example of -innocence and virtue, is become the guide and -model in the way of perfection to virgins, to -married women, to widows, and to those living -in the cloisters, in such a manner as Bethlehem—if -we may lawfully make a comparison between -the original and a faint copy—was exalted by the -birth of Jesus Christ, where, as Blessed Simon of -Cascia says, He made Himself the mystical and -life-giving bread for our common nourishment -and comfort on the way which leads to heaven. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0102"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER II -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S PARENTS -</h3> - -<p> -The fortunate parents of Rita were Antonio -Mancini, of Rocca Porena and Amata Ferri, -who is believed to be from a village called Fogliano. -Antonio was not noble, nor had he a title, but -we may apply to him the praise which the Holy -Spirit gives to Noah—that he was a just man -and perfect in his times, and he walked with -God. The Gracchi, the Scipios, the Cæsars -among the number of their family honours -cannot find a title greater or even equal to this. -</p> - -<p> -Every other superiority is vanity, and if there -be glory from other titles, it is the glory of another, -which cannot pass to the posterity of those who -merited it. Justice alone makes that real nobility -which St. Augustine and other holy fathers call -nobility according to the heart of God. And -although even this cannot be passed on to -descendants, as it did not pass from Noah to his -son Cham, whom he cursed, yet it is not unusual -for God to recall the justice of parents, not only -for a model, but to give a certain extrinsic glory -to their descendants. Hence, when the Holy -Spirit wished to record the praises of St. John -the Baptist, He wished also for his honour that -we should remember that his parents were both -'just before God, walking in all the commandments -and justifications of the Lord without -blame.' So we can also say of Antonio and Amata, -of whom was born St. Rita, who had a special -devotion to St. John. They were not of noble -blood, but they were noble in their works; they -were not rich in temporal goods, but they were -rich in the true treasures of Divine grace, which -do not pass from those who possess them. They -enjoyed the esteem of all who knew them, an -esteem more precious than that which flattery -offers to the rich and great of this world. Their -fortune constituted that mediocrity which the -wise man sought from God in order that abundance -might not tempt him to forget his Creator, nor -poverty to give himself a prey to any vice. The -industrious and honourable labour, and the -innocent pastoral life which in their time did not -degrade the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and -Jacob, did not make the Mancini family less -worthy of honour. Rather from the fruits of -their labour did they acquire the means of -exercising a beneficent liberality towards the poor of -Jesus Christ, whom they cherished with an ardent -charity. Whether the fruits of their fields were -abundant or scarce, these two happy ones, -husband and wife, lived contented in their -frugality, always giving thanks to the Giver of -every good gift, and placing themselves entirely -in conformity with the most just and providential -dispositions of heaven. Perfect concord, which -was their dearest virtue, since in it is the fulness -of the law, always reigned in their home. And -hence when they heard of divisions amongst -others, which were only too frequent in that age -and country, they were speedily present with -them, and with their insinuating manners and -holy zeal they insisted in their charitable offices -till peace was restored. They were, on this -account, commonly called the 'peacemakers of -Jesus Christ.' -</p> - -<p> -They corrected the erring according to the rules -of the Gospel; they interceded for them with so -fervent prayers, with so great concern, and with -so happy results, that, like Moses, they appeared -to be constituted mediators between the people -and God. They steadily hated vice, and -practised every virtue. The book from which they -learned and cherished sentiments so virtuous -was none other than the Passion of the Redeemer. -It furnished them with inexhaustible matter for -their meditations, for their liveliest compassion, -and for that remarkable piety which, from her -cradle, they instilled into the heart of Rita, and -which they left her as a heritage. In a word, it -may with reason be said of them what was said -of the parents of St. John the Baptist—that they -were both just to the eyes of God, walking without -stain in the exact observance of the law. This -was their nobility, this was their wealth, which -it pleased God to pass to their daughter and to -multiply in her in a singular way. Thus we may -say, as Blessed Simon of Cascia writes, that the -parents' goodness instilled the best dispositions -even before her birth into her who was to be born -from them, as the goodness of Zachary and -Elizabeth went to exalt the holy precursor St. John. -</p> - -<p> -Thus these two holy souls, husband and wife, -lived a long series of years in these exercises of -virtue and piety, without, however, seeing any -fruit of their chaste union. God so disposed it -that the desires of their youthful years should be -vain, that they should labour to detach their -minds still more from mortal things, and in order -that the proofs of an extraordinary work of His -providence should one day shine the brighter. -Meanwhile, their desire of offspring, with which -nature innocently inspired them, had not only -grown cold with advancing years, but was quite -extinct; no other care should remain with them -now than that of ascending to the eternal heritage -of the heavenly Father, instead of descending to -the care of children and transmitting their -temporal possessions to their posterity on earth. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0103"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER III -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S WONDERFUL CONCEPTION -</h3> - -<p> -That God, who is wonderful in His saints, -and who, to use a sacred expression, seems -at times to play sport with the world, and -especially with those creatures that form His delight, -wished in the end, and at a time when in the -natural order offspring could least be expected -from these old and barren consorts, to grant -them in a prodigious manner the fulfilment -of their ancient desires—a fulfilment the more -acceptable as more unforeseen, and the happier -and more certain inasmuch as it was marked and -sealed with the seal of the Omnipotent. So great -and so remarkable graces can foreshadow only -great and remarkable sanctity. -</p> - -<p> -Isaac was meant to be the type of Jesus Christ -sacrificed for the human race; he was intended to -be a figure of the propagation of the faithful; -he should be great in the order of grace. Still, -he was born out of the order of nature, of parents -also barren by reason of their age. He who was -to prepare the way for the impending appearance -of the Redeemer, and who was to be more than -a prophet and the greatest amongst the saints, -he also was miraculously born of parents aged and -barren; not to speak of other distinguished -personages, both of the Old and New Testaments, -who in various ways were born in a supernatural -manner to exalt the stupendous works of omnipotence -and of grace. Not otherwise did the Lord, -who in His lofty designs intended great things -for our heroine, dispose that her conception -should be most remarkable and above the order -of nature. -</p> - -<p> -Amata became conscious of the wonderful -event, and, full of amazement, she dared not -credit the evidence of it. In such a state she -felt her heart agitated, now by fears that she -was deceived, again by hope of the contrary; at -one time by shame at so unusual an occurrence -at such an age as hers, at another her feelings of -wonder overwhelmed her; and again she experienced -renewed struggles of fresh fears, emotions, -and passions. But, as is the way with the just, -the troubled woman had recourse to prayer to -the Father of light, to the God of consolation, -and whilst she persevered in her humble, fervent, -and constant prayers, there appeared to her an -angel, a bearer of certainty, of peace, and of happy -tidings, as an angel appeared to Abraham and -Sara while they were employed in the charitable -exercise of hospitality, and to Zachary amidst -his prayers and offerings of incense. However -joyful and consoling in itself was this angelic -apparition, it did not fail to cause in her heart -feelings of perturbation. Daniel and the other -prophets had a like sensation in similar circumstances; -Zachary had the same feelings, and so had -the most holy Mother of God herself. The reason -is, as Blessed Simon of Cascia wisely observes, -that humanity is naturally disturbed and stricken -with fear at the sudden sight of things extraordinary -or greater than itself. But, as the same -blessed writer adds, since those heavenly spirits, -when they are sent for our relief, are accustomed -to comfort the timid, thus, as the archangel told -the father of the future Precursor not to fear, -and by the announcement of his birth in the near -future calmed his heart with efficacious words, -so did another ambassador from heaven bring -the same security and joy to the troubled mind -of Rita's mother, and assure her that she should -bring forth a child; and that nothing should be -wanting to the fulness of her consolation, he made -known to her in brief the eminent virtues and -glory of the daughter that was to be born to her, -as the sanctity of the Baptist was likewise -foretold to Zachary. -</p> - -<p> -The miraculous pledge of grace which Antonio's -happy wife bore already in her womb and her lively -faith prevented her from smiling at announcements -so wonderful; unlike Abraham's wife, who -smiled at a not dissimilar announcement. Nor -did she sin through incredulity, as did Elizabeth's -husband, who was punished for his sin, but -forewarned by fact, and full of that faith which -teaches that God can raise up children to Abraham -even from the very stones, she instantly believed -in the words of the angel. The angelic vision -disappeared, and Amata, considering her own -unworthiness, was seized with fresh wonder and -profound humility. Thinking at the same time -on the signal favour, she retired, with great -contentment and singular gratitude and love towards -the Divine goodness, to pour out the fulness of -her pure and fervent affection at the feet of her -most beneficent God. It is easy to think what a -new stimulus to piety in herself and her virtuous -husband was this great grace. Thus they -remained happy in their virtue and secure in the -hands of Divine providence, joyously awaiting -the happy day of Rita's extolled birth. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0104"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IV -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S BIRTH -</h3> - -<p> -Now that we are about to describe Rita's -birth, it will not be out of place to cast -a passing glance at the unhappy state of those -times, in order to see things more clearly as we -progress with our history, and in order that the -providence of God and His grace may more -clearly be discerned to His honour and glory. -The memories are still fresh in our minds, or, -rather, the wounds which the avenging sword of -the God of armies inflicted on us. There is not -a moment in which we do not recall with horror -the mournful losses inflicted by arms on property, -commerce, arts, study, families, States, good -order, morals, on religion and the Church. But -however true and just our regrets may be, it -is a fact that Italy was much more harassed -and afflicted at the period about the birth of -Rita. To read of the extortions of the Visconti -through the wide extent of their dominions in -Lombardy, the cruelty exercised by them on -the pretext of punishing treason, their unbridled -lust, and their most unworthy harassing of the -clergy, excites our horror. At the other extremity -of Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, a territory -of equal importance, wrongs and scandals of every -description, and the most deplorable calamities, -caused by the parties of the Dukes of Anjou -and Surazzo, who laid claim to the kingdom, -spread themselves and took root as the civil -war that followed on the death of King Robert -became more widespread. The different other -States into which Italy was then divided were not -anything better. For the luxury of these little -Courts which tried to rival the great ones to the -grave oppression of the people, their despotism, -their rivalry and wars, their unbridled ambition -to command which multiplied the domestic -treasons and assassinations of brothers by -brothers, of relatives by relatives (if we except the -houses of Savoy, Monferrato, Saluzzo, and Este)—these -and the other dominant vices and scandals -served only to increase misery and sorrow. The -cities of the Papal States were also, for the most -part, groaning under the yoke of rebels—bloody, -inexorable, lewd tyrants—and especially before -Gregory IX. re-established his throne in Rome -after his return from Avignon. And, as if these -Italian tyrants were not sufficient to cause public -misery, hordes of devastating soldiers issued from -Germany, Hungary, and England to complete -the confusion. Warner, Muriale, Sando, Anchino, -Augustus, and others—all captains of the dissolute -soldiers of fortune—were the stubborn arbiters of -Italian affairs from the middle of the fourteenth -century till the time of Charles V., although they -were not owners of even a perch of land. These -gave their services in the perpetual wars to -whoever paid them best, and went about pillaging, -imposing tribute and subsidies—and woe to him -who was slow in satisfying their demands!—laying -waste fields, besieging towns, and universally -exercising their pitiless power. Hence, as -the people model themselves after the manners of -kings and nobles, it is easy to divine the general -state of morals in the midst of such depravity. -Let us draw a veil over that picture, the sight of -which would move to horror humanity, religion, -and especially modesty. -</p> - -<p> -Let it suffice to say that so deeply rooted was -this universal depravity that not even the pestilence, -that so evident sign of the anger of heaven, -which in the middle of that century carried off -more than half the inhabitants of Italy, was able -to check it. And that which the prophet Isaias -seems to have foreseen in his time, but in another -sense, was fulfilled here too: such as the people -is, so shall the priest be—so strong was the -influence of the bad example and want of -discipline introduced into Italy by the abandoning -of their Apostolic See in Rome by the Popes. -The prevailing depravity afterwards opened the -way to still greater evils. -</p> - -<p> -For the zeal with which Urban VI., successor -of Gregory XI., sought to remedy the evils -which afflicted the Church was intolerable to some, -and hence followed the election of an anti-Pope, -which gave rise to that terrible schism which -burst forth a little before the birth of Rita, and -ended only a short time before her death. -</p> - -<p> -Who can recall without tears the separations -between friends, princes taking opposing sides, -the spiritual and temporal arms put in antagonism, -the neglect of the canons, the numberless scandals -and losses of the Church, which would at that time -have been threatened with absolute ruin, but -that the gates of hell can never prevail against -the unshakable edifice founded on the rock of -Peter, which can never fail? The Church was at -that time, moreover, filled with sorrow by the -heresies of the Beguins, the Flagellants, the -Adamites, the Waldensians, the Wickliffites, and -others, and by the rapid successes of Amurath I., -who, to the loss of the Christian name, took -possession of Thessaly and Macedonia about the -time of Rita's birth. Neither in the Eastern nor -in the Western Church was there an Emperor -either fitted to oppose a bulwark against the -inrush of such evils or disposed to oppose them. -John Paleologus in the East had lost heart -through his frequent defeats, and was leagued -against the powers of Christendom; and in the -West, Wenceslaus, given to the wine-cup and to -luxury, was become good for nothing. -</p> - -<p> -The republics of the time, amongst which was -Cascia, were not much more fortunate than the -kingdoms. Genoa and Venice, which only a -short time previous might have been compared -in their rivalry to Rome and Carthage in the -ancient world, had now both become exhausted -of all their strength through a long series of -stubborn wars undertaken against one another, and -although they were now mutually at peace and also -with the other Powers, through the intervention -of the Duke of Savoy, they were unable to show -any opposition to the common enemy of Christendom. -Nor did the avarice and ambition of these -States fail to bring in their train a fruitful crop -of all other vices. Florence, too, although happy -in the cultivation of the fine arts, was infected -with the general depravity. The city was torn -by faction, and weakened by those other vices -against which Blessed Simon of Cascia had so -strenuously preached a few years earlier. And -although these exhortations brought about a -reform, it was but half-hearted and short-lived. -Vicious practices increased in the city, and open -rebellion against the Holy See was their eventual -outcome. Of Cascia itself we read that in 1380 the -Guelphs and the Ghibellines committed horrible -atrocities throughout the city and its dependent -territory. And although the opposing factions -patched up a peace between them in that year, -it was of no long duration, since, as we have said -in the first chapter, the people of Cascia rebelled -against the Holy See during the first years of the -schism of the anti-Popes, just after the birth of -Rita. Murder and robbery, pillage and -incendiarism followed in the wake of rebellion, and -brought ruin to many families in Cascia and -destruction upon her religious places. A war -soon broke out between Cascia and Leonessa, -which lasted for twelve months, and would have -continued much longer but for the friendly -intervention of the Trinci of Foligno, through whose -efforts peace was made. Such was the wretched -condition of affairs in Italy at that time. -</p> - -<p> -It is truly wonderful, as St. John Chrysostom -says of a somewhat similar case, how so fair a -rose as St. Rita was could have bloomed amid so -many thorns. Yet such was the disposition of -Divine providence, which decreed that where sin -superabounded grace should abound in that chosen -soul who, from the miraculous events that -preceded her birth and her innocence, which she -preserved intact, seemed almost to have been -sanctified in her mother's womb. Rita, then, -was born in the village of Rocca Porena in the -year 1381, during the pontificate of Urban. Her -parents were Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri, -the child of whose old age she was, the first and -only fruit of their chaste love, or, rather, of their -remarkable virtue. The pure joy which filled -Amata's heart at the sight of the infant, which -heaven itself had extolled, must have made her -forget those trials which every mother has -experienced since our first mother Eve committed -original sin. Antonio, too, as he gazed tenderly -on the predestined child, must have exulted in -the Lord, and must, like Simeon of old, have felt -himself ready to die content; he, too, could now -sing a hymn of thanksgiving to God, who had -granted him the happiness of seeing the glory of -his family, of his country, and of the new house -of Israel. The general joy and universal -congratulation of relatives and neighbours added to the -happiness of the pious couple, whose virtue and -charity had made them esteemed by all. Thus -did the relatives and neighbours of the holy -Elizabeth rejoice at the equally wonderful birth -of St. John the Baptist, for the Lord desired to -make known the mercy he had shown in the -first appearance of the Precursor. 'All who love -goodness,' says Simon of Cascia, 'participate in -the joy that is occasioned by the birth of one -destined to live for the common good.' Those -who rejoice in grace, and in the sight of the fruits -of justice, must let their sentiments be evident -to all, as in the present case, in which a -pious mother brought forth a saintly child. It -is part of the spiritual life to be pleased at the -prosperity of others, and to rejoice with those -especially who have been marked by the favour -of the Omnipotent God. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, the parents of the newly-born -infant, in the midst of these rejoicings, were -pondering on what name they should call her, -and again that God, who had by an angel announced -her birth, again in a vision of the night -made them know that Rita was to be her name. -It is a rare privilege of some saints, remarks -St. Ambrose, to deserve to get their names from God -Himself. Thus Jacob was named Israel by the -Lord, thus was the Baptist named John by the -angel, thus the Eternal Father called the Word -made flesh by the name Jesus before He was born, -and thus did she who was to imitate the virtues -of the Baptist and be a faithful follower of Jesus -Christ get her name from heaven. The name -Rita, as being quite an unusual name, must have -been meant to signify the sanctity that was to -mark the life of the child so designated, and if -we were to give credence to the opinion of the -Augustinian author Didacus, Rita signifies virtue -and grace. -</p> - -<p> -But this name foreshadowed only what Rita -was to be, not what she was. For although she -could be considered from then as a child of God -in the order of predestination, yet according to -the order of nature, and according to her actual -state, she was, owing to original sin, a child of -wrath; and to become an adopted child of God -she needed to be cleansed from the hereditary -stain of original sin in the sanctifying waters of -the Redeemer. Her baptism took place on the -fourth day after her birth, although we may -believe her pious parents wished her to be -baptized with all possible speed, and from the delay -we may conclude that the time of her birth must -have been in the winter season. There was no -baptismal font at that time in Rocco Porena, and -the child had therefore to be taken to the collegiate -church of St. Mary in Cascia, where that grace -which was to be the beginning and the seal of her -sanctification awaited her. There Rita put off -the garb of sin, and came forth from the salutary -bath of baptism clothed in the garment of -innocence and enriched with the gifts of the Holy -Ghost, who from the moment chose her to be His -spouse. Thus did the regenerated babe return to -her mother's bosom and the joyful embraces of -her parents, fairer to the eyes of faith than her -beauty made her to the eyes of men. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0105"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER V -</h3> - -<h3> -THE WHITE BEES OF ST. RITA -</h3> - -<p> -When the godmother and her attendants -returned from Cascia after the baptism, -a feast was prepared for them and the relatives of -the happy parents, to celebrate in a manner -becoming their humble position the double birth -of Rita in the order of nature and of grace. -Meanwhile, the child had closed her eyes in a -tranquil slumber. When the next day dawned, -the fifth day of her existence, a swarm of bees, -all of the fairest white colour, and such as were -never before seen, made their appearance. They -flew a-buzzing about the cradle of the child, and -after alighting for a moment on her angelic face -were seen to go in and come out of her slightly -open mouth in a sort of regular order, as if to -take from her lips the honey of Paradise. What -feelings of wonder and awe must have been -awakened in the heart of Amata and those who -were present by so marvellous an occurrence! -</p> - -<p> -The Gospel tells us that fear came upon all -the neighbours of Elizabeth and Zachary as they -considered the miraculous events that marked -the birth of the Baptist, and that they noised -abroad all these things that foretold his future -extraordinary sanctity. In like manner similar -the wonderful signs that were given at Rita's -birth, for Divine providence so disposed it in -order that honour should be rendered to her by -those whose attention had been attracted by -these extraordinary happenings, and that those -who came in contact with her should be induced -to order their own lives more exactly by following -the salutary example she was to give. This -incident of the appearance of the white bees in -the cradle of our saint is the one which the -painters and poets who have illustrated her life -have vied most with one another in depicting. To -avoid having to return again to the subject of -the bees, which have ever been mentioned in -connection with the life of St. Rita, we will here -describe what seems to be a confirmation and -perpetuation of the wonderful occurrence we have -just related. Going from Rocca Porena to Cascia, -and entering the convent where our saint resided, -there, in an old wall opposite the convent gate, at -a point midway between the cell which Rita -inhabited and the spot in which her body was -laid to rest, we are met with a sight that cannot -fail to move us to admiration. For there, even -to the present day, the bees, commonly called -St. Rita's bees, have their nest. They are called -St. Rita's, for they have been there since her -time, and have come there, we may believe, -owing to her, and, as it were, to do her honour. -There is only a small number of them—some -twelve or fifteen—and everything connected with -them is extraordinary and wonderful. In the -first place, as we have hinted above, the species -to which these bees belong has never, as far as -we are aware, been determined. They live each -one to itself in a hole which it has dug in the wall, -and as often as these holes have been stopped up -in the process of plastering the wall they have -again excavated them. They spin a sort of white -substance, with which they stop the entrance to -their retreat, as if to hide themselves from view -during their long retirement and fast of eleven -months. They appear only on those days dedicated -to the memory of our Lord's Passion, and, -be it noted, these are mostly movable feasts; -and they betake themselves to retirement about -the time of the death of St. Rita, who was devoted, -as we shall see, to meditation on the Passion of our -Lord. For four centuries they have been found -in the same place, without ever having changed -their place of abode. These ascertained facts -seem to declare clearly enough that it has been -the will of the Most High to extol through them -the merit and the glory of His beloved servant. -There is no need to add the many anecdotes of -these bees, which are related in some lives of our -saint, and which the nuns of Cascia still tell; -let one suffice. Jacobilli says that one of these -bees was sent to Pope Urban VIII. in a crystal -vessel, and that it soon flew back again to the -place it occupied in the convent wall. -</p> - -<p> -Here it may be asked whether the bees we have -described are the same that appeared when Rita -was an infant in swaddling-clothes. It would be -harder to give an answer to this question than to -the riddle which Sampson proposed to his bridesmen. -Sampson's faithless spouse was able to -wrest his secret from him and then reveal it to her -Philistine friends: that the sweetness that came -forth out of the strong was the honeycomb that -was made in the mouth of the lion that he had -torn in pieces a short time before. But we can -find no answer to our question. However, those -biographers of St. Rita who, without hesitation, -confused the bees that appeared at her birth -with those in the convent may be excused, as -they supposed both to be of the same white -colour. But they have been mistaken, for those -at present in the convent wall are not white—in -fact, they do not differ in colour from ordinary -bees, except that they are of a deep red on the -back and they want the sting. But perhaps these -writers were not so far from the truth, since there -is but the accidental variety of colour that -distinguishes the present bees from the white ones -that appeared first at Rita's birth. And who can -say but that those once meant by God to -symbolize by their whiteness the splendour of Rita's -baptismal innocence may not, through the power -of God, have taken on their present appearance -to signify the humiliation and sadness of the -penances she took upon herself? To change the -appearance of a species already existing or to -create a new species is easy to God. Let the truth -of the matter be where it may, it is clear that both -are marvellous, and worthy to be recorded in -the history of our saint. But it is time we -returned to gaze on her, surrounded in her cradle -by those lilies of her incipient sanctity, and -crowned with the bright circle of bees that still -buzzed around her. We might now inquire -whether the bees that entered her innocent mouth -made a honeycomb in it, as is believed to have -happened to St. Ambrose in his infancy, as if to -forecast the mellifluous eloquence which he poured -forth in his manhood in defence of the Church. -Although this anecdote as related of St. Rita -is not sufficiently well proven, neither is it -impossible; for when there is question of miraculous -events the difficulties of time and place do not -form an insurmountable obstacle, as they did not -in the case of St. Ambrose. At all events, we have -two authors that assert it, and perhaps their -opinion is supported by the farther statement -that is made—that Rita abstained from her -mother's milk on the day on which the bees -appeared, the fifth day after her birth. God -may have wished to give her for corporal food -mystical or symbolical honey of unearthly origin, -as He had fed her soul with the food of baptismal -grace. In this way would be more clearly -signified that which was foreshadowed by the -appearance of the bees, the insinuating sweetness in -word and manner which was afterwards the cause -of the conversion of many sinners, which ever -brought consolation to the afflicted, and spiritual -profit to all who had the good fortune to converse -with her. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0106"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VI -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S CHILDHOOD -</h3> - -<p> -St. Augustine in his Confessions takes up -two chapters in describing his infancy, and -he discovers in that period of his life only misery -and vestiges of sin, but he recalls these evils -that spring from our sinful origin only to extol -the triumphs which Divine grace obtained in his -mature years. The time of infancy is, however, -one in which, since there can be no acts of -reflection, nor exercise of will, there can be no -demerit or actual sin, nor merit or virtue. It will -not, therefore, be strange if our history passes over -the infancy of Rita and proceeds to describe her -childhood. From the extraordinary piety that -distinguished her parents we can easily surmise -what care they took in training and educating -their child to instil into her mind the truths -of religion. They had abundant proofs that -Rita was especially dear to God, that she was -born for heaven, and that Divine grace had -marked her for its own. But they knew also -that God, who disposes all things wisely, wished -them to co-operate in moulding the chosen child -to virtue and in establishing her in holiness. -They were well aware that even the chiefest -vessels of election had for a time kicked against -the goads of grace. Nor were they ignorant -what a bulwark of defence is raised by education -and by the example of parents—a fact which -many unhappy parents either know not or are -careless of, and hence by their neglect they become -the cause of the eternal ruin of their children. It -will not, therefore, be useless to remark the -watchfulness, the care and anxiety, with which Rita's -parents observed all the movements, words, and -actions of a child so dear to them, lest she should -take a step to the right or to the left of the way -that leads to heaven, and which, with the -dawning of reason, she began to discern for herself. -But these happy parents had no cause for anxiety -during the process of instructing and moulding -the character of their child, for she had, through -God's grace, acquired a disposition marked by -uncommon submission and precocious wisdom. -Let it suffice to say that even then she could not -bear those pastimes and sports which are proper -to that tender age, and which are universally -regarded as innocent. She had an example in -Tobias, who, although he was the youngest in -his tribe, showed himself to be the wisest, and -never did anything that was childish. -</p> - -<p> -Another failing, which is dear not only to -children, but to all, and especially to the female -sex, the love of fine clothes, was an abomination -to Rita. We must not believe that a virtuous -mother like Amata, especially considering her -lowly condition, could allow her daughter to -appear in anything savouring of pride or ostentation. -On the other hand, Rita, although scrupulously -obedient in other things to the slightest -wish of her parents, became uneasy whenever they -wished her to put on some pretty ornament; she -used even to run away and hide herself at such -times, till she saw that her disinclination provoked -a smile. Thus, satisfied with her humble dress, -she took more pains to adorn her soul than to -improve her appearance by the addition of the -least ornament. To simplicity in dress she -joined a sedateness of manner so beyond her years -that it attracted universal respect, admiration, -and love, and set a salutary example not only to -those of her own age, but to older people also. -She restrained to a wonderful degree that common -tendency of women to curiosity and gossip, and -having her thoughts occupied with higher -subjects she avoided all human conversation as far -as good manners and obedience permitted. -Obedience was the virtue according to which she -regulated all her actions. She regarded a beck -of her parents as a command of God which she -could not violate; and her obedience was all the -more willing as it accorded with the impulse of -grace which impelled her to the practice of all -other virtues. For obedience, as Blessed Simon of -Cascia observes, is the gate of the virtues. Rita's -love of retirement and of prayer had already risen -to the heroic point. Whoever wished to see her -was certain of finding her either at home or in the -neighbouring parish church, which was her -favourite place of prayer, where she spent entire -hours in meditation and devotion, to the great -edification of all. Although penance is a virtue -hardly suitable to so tender an age or to such -perfect innocence, yet Rita began from her -earliest years to chastise her body by different -mortifications, and especially by fasting; and to -render her abstinence more meritorious and -acceptable to God she distributed to the poor -children of the neighbourhood that food which -she denied herself, thus bringing forth fruits of -mercy and charity from the root of penance. -This was the only way in which her loving -good-will and tender compassion could show themselves -in action; poverty made anything further -impossible. But the Lord, who searches the heart, -and delights in men of goodwill, sought nothing -more from Rita then. But she was unconsciously -increasing in charity and in merit as she grew in -years, so that she could apply to herself the saying -of Job—that mercy came out with him from his -mother's womb, and from his infancy grew up -with him.[<a id="chap0106fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0106fn1">1</a>] Not only did her spirit grow, as it -were, and become strong by the exercise of these -beautiful virtues, but her progress in all virtue was -extraordinary. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0106fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0106fn1text">1</a>] Job xxi. 18. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0107"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VII -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S LOVE OF RETIREMENT -</h3> - -<p> -St. John the Baptist experienced a -similar strengthening of the spirit, as we -read in that place in which it is also written that -he went into the desert, where he hid himself, as -Blessed Simon says, in order to give himself up -entirely to prayer, contemplation, and penance. -The comparison between these saints is often a -fitting one, for Rita always follows closely in the -footsteps of her great model. It is true that, -according to the example of the Psalmist, she -walked in the innocence of her heart, in the bosom -of her virtuous family, for she found nothing -abroad that could distract her spirit from the -affairs of her home, whilst her gravity, modesty, -and habitual seclusion opened to her a wide field -for the exercise of her love of prayer. Yet she -was so enamoured of heavenly things that she -wearied of the things of earth, and desired, in -a certain sense, to be out of the world; and since -this could not be, she regarded with a holy envy -the lot of so many anchorites and heroines -of solitude, who, in deserts and in the depths -of woods, lived lives more like those of angels -than of men. She had before her eyes the -examples of Blessed Simon, of Blessed Ugolino, -of Blessed John, and of the other saintly hermits -of St Augustine, who had only recently passed to -their reward in heaven, or were still living in the -neighbourhood of Rocca Porena. The example -of these models of holiness increased in her heart -her dearest desire to serve her beloved Jesus -amid the silence of the woods and on the mounts -of myrrh. But the love of her aged parents, -and obedience, more than any thought of her -youth and sex, prevented her from fulfilling her -generous design. The sacred love with which -she was animated made her industrious, and -suggested the thought of converting her home into -the solitude she longed for. With the consent -of her parents she chose a little room separated -from the others, and turned it into an oratory. -Its walls she decorated with pictures of our Lord's -Passion, and there she shut herself in, as into the -midst of all delights. Her Divine Lover awaited -her there to speak to her heart, and there, far -from the eyes of men, in perpetual silence and -abstinence, she enjoyed those ineffable -consolations of grace which the profane know not of. -The constant object of her thoughts, of her -ecstasies of soul, of the most ardent love of her -heart, was the Passion of her crucified Spouse; -and in the midst of the tears which accompanied -her meditation, whilst her heart was filled with -Divine compassion, she experienced that true -peace and happiness of soul which only grace can -produce—how we know not—from sorrow. She -felt herself transformed into the Crucified One, -for whom alone she now lived—rather, she no -longer lived, but Jesus Christ lived in her. In -that school of love, through that Divine teaching, -she came to know more certainly the fallacy of -all worldly things; she saw how the world deceives -us, and she saw also the charms and pomps and -pleasures of this life, but she saw them as they -really are, and could therefore say with the wise -man that they are but vanity and affliction of -spirit. She therefore resolved to have no part in -this deceitful world, and since life in the desert -was denied her, she resolved to bury herself in a -cloister. But she had not yet reached the age -in which to put her design into execution. -Meanwhile the holy child lived in her first place of -retirement for a full twelvemonth, until the -obligation of assisting her parents and the duties -of charity and obedience forced her from the place -of her spiritual happiness. This happened -probably when she was about eleven years old. Her -parents were now beginning to feel the burden of -their years, and Rita had perforce to enter upon -an active life, and exercise works of mercy and -justice, without, however, entirely abandoning -her practices of meditation. Her history does -not tell us how she performed the domestic duties -that fell to her lot, perhaps because, from what we -know of her life hitherto, that may more easily -be imagined than described. Whilst fulfilling -the parts of both sisters of Lazarus, she did not -cease to envy John in the desert. Although the -Holy Spirit had, through her prayers, made known -to her many things, and although she continued -still to be enlightened from above, yet she knew -not what was written in the eternal decrees -concerning herself, that Providence only put off -to a better time the fulfilment of her thirst for -solitude and for a cloistered life. Rita was -intended to be an example to every age and condition; -she should therefore live other lives before -reaching the cloister she panted for. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0108"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VIII -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S MARRIAGE -</h3> - -<p> -In the year 1393 Italy, not to say the whole -world, was suffering under the evils that -proceed from political disturbance, and the state -of morals throughout the peninsula was deplorable. -Still, the honour of the Church was upheld -by the many saints whose lives then adorned it, -not the least of whom was Rita. Urban VI. was -dead, and Boniface IX. ruled in his place. But -the Holy See had to withstand many a rude -shock, for the anti-Pope Robert, then near his -end, continued to dispute the possession of the -Apostolic keys, and at his death left to his more -impious successor, Pietro di Luna, his sad legacy -of obstinate schism. Heresy, fanaticism,—religious -and political—and the utmost corruption -of morals were not wanting to fill the cup of -Italy's woes. -</p> - -<p> -The weak hands of the cruel and dissolute -Wenceslaus still held the sceptre of the West, and -John Paleologus, who had succeeded his father -Emmanuel, could only weep over the impending -ruin of his falling empire, that was shaken in -every part by the infidel arms of the Sultan -Bajazet. In Italy the rivalry of the different -States, and, above all, the vaulting ambition of -Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, served to -keep alive disunion, antagonism, and wretchedness. -At this very time the republic of Cascia, -which, since its revolt against the Holy See, had -hardly enjoyed a moment of peace or prosperity, -was in arms against the Guelphs of Cerreto, and -had at the same time to prosecute a stubborn -war against Aquila. In these contests the military -portion of Cascia, by their deeds of violence, their -robberies, and their atrocities, trampled on every -law of humanity and modesty. It is true that -hostilities came to an end in 1395, when terms of -peace were agreed on; but warlike Cascia could not -remain long at rest, but took up arms against -Monte Reale in a new war, which lasted till 1397. -</p> - -<p> -Whilst Cascia and the other States we have -mentioned were seeking by iniquitous means to -widen the borders of the kingdom of confusion and -sin, Rita, in Rocca Porena, was meditating only -how she could best please God, that, as the -Apostle says, she might be holy in body and in -spirit. The lurid picture of universal disorder -rightly excited in her feelings of horror, and -convinced her all the more of the vanity and cruelty -of the world. -</p> - -<p> -She saw the deceitful pleasures, the snares and -thorns, the inevitable evils that show themselves -at every step, and the dangers that at every -moment threaten the soul with ruin. On the -other hand, she perceived the great advantages -that result from separating one's self from the -world; she recalled all the spiritual joy and -interior consolation she experienced during the -time she lived in retirement in her home, and she -therefore felt herself more firmly grounded in -her determination to flee for ever from the tumult -of worldlings. The solitude which formed the -object of her desires, and in which she resolved -to offer to God the holocaust of her virginity, was -the convent of Cascia, where she afterwards lived -and died, called at that time St. Mary Magdalen's, -and occupied then, as well as now, by nuns of the -Order of St. Augustine. This pious project had -been for some time maturing in her mind, and -although she was hardly twelve years of age -she determined to carry it into effect without -any of those wearisome delays which the grace of -the Holy Spirit knows not of, which belong to -certain weak and hesitating souls that cannot -break the world's ties, or those of vain fear, when -God calls them to a state of perfection. Although -Rita then heard the call of her Divine Lover, she -did not know the time He had fixed for the -fulfilling of her wishes, but, overcome by a holy -impatience, she resolved to make known to her -parents her desire for a religious life. Who can -tell what struggles the voice of nature must have -caused in her soul at this crisis, as she thought that -she was for ever about to separate herself from -the side of her dearly loved and aged parents? -Even the saints feel the strength of nature, but, -like giants, they pass on to triumphs in the -kingdom of grace. Thus Rita acted. She shut her -ears to the insinuating voice of flesh and blood, -informed her parents of her religious vocation, -and humbly and fervently begged their leave to -obey the voice of God. When they heard their -daughter express such a wish, Antonio and Amata, -pious though they were, did not hide their sorrow -and the trouble they felt. They besought with -tears that their only child, the one object of their -tenderest love, their only prop and consolation, -should not abandon them in their old age. Their -tearful pleading, acting on the filial love and -obedience which filled Rita's heart, prevailed on her -to put off for a better time the fulfilment of her -noble purpose. Being so far successful, her -parents turned their attention to providing a -husband for her, in order both to make sure of -retaining her society and her assistance that had -become necessary to them, and to save their -family from extinction; and they fixed their eyes -on a young man called, according to some, -Ferdinand, and to others Paul. But old eyes do -not always see clearly. The young man whom -they selected was impulsive and irascible, with -a character formed amid the savage surroundings -of that time and place—in a word, he was well -fitted to try the patience and virtue of Rita. -He was proposed as a husband to the saintly -girl, and all the weight of parental authority, -and every motive that human nature could -suggest, were adduced to win her consent. We -do not know with what prayers and entreaties -the distressed girl opposed the suggestion, but -we do know that she showed the repugnance her -soul felt. It was not, however, the disposition -of her intended husband that made her hate the -idea of marriage, for if the knowledge of it were -hidden from her parents, it could scarcely be -known to a young girl so fond of retirement. All -Rita's aversion and complaining sprang from the -fear of seeing closed to her the road that led to -the conventual life to which she aspired, and the -dread of having to dwell in the midst of an evil -and destroying world, in which she would be -plunged into the dangerous cares of married life. -Seeing at last that her tears could not bend her -parents to her wishes, and feeling somewhat -shaken by considerations of filial piety and -obedience, she had recourse in her hard trial to the -Father of light. During her prayer she became -conscious of an inspiration that told her to bend -her neck to the yoke of matrimony, and thus -understood that what she took to be a suggestion -of paternal love, purely human and the voice of -flesh and blood, was in reality a disposition of -heaven. Resignation to the Divine will partly -restored her peace of mind, and the consent to -her marriage which she announced to her parents -filled them with satisfaction. Rita gave her -consent through an impulse of obedience, and -since perfect obedience to the Divine will -requires a holy blindness, she took no care to -inquire about the fortune, appearance, or other -qualities of her future husband. Rita was therefore -in the first flower of her youth, her beauty, -and virtue when, under the nuptial veil of her -modesty, she stood before the altar to become a -party to that indissoluble contract which Jesus -Christ raised to the dignity of a Sacrament, and -which gives children to the people of God. The -relatives and friends on both sides were resolved -to celebrate the nuptials with feastings, but the -common joy did not reach the heart of the pious -bride, for that was fixed on nobler objects. To -the hour of her marriage Rita had been an -excellent example to all virgins. In those few years -she had given enough lessons to show how virginal -candour and pure innocence should be preserved; -she had now to follow another path to become a -bright example of virtue to all who live in the -married state. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0109"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IX -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA AS WIFE -</h3> - -<p> -The Apostle's saying, that 'all things work -together for good to those who love God,' -remains always true. Rita had passed from the -state of virginity to that of matrimony, yet this -step towards a lower state was destined to lead -her to a higher grade of glory. Thus St. Monica, -whose faithful follower our heroine was ever to -be, would not have been St. Augustine's mother -by nature, and in the order of grace would not -have drawn the erring Patrizio, her husband, to -God, would not have so wide a field wherein -to exercise her patience and fortitude, would not -have left all those examples of virtue which her -son Augustine admires and exalts in his book of -'Confessions,' if Divine Providence had not led -her by that path which, long after, her daughter -Rita followed. -</p> - -<p> -The ways are diverse and diverse are the gifts, -but the Spirit is the same which guides souls in -a wonderful manner towards greater good. The -way of tribulation was that which the Lord -opened to our saint, and by the means of matrimony -He wished her to pass through fire and water—in -other words, through every sort of danger, -temptation, and persecution, in order to prove -and purify her, as gold is purified in the furnace, -and thence to receive her into heaven as a most -pure holocaust. Hence the God whose wish -placed her in the married state so disposed it that -she should pass from her original life of filial -submission to that of slavery under a tyrannical -husband. Thus it was that hardly had a few days -passed after the marriage than her unworthy -husband began to illtreat the innocent Rita -with reproaches, abuse, threats, and even blows, -of which the only cause was his own brutal -inclination. But our gentle heroine had studied -in the school of the Crucified One; she had already -learned how to conquer her passions even to the -extent of rejoicing in the midst of tribulation, for -she was convinced that tribulation is the food of -Christian patience, that penitence is the great -proof of real virtue, and that on the exercise of -it is based our priceless hope of eternal good that -shall not fail us. -</p> - -<p> -Yet because she was aware that not all who -suffer are blessed, but only those who surfer for -justice' sake, she took every care and tried every -means to please her husband, whom nothing could -satisfy. She waited on him, tried to discover his -wants, sought to interpret his unspoken wishes, -studied his temper—in a word, she did her utmost -never to give him the least cause to complain, at -least in everything in which her duty as a -Christian permitted. She was well aware that a wife -ought to regard her husband as a master to whom -that obedience and reverential fear are due which -the Church owes to her head, Christ Jesus. She -not only knew, but practised it 111 a way that -astonished all who were acquainted with the -natural brutality of her husband and her own -heroic submission, meekness, and invincible -constancy. She obeyed his every beck, and -undertook no duty without first seeking his approval. -So far did she carry this submission that she did -not go out of her house even to attend the Divine -offices in church without having first obtained -his permission. With all this the contest was a -long one between the husband's cruelty and the -wife's sweetness of temper, between his vicious -nature and her virtue, between his pride and her -humility, his ferocity and her meekness, his -arrogance and her tractableness, between his power -to give pain and her ability to surfer. -</p> - -<p> -But the victory was gained by Rita's virtues, -for her long-suffering at length won her husband's -heart, and brought unity and love into their -home. Whenever afterwards Ferdinand felt -inclined, as he sometimes did, to have recourse to -cutting words or unseemly acts, at the sight of -her humility and patience, and the memory of -her gentle admonitions, he adopted the expedient -of going out of the house till his mind recovered -its tranquillity. We read, too, that, completely -overcome by her sweet gentleness, he one day -threw himself at her feet to ask pardon from her -for his faults and to promise to correct them. To -the unspeakable consolation of Rita he kept this -promise, nor was she slow to refer all the praise -of this conversion to the Giver of all good things, -who alone is Lord of the human heart. When -fraternal correction is not the outcome of irritation -or pride, it is an instrument of Divine grace, -and we know that it has no other object than the -salvation of him who is corrected when the word -and manner which convey it are marked by moderation -and kindness. Rita therefore brought into -action all the graces, natural and supernatural, -which she possessed, in order to bind closely to -her that unquiet heart of her husband, and to -draw him to the Lord, and induce him to fulfil -his Christian obligations. -</p> - -<p> -Two sons were born to them, the elder of whom -was named Gian Giacomo, and the other Paolo -Maria. Both of them inherited their father's -quarrelsome and irascible temperament, and his -example did not help to improve them. We may -easily imagine the trouble, the watchfulness, -the uneasiness, the fear, and anxiety which a -devoted Christian mother like Rita must have -experienced in rearing, educating, and, above all, -in forming the minds of her young children. The -words which she kept continually repeating in -their ears, and which she would have wished to -impress indelibly on their hearts, were words of -the holy fear of God, of piety and devotion. -But not so much with words did the pious mother -endeavour to instil into them the pure maxims -of the Gospel as by the example of her own exalted -virtues. Would that fathers and mothers would -learn once for all from the saints, and become -convinced of the undeniable truth that their -children are moulded more by their example than -by their words, even when these are not -contradicted by their deeds! Rita, however, in her -vigilance spared nothing, neither words nor -actions, nor advice nor blame, nor threats nor -chastisements, to train these tender plants -heavenwards; but their natural and more easy -tendency was downwards, and this was her -greatest cause of sorrow amongst so many causes, -and the worst of all her troubles. We do not -mean to say that Gian Giacomo and Paolo were -like David's sons Amnon and Absolom, yet it is -a fact that the children of holy people are -sometimes self-willed and wicked, however holy their -upbringing may have been. Rita, however, knew -what a mother's duty was, and she therefore, in -bringing up her children, never allowed her zeal -to slacken, nor her patience to wear out, nor her -watchfulness to grow weary. -</p> - -<p> -The trials were severe enough which our heroine -had to undergo from the society of an irascible -husband, whose virtue was none of the most -steadfast, but they were redoubled by the evil -inclinations she saw appear in her children, and -their hatred of all good instruction. The citizens -of the heavenly kingdom, whilst they live in this -world amongst the sinful and the wicked, must, -as St. Augustine teaches, be tossed about by -temptations, in order that they may keep themselves -in the practice of virtue, and be proved as -gold is proved in the crucible. Tried by such -afflictions, Rita seemed to have come to such a -pass that she could do nothing else than, with the -prophet, raise her pure hands to heaven night and -day, to seek in God alone some relief in her troubles -and some defence against the evils of her house.[<a id="chap0109fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0109fn1">1</a>] -If ever she deemed it necessary to have recourse -to prayer, now assuredly was a time that called -for redoubled prayer and the greatest fervour. -She therefore prayed without ceasing. Her -continued meditations on the sufferings of our Lord -was a relief in her distress; frequent communion -brought comfort to her troubled state, and her -particular devotion to our Blessed Lady, consoler -of the afflicted, to St. John the Baptist, St. Augustine, -and St. Nicholas of Tolentine, often brought -forgetfulness of her woes. Women of the world -enduring the like suffering and trouble would -deem themselves dispensed from the practice of -any other mortification, and in their love of ease, -which readily flatters them, would find a thousand -pretexts to exempt themselves even from the -fasts that are commanded. But Rita, who was -in the world but not of it, far from suspending -the acts of penitence she was used to practise -before her marriage, took refuge in works of -greater austerity, in abstinence and fastings and -in chastising her body. In spite of these acts of -mortification, she still had sufficient strength and -vigour to attend to all the needs of her house -and assist the wants of her neighbours; she -relieved the necessities of the poverty stricken, and -with her own hands prepared food for them; -by the bedsides of the sick she was unwearying, -and, in a word, made herself all things to all men. -When she had to appear abroad, either in the -performance of her works of charity or to be -present at the Divine mysteries in the church, -her angelic modesty and the goodness and interior -peace which shone in her countenance served to -edify all who saw her. These were her adornments, -not the trappings of worldly show, which -from childhood she abhorred, and which were -more detestable in her eyes now that she had -advanced so far on the way of perfection. She -carefully avoided all unbecoming neglect in dress, -and appeared in a garb free from everything -savouring of vanity, not to say indecency—such -a dress as would escape the eyes of the curious, -and which, instead of luxuriousness, showed a -contempt of the present life, and was exactly -what necessity and Christian humility required. -In her intercourse with others, whilst always -well-mannered and agreeable, she possessed singular -tact in avoiding all conversations which were not -of God or of works of corporal or spiritual mercy -to her neighbours. No one ever heard from her -lips any of those complaints against her husband -which are so frequent when women meet together. -If ever any of her female acquaintances who knew -how she was treated by her ill-tempered husband -tried to provoke her to complain by affected pity, -as grumbling women not unfrequently did, she -either turned the conversation to another subject -or covered her husband's faults with the mantle -of charity, and thereby gave a practical example -of virtue which her neighbours might to their -advantage imitate. In brief, St. Rita was another -St. Monica: she was the strong woman of the -parables of Solomon, and was in all respects the -best model for married women. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0109fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0109fn1text">1</a>] Ps. lxxvi. 2. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0110"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER X -</h3> - -<h3> -DEATH OF RITA'S HUSBAND AND CHILDREN—RITA AS WIDOW -</h3> - -<p> -Rita had succeeded, as we have said, in -assuaging the cruelty that seemed to have -been natural to her husband. The means she -employed to effect this change were the gentle -manner which she naturally possessed, and which -Divine grace made still more gentle; the good -advice she ever gave, her kindness and unwearying -patience, her good example, and, above all, -her fervent prayers. But whether it was that -his enemies, brooding over old causes of hate, -resolved to take revenge for past offences, or -that Ferdinand, in a fresh outburst of passion, -had exposed himself to new quarrels and new -dangers, the fact remains that when he had lived -eighteen years with Rita he was barbarously -murdered a short distance outside Rocca Porena -(the place where the unfortunate victim fell is -still shown). Hardly had the report of his tragic -death reached the ears of his widowed spouse -than, despite her magnanimous heart, she paid -the tribute of nature in an outburst of bitter, -scalding tears. In the depths of her heart the -holy woman felt the wounds that had taken from -her side the husband she loved. But the thoughts -that made her weep were not thoughts of temporal -losses, or of her sorrow, or of being left alone to -provide for her family, or of having to dwell -with undutiful children with no one to support -her. Far other sadder and more serious considerations -were breaking her heart. A little human -feeling and a weak grasp of faith are enough to -fill us with horror at hearing of a violent death. -We may, then, easily imagine what grief Rita -felt as she considered in the light of her lively -faith all the evil on the one part and the other -that may have preceded and accompanied that -homicidal attempt, or as she dwelt on the -uncertainty of pardon or of her husband's penitence, -or his having to appear before his Judge without -having received the last Sacraments. Nevertheless, -that lively faith which made her feel -doubly the crushing force of the calamity that -had overtaken her soon raised her above herself, -above death and every human consideration. -She raised the eyes of her soul to heaven and -remembered, and was sure that Divine Providence, -whose designs are inscrutable, not only disposes -all the good that is done, but permits all the evil -which comes from man's free-will. This thought -sufficed to bow her down before the throne of -the Divine Majesty, to adore His just judgments, -and hence came comfort to her bruised heart. -The saints have no need of the barren consolations -of the world; they find in religion that -comfort which reason alone can never give. -Our noble heroine did not for a moment hesitate -to pardon sincerely from her heart the murderers -of her unfortunate husband, but, mindful of the -example of Jesus Christ, who prayed to the -Eternal Father for those who crucified Him, and -of St. Stephen, who interceded for those who were -stoning him to death, she too offered fervent -supplications to the Divine Mercy for those cruel -murderers. -</p> - -<p> -Hardly had Rita raised her mind above the -stormy sea of her sorrows than a new trouble -appeared to afflict her. She perceived with -consternation that her sons, although yet of tender -years, were plotting vengeance against those who -were guilty of their father's blood. The afflicted -widow exerted all her force by word and deed to -excite in them sentiments of resignation and of -forgiveness and of Christian charity. She ceased -not to keep before their minds the eternal maxims, -the fear of judgment and of hell, the examples of -the saints, and especially the example of our -crucified Redeemer, who, in the extremity of His -sufferings, interceded for His inhuman -executioners. She took care, too, immediately to -remove out of the sight of her sons the bloody -garments of her slain husband. But in spite of -all her advice and solicitude, the sorrowing -mother could not touch her children's vengeful -hearts, or, if she did succeed in softening them, -it was but for a moment they abandoned their -wicked intentions. Amidst circumstances of such -distress, and oppressed by her fears, the unhappy -widow knew not whither to turn, and on earth -she found only subjects of sorrow and vestiges -of sin. She turned her weeping eyes once more -to heaven, and there again she found the greatest -comfort in her sufferings. Although she was a -mother, and had a mother's affectionate heart, -yet because she loved and sought God's honour -more than her own flesh and blood, like a noble -Christian heroine, she supplicated the Lord either -to change her children's hearts or to take them -out of this world before they could accomplish -the vengeance they were meditating. Rita's -vows were acceptable to heaven, and to her was -granted to complete Abraham's sacrifice in a new -way—for the patriarch's knife was arrested in -mid-air, and Isaac was saved; but she saw her -two sons fall one after another victims to her -prayers that pierced the heavens. Thus we may -well hope that the most merciful Lord provided -for their eternal salvation during their mortal -illness, and then took them, lest wickedness -should alter their understanding,[<a id="chap0110fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0110fn1">1</a>] and at the same -time provided for the mother by opening to her a -way into a new life far removed from the world -and so long the object of her wishes, a life -altogether spiritual and by anticipation blessed. -The brave woman did not weep, and although at -the time of her husband's tragic end she was -dissolved in tears through fear about the salvation -of his soul and the souls of his murderers, yet at -the deaths of her children she only thanked her -God who had taken them away from the dangers -of sin and the risk of another more dreadful -death—that of the soul. -</p> - -<p> -It is difficult to discover how long Rita had to -struggle with her vengeful children, or how long -she remained in the world after they had passed -to eternity. It seems certain, however, that the -time she lived as a widow was short. But we -know that during that period she placed all her -confidence in God, and that she was engaged -night and day in the practice of most perfect -prayer,[<a id="chap0110fn2text"></a><a href="#chap0110fn2">2</a>] according to St. Paul's instruction to -widows. She bore the cross with Jesus Christ, -and lived a life of perpetual self-denial. More -than ever she kept her body in subjection by -scourgings and continued fasting, and she -distributed to the poor that part of her food which -her abstinence spared. She rejoiced in performing -works of mercy, and was, in a word, all love -towards God and her neighbour, and in no way -solicitous about herself. Amongst other instances -of her heroic charity we read that, happening one -day upon a poor man half naked and trembling -with cold, she took one of her own garments and -gave it to him, and went on her way rejoicing -that God had given her the opportunity and the -grace to deprive herself of what she herself needed -in order to help one of the poor of the Lord. Her -dress was of coarse serge, and was a dark blue in -colour, and during the severity of the winter she -added a rough cloak. She always wore -sackcloth that she might always be doing penance. -In retirement alone she found her consolation -and joy; and no sooner were her children dead -than her old burning desire to enclose herself -once for all within the cherished shadows of the -cloister sprang into life again. We may relate -an incident which gave a new impetus to her -vocation, as it is told by an ancient writer: -Having gone one day from Rocca Porena to -Cascia, she went into the church of the Augustinian -nuns whilst Mass was being said, and there -she felt as if those words of our Saviour were -being imprinted on her mind, 'I am the Way, the -Truth, and the Life'—words which then passed -into her heart to pierce it with the Divine love -which spoke to her and invited her. -</p> - -<p> -We may well believe, too, that the worthy -examples of other female saints then living or -but recently gone to their reward offered new -arguments to urge her not to delay entering on a -conventual life. The memory of St. Bridget of -Sweden and Blessed Angela of Foligno was still -recent, whilst St. Margaret of Monferrato and -St. Frances of Rome were then still living, all of -them illustrious women raised up by God, as -Rita was in Cascia, to oppose and bear testimony -against the corruption of those times, and all of -them predestined to become models to the virgins -of the cloister after having adorned in the world -the three states of virginity, married life and -widowhood. But even without these examples -Rita was sufficiently conscious of the interior -voice of her heavenly Spouse, and she readily -prepared to obey it. Thus Abraham had hardly -heard the angel's voice when he arose in the -darkness of the night and went to sacrifice his son; -the shepherds who were watching their flocks -when they heard the announcement of the Divine -Infant's birth ran to offer Him their homage; -the Magi, as soon as they saw the new star, did -not hesitate to undertake their long journey to -adore the King of kings in His swaddling-clothes; -the Apostles, at the first call of the Redeemer, -left their nets and followed Him; the head of the -Apostles, Peter, at a sign from the angel, rose -quickly from his broken chains; so Rita determined -to hide herself without delay in that sacred -retreat where her Divine Lover was awaiting her. -That retreat, as we have said, was the convent in -Cascia of the nuns who follow the rule of the -great Augustine, who were called at that time -nuns of St. Mary Magdalen, from the ancient title -of their church, and who were remarkable for -strict observance. We have said before that the -Augustinian Order flourished there not only in -the convent of the nuns, but in the wonderful -sanctity of the worthy followers of the Blessed -Simon, Blessed Ugolino, and Blessed John and -Simon, all of whom had dwelt in the woods of -Cascia. This, too, must have been a strong attraction -to our saint, and a further inducement to fix -her mind unchangeably on Cascia. The memory -of the heroic virtues practised by St. Nicholas of -Tolentine, her special advocate, was still fresh in -the minds of men, and the fame of his stupendous -miracles had spread throughout the land. But -the principal motive why she sought to wear the -habit of St. Augustine was that God in His -inscrutable decrees had called her to that state by -the loving invitations of His grace. The pious -widow approached the nuns, and, throwing herself -at their feet, in simple words and with all the -fervour of her heart expressed her desire to serve -God within their walls and in that penitential -garb they wore. But her request was vain; it -was not thought convenient to receive a widow -in a convent intended for virgins, and it was -against their custom. Rita took her refusal -patiently, but she did not lose courage, and, like -Abraham, she hoped against hope.[<a id="chap0110fn3text"></a><a href="#chap0110fn3">3</a>] Some time -after she went back again, represented that she -had a vocation, renewed her prayers and sighs; -but she was rejected a second and, again, a third -time. But the more the nuns persisted in -refusing her admission, the more did Rita acquire -the merit of humility, patience, and unalterable -confidence in God. She attributed her refusal -to her own unworthiness, and in her self-contempt -she more and more conformed herself to her -model, Jesus. This was the manner of life which -Rita led in the world, where she was a mirror of -every virtue to virgins, to the married, and to -widows. We shall see how she became an example -of sanctity to religious in the cloister. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0110fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0110fn1text">1</a>] Wisd. of Sol. iv. ii. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0110fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap0110fn2text">2</a>] 1 Tim. v. 5. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0110fn3"></a> -[<a href="#chap0110fn3text">3</a>] Rom. iv. 18. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -END OF PART I -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0201"></a></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -Part II -</p> - -<p class="t3b"> -RITA IN THE CLOISTER -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER I -</h3> - -<h3> - RITA'S MIRACULOUS ENTRY INTO THE CLOISTER<br /> - AND HER RECEPTION<br /> -</h3> - -<p> -All Rita's thoughts and all her affections -were centred in heaven, and the reason -why she desired to lead a more perfect life in the -cloister was thereby to make more certain of -attaining the object of her desires. But the world -in that century of wickedness was engaged about -far different things; the vortex of worldly hopes -and ambitions had engulfed almost all the -aspirations of men. In the East, rapine, vice, -violence, murder, irreligion, and a long train of -irreparable wrongs, had followed quickly upon -the victories of Sultan Bajazet and the defeats of -the Emperor Emmanuel. The prolonged war was -still being waged in the German Empire between -Sigismund and the rebellious Hussites, who -despised human life in their endeavours to spread -their heresy and profane and overthrow the altar. -The government of the Church, then under -Pope John XXIII., was most violently harassed -by the anti-Pope Pietro di Luna, whose contumacy -the Council of Constance failed to break down, as -the Council of Pisa had failed before. Italy -continued to be the laughing-stock of tyrants -and of the resuscitated factions of the Guelphs -and the Ghibellines. Of the two Visconti who -governed the Cisalpine province, one was the -slave of his vices and the other was the prisoner -of his rebellious subject Facino Cane, tyrant of -Alexandria, who was the formidable chief of a -marauding band and the despoiler of the -province. The tyrannous usurpations of Ottobono -in Parma, Da Vignate in Lodi, Fondolo in -Cremona, and Malatesta in Brescia still continued. -The Romagna and the Marshes enjoyed no higher -degree of liberty or prosperity under the yoke of -despotism. The factions of Durozzo and of -Anjou still disputed possession of the kingdom -of Naples, and the ambitious Ladislaus, with -designs on the whole Italian peninsula, began to -threaten Rome with the fugitive Pontiff. The -republics of Venice, Genoa, Florence, and Siena -were either plotting against one another or -actually at war. Cascia was the only one of the -republics that had begun to taste the almost -forgotten fruits of peace. But neither in Cascia nor -elsewhere were good morals to be found; they -seemed to have barely secured a refuge in the -cloisters. Hence Rita was sighing night and day -for the sacred shelter, and although she had till -then bloomed as a stainless lily among thorns, yet -she did not consider that she could live secure -in the danger-laden atmosphere that surrounded -her. But how could she aspire to a cloistered life -when all hope seemed futile after the repulses -she had received? Yet to that life she aspired, -and not in vain. For those undertakings which -seem arduous and sometimes impossible become -not only practicable, but easy to heroic faith. -The invitations which Divine grace held out to her -and the refusals with which Rita was met by -the nuns were nothing more than the loving -pleasantries of her heavenly Spouse, and but trials -of her virtue and constancy. Therefore the more -her wishes were frustrated, the more frequent -became her prayers and the more fervent the -sighs of her heart. She had recourse, too, to the -mediation of the saints, and did not fear to make -herself importunate to her protectors, St. John -the Baptist, St. Augustine, and St. Nicholas. -And the measure of the effect which her prayers -produced was, as St. Augustine teaches, the -fervour of the love that preceded them. She merited -the favour she sought, and received it. Here is -how the incident is related by the writers of her -life: -</p> - -<p> -The saint was one night kneeling on the -ground, rapt in prayer, her hands extended to -heaven after her usual manner and as the royal -prophet teaches, when she suddenly heard a -knocking at the door of her house, and someone -calling out her name. The first feeling of the -lonely widow was one of trouble and fear, but -she invoked the Divine assistance, took courage, -and went to the window—but nothing was to be -seen or heard. She returned to her prayer, but -was interrupted by the same unknown voice -calling her. Her fear increased, but she went to -the window again—and again there was only -darkness and silence without. She then began to -think it might be some trick of the devil, and, -puzzled between doubt and fear, she threw herself -at the feet of Jesus Christ, and besought Him more -fervently to enlighten and to help her, and that -He would be pleased to make known His Divine -will, whether what she had experienced was -a delusion of the devil or a voice from heaven. -Her short prayer was so pleasing to God that Rita -soon felt herself rapt in ecstasy, and then she -saw and heard clearly, and her fear was changed -into joyful consolation. She saw her three holy -patrons, and heard the joyous words with which -the spouse of the Canticles called his beloved, -'Arise, make haste, my love, and come—come, -for it is time at last to enter the cloister from -which thou hast been repulsed so many times.' As -soon as these words had been uttered, the rapture -of her ecstasy ceased, but she still retained, -deeply impressed on her mind, a vivid picture of -the entire vision. Then, by a Divine impulse, -she went to the window a third time, and, -enlightened by God, she saw, to her great surprise, -a person of venerable aspect, who invited her by -signs to follow him. Whether he appeared in his -usual rough vesture of woven camel-hair, or clad -in skins, or in other guise, we know not, but for -certain it was no other than St. John the -Precursor, as Rita was not slow to recognise, and he -it was who was so clearly manifested to her in the -preceding vision. She felt her heart overflowing -with rapture, and hastened to obey the signs of -her heavenly guide. Hardly had she reached the -spot where he stood than her astonishment and -joy were still further increased, for there, at either -side of her great protector, stood her other patrons, -Augustine and Nicholas, both ready and prepared -to escort her towards the fate she desired so -ardently for herself. It will not be out of place -to remark here that the house in which Rita -dwelt and out of which she went on the night in -which these extraordinary events occurred was -built at the base of a steep shelf of rock anciently -called the 'Gun' of Rocca Porena, and which it -was almost impossible to climb. Yet, leaving the -usual road, it was by way of this rock that her -sainted guides led Rita, perhaps to indicate to her -by the precipitous nature of the place the steepness -of the mountain of monastic perfection which she -was destined to scale, and by the chasm below -the terrible nature of a fall from grace. Rita was -seized by sudden fear at the sight here presented -to her, but Divine grace and her holy companions -brought her comfort, and enabled her to rise -superior to herself, so that she mounted fearlessly -through the darkness of the night over the rough -stones and trunks of fallen trees till she reached -the highest point of that beetling rock, which is -now called the 'Saint's Rock,' from so memorable -an occurrence. If the ascent of the rock is difficult, -the descent on the side of Cascia is quite impossible, -from whence it is believed that when the four -saints had accomplished the difficult ascent they -were either borne through the air from mountain -to mountain, or else passed without pause to their -intended goal, as if to signify the liberty enjoyed -by all who reach the highest point of perfection -and have climbed the mount of God. However -the authors may differ in minor points in describing -this event, we may well judge that everything -connected with it is miraculous, as Rita's entry -into the convent was also miraculous, for she -entered whilst the gates were closed, or through -a gate opened for her and closed when she had -passed the portals by an invisible hand. -</p> - -<p> -When Rita found herself within the sacred -enclosure where she had so ardently desired to -be, her glorious escort disappeared in a moment -from sight, and she was abandoned and left all -alone in the darkness, and had to pass the -remainder of the night in an ecstasy of wonder, -but tossed about on a sea of uncertainty by the -rush of the thoughts that filled her mind. The -nuns rose in the early morning to sing the praises -of the Lord, and what was their surprise when -they saw within their convent, and trembling -with fright, the humble widow whom they had -repeatedly rejected! They plied her with -questions, and Rita replied simply and modestly -by describing the whole history of the miraculous -occurrence of the night. For the last time she -begged them with the greatest fervour not to -reject her any longer—and how could they refuse -her in the face of so evident a miracle? The nuns, -therefore, with common consent and unusual -applause, received the holy widow into their -number, and after joining with her in thanking -and praising the Most High, they put on her their -penitential habit, and admitted her to the novitiate -with all solemnity and every mark of general -satisfaction. The nuns were delighted at the -turn of events, and Rita's joy exceeded all -bounds, till, comparing her unworthiness with the -great goodness of God, she was abashed before -Him. The more she thought on the greatness of -the remarkable favours conferred on her, the more -profound did her humility become, and she poured -forth a thousand times her tribute of gratitude -to heaven, but could never find words or thoughts -able to express the thanks she owed to Divine -Providence. -</p> - -<p> -This miraculous entry into the convent -occurred during the unhappy years we have before -described, or about the year 1413, when Rita -was nearly thirty-two years of age; for she was -married in her thirteenth year, and lived eighteen -years with her husband, and was a widow for -about a year, when her second son died; whilst -the interval between that event and her entry -to the convent, the period of her repeated -rejections, must have been short. In the same year -the Augustinian Order could boast of another -splendid addition to its members, for the reception -of Alexander Oliva, called the Blessed, occurred -then. He afterwards reached the highest honours -within the Order, and was raised to the dignity -of Cardinal before he passed to the glory he had -prepared for himself in heaven. But the Order -has greater reason to be proud of Rita's reception, -because, although her life was passed in obscurity -and far from the eyes of the world, it certainly -was not less bright with the splendour of the -Saints, and after death she has acquired more of -the veneration of the faithful. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0202"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER II -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA AS NOVICE: HER PROFESSION -</h3> - -<p> -From her early youth Rita had a great -longing for a solitary life, but now that -the Omnipotent God had placed her in the -convent she had no further reason to sigh for the -deserts of the Jordan, the solitudes of Tagaste, -the silence of Valmanente, the groves of her -native place, or any other home of hermits. -The cloister constituted the fulfilment of all her -desires, and her only remaining anxiety was -to emulate the great virtues of her three holy -patrons, the blessed hermits of Cascia, and the -other holy ones whose lives had made the glory -of the solitudes. To say truth, it must have cost -her very little labour to follow in their footsteps, -for there was no need for her to change her -habits and manners when she put off a secular -dress for the garb of a nun, and she had but to -live the remainder of her life as she had hitherto -lived in order to reach the highest point of -perfection. Jesus Christ teaches us that the surest -way of attaining perfection is by renouncing all -earthly possessions, and our saint, although she -had always lived completely detached from -worldly things, hastened to practise the Saviour's -teaching in the most effectual manner by distributing -all her slender fortune amongst the poor. -Thus, without property, without husband or -children, and far from her relatives, Rita rejoiced -to be an abject slave in the house of the King of -Peace, and deemed herself to enjoy a nobler -freedom, more ample wealth, and a happier lot -than they who dwell in the sumptuous tabernacles -of sinners surrounded by the riches, the pomp, -and the glory of this world. -</p> - -<p> -No one can tell us better than her companions -in religion how she lived during the year of her -noviceship, and they were astonished and -confused at what they observed in her, and from the -first regarded her as a model of the purest and -most tried virtue. Poverty, chastity, and -obedience had nothing to alarm her, for she was long -accustomed to live in poverty in Rocca Porena; -her body she had crucified with Christ in God; and -she had lived subject not only to her prudent -parents, but to a cruel husband. So also had the -other virtues which she practised in her noviceship -become familiar to her in the world, if we -except alone some prescribed corporal penances -and the more abundant prayers which she was -enabled to offer. Nothing else regarding her can -be established from the scanty memorials of those -obscure times, and we only know that as the time -of noviceship went on she persevered in those -holy practices of extraordinary piety and austere -penance, and prepared to bind herself to her God -with stronger ties on the day of her new regeneration. -The learned Cardinal Seripando and others -call the day of the formal profession of monastic -vows the day of new regeneration, for through -the sacrifice then made of one's will, of bodily -pleasures, and of property, the total remission of -all punishment due to sin may be merited. That -day at length arrived, and the holy novice, having -first made a rigorous examination of her whole -life and marked all the stains on her pure -conscience, which she removed by the fire of her -sorrow and the blood of Jesus Christ, presented -herself before the altar to vow perpetual -observance of the evangelical counsels. She had no -hesitation in placing her hand on the holy Rule -of the great Augustine, for her heroic trust in the -assistance of grace gave her courage, and for the -rest, although the Rule may seem severe to the -minds of worldlings, the saints regard it but as a -law of love, and a cord to unite souls to God. -Therefore Rita preferred this sweet servitude to -all the kingdoms of earth, and considered herself -the happiest of women since she had at last -reached the goal towards which from her earliest -years she had felt herself drawn by heaven's -gentle violence. -</p> - -<p> -The exact date of the profession is unknown, -but it very probably took place when Fr. Pietro -di Vena Tolosano was General of the Order, and -he succeeded in that office Fr. Saracini, who was -from Rocca Porena, and who had been made -Bishop of Macerata. The date of profession would -therefore be about 1414. History leaves us to -imagine also the feelings of the newly-professed -nun, but we may well judge from her past that -that solemn day was one of an outpouring of -love and gratitude to God. But of one incident -connected with the day we are informed, and it -is that whilst Rita, never satisfied that she had -sufficiently extolled the goodness of the Lord, -was still kneeling late at night before the crucifix, -she suddenly felt herself ravished out of her senses -into a state of sublime ecstasy. She thereupon -saw in spirit what was given Jacob to see in a -dream—a ladder that reached from earth to -heaven, and angels ascending and descending by -it, and at the summit our Lord, who was inviting -her to ascend. We may believe that this was -the mystic ladder of charity, whose steps, as -St. Augustine says, God Himself prepares, so that -those chosen souls which He wishes to exalt may -ascend by them, and at whose top He stands to -await them at the term of their journey to receive -and introduce them into the possession of heaven. -But no one could penetrate its meaning better -than the ecstatic Rita. The holy woman awoke -from her ecstasy enlightened by these heavenly -instructions, and came out of the light of God -to seek Him again and follow His leading with -greater anxiety amidst the darkness of our -mortal state. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0203"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER III -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S CHARITY -</h3> - -<p> -What constitutes the greatness of the -mystic city, the new Jerusalem, is not -the number and variety of its inhabitants, or the -fame of great undertakings, but charity alone. -In fact, the Virgin Mary was exalted above all the -choirs of heaven, and St. John the Baptist was -called the greatest of the saints even before the -testimony at the Jordan, although their lives -were nothing more than a continuous exercise -of charity. Hence, coming to speak of Rita, if -she had charity she possessed all things,[<a id="chap0203fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0203fn1">1</a>] since -the fulness of the law is charity, and if she had it -in an eminent degree she was a great saint, for -perfect charity is perfect justice.[<a id="chap0203fn2text"></a><a href="#chap0203fn2">2</a>] This is the -sublime principle which St. Augustine, himself a -great master of charity and evangelical perfection, -proposes in that golden Rule of his, which so many -religious Orders have adopted, and which Rita -observed to the last letter—a principle which, as -Blessed Alphonsus of Oroza says, is a summary -of the entire Christian religion, and which at the -same time proves the excellence and the adaptability -of the Rule to all ages. -</p> - -<p> -It was to the attainment of charity that Rita -even before her profession, but more determinedly -afterwards, gave her undivided attention, and -employed all the affections of her heart and the -powers of her mind. We leave it to others to -describe her heroic faith and hope; for us it will -be enough to treat of that virtue which -presupposes the other two—embraces them and gives -them their life. The first proof that one possesses -this virtue is fulfilling the will of God by observing -His holy law, as Jesus Christ taught us when He -said: 'He that hath My commandments, and -keepeth them: he it is that loveth Me. And He -that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and -I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.'[<a id="chap0203fn3text"></a><a href="#chap0203fn3">3</a>] Now, -all those who have written the life of our -saint and the evidence of tradition regarding her -assure us that she observed with the utmost -exactness all the commandments of God, the precepts -of the Church, and the commands of her superiors. -The very manner with which she observed these -precepts was perfect, for she always obeyed -cheerfully, and with joy readily and exactly -sought to anticipate commands, and to exceed in -fulfilling them. And this exact observance was -extended not only to what is of command, but -to the evangelical counsels also, and yet so light -to her was the weight of this burden that she took -upon herself very many works of supererogation -to give an outlet to her burning piety. She was -the first to rise from her bed at midnight, the first -at prayer, in the choir, at instruction, at -penitential observances and the works of mercy, in -obedience, first at all the duties of the community, -in which latter she was always best pleased the -meaner the office entrusted to her to perform. -In the midst of her uninterrupted occupations -and vigils she had no other thought than to find -the safest ways of seconding the holy will of -God, a thought that produced in her that holy -fear which is the offspring of love. She was -always afraid of offending her most loving God -even in the slightest matter, and so fearsome of -it was she that the very name of sin was a horror -to her. Hence, to remove as far as possible all -danger of sin, she imposed on herself a law of -rigorous silence, for she knew the truth of the -saying of St. James the Apostle, that 'if any man -offend not in word, the same is a perfect man.'[<a id="chap0203fn4text"></a><a href="#chap0203fn4">4</a>] -In order more easily to carry out her design she -remained shut up in her cell alone with her -agonized Spouse Jesus, like a 'dove in the clefts -of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall.'[<a id="chap0203fn5text"></a><a href="#chap0203fn5">5</a>] She -never left her cell except to find her sovereign -good either in the Blessed Sacrament or amongst -the poor and sick, or in such other works of -charity as her state permitted her to perform. -Even in circumstances such as these she was on -her guard to utter no word that she had not -weighed well, and it is said of her that she even -used to keep a pebble in her mouth to remind her -to preserve the silence she loved. -</p> - -<p> -Sometimes, of course, she had to speak, through -necessity or politeness, or for convenience' sake, -and in such cases her words were in accord with -the feelings of her heart, and hence, since she was -all spirit, her discourses were on things of the -spirit; she was all charity, and her speech -therefore tended to the greater glory of God and the -salvation of her neighbours. She was not -wanting in that easy fluency which springs from the -heart and can reach hearts, which is proper to -the saints and inspires sanctity, which feeds on -love and draws souls to God. Whether Rita -possessed this honied eloquence from the time -the wonderful bees appeared over her cradle, -or acquired it by the practice of the greatest -charity towards her neighbour, only God, who -gave it to her, knows. We only know that she -made use of the opportunities which this gift -afforded her to give advice to doubting souls, -to comfort the pusillanimous, to console the -afflicted, to bring back the erring to the way of -salvation, to practise these and other works of -mercy with that happy success which the Giver -of every good gift was wont to grant her. -</p> - -<p> -Amongst her wonderful deeds of charity we -find it recorded that having heard of two persons -of the town who had been long living in a state -of sin, and were thereby the cause of great public -scandal, she wept for their sins, and then -determined on the difficult task of making them -separate and leading them to repent. Rita had -had too many proofs of the Divine goodness not -to be confident of success in her present -undertaking. She first had recourse to prayer and to -penance, which she offered in union with the -sufferings of Jesus Christ for the conversion of -the sinners, and then had each of the scandal-givers -brought to her in turn, and, alone with them, -by her gentle insinuating manner she brought -them to see their deplorable condition, and she -had the happiness of seeing them shed tears of -compunction and afterwards perform constant -penance for their past transgressions. In very -truth, such evils as those under which these two -sinners laboured were what excited Rita's -greatest compassion, but she was by no means -wanting in compassion for those suffering from -bodily ills, nor was her fervent charity slow in -coming to their assistance. Never was anyone -ill in the convent whom Rita did not nurse, -often for whole days and nights. She saw in the -sick Jesus Christ Himself, and therefore delighted -to be by their bedsides. She pitied them, and -sought to soothe their pains by the sweet -considerations which religion, and especially the -Passion of Christ, inspired her. With her own -hands she gladly rendered them every service, -even the meanest and most nauseating, and for -this blessed work of charity she did not hesitate -to forsake her usual devotional practices, and -feared not to leave God for God's work. In a -word, she was all things to all, for, as St. Paul, -too, had experienced, her compassion made the -infirmities of the suffering her own. And therefore -all those who died in the convent during her -forty years of life in it had the happiness of having -her for their attendant and consoler, and drew -their last breath in her holy arms, reclining against -her tender heart. Her very charity was the -reason which condemned her for many years to a -total separation from her beloved sisters in religion, -lest, as we shall tell later, the offensive odour -of a sore on her forehead, by which she was -afflicted, might render her presence disagreeable -to them. She then saw very well that she had -become almost an outcast from the community, -but she felt no resentment on that account, but -lived as an exile, contented in her cell, since she -knew that she was no inconvenience to her -neighbour, and gave no offence to God. She even -rejoiced in her humiliation and in her infirmities -and her separation from creatures. We omit -many other proofs of the greatness of the charity -to God and her neighbour which filled Rita's -heart. In order to know her charity we have but -to recall how she lived with a cruel and ferocious -husband, how she interceded for his murderers, -how she offered her very children as a sacrifice -to God, how she devoted her time in the world -to deeds and prayers for her neighbour's good. -Such was her charity, heartfelt, unbounded, kind, -patient, strong, and unconquerable. -</p> - -<p> -Hitherto we have spoken only of Rita's effective -or working charity, or, at most, of her love to her -neighbour, but what description dare we give of -her internal love of God? It would never be -possible for us to describe the ardour and fire of -love which was ever consuming her heart. How -her affections soared towards heaven, how her -soul was transformed through Divine love, how -the interior life of that seraph of charity was lived, -it would be impossible to describe. However, we -shall try to convey an idea, though imperfect, of -it, especially when we come to speak of her spirit -of prayer. Meanwhile, the reader may form some -notion of it by gauging the measure of Rita's -charity to her neighbour, and from the consideration -of what we have hitherto described of a life -not only blameless and holy, but everywhere aided -and distinguished by heaven's most singular -favours. -</p> - -<p> -</p> - -<p> -<a id="chap0203fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0203fn1text">1</a>] 1 Cor. xiii. -</p> - -<p> -<a id="chap0203fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap0203fn2text">2</a>] St. Augustine. -</p> - -<p> -<a id="chap0203fn3"></a> -[<a href="#chap0203fn3text">3</a>] John xiv. 21. -</p> - -<p> -<a id="chap0203fn4"></a> -[<a href="#chap0203fn4text">4</a>] Jas. iii. 2. -</p> - -<p> -<a id="chap0203fn5"></a> -[<a href="#chap0203fn5text">5</a>] Cant. ii. 14. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - - - -<p><a id="chap0204"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IV -</h3> - -<h3> -OTHER VIRTUES WHICH RITA PRACTISED IN THE CLOISTER -</h3> - -<p> -That truth to which St. Augustine draws our -attention in many passages in his works—that -charity is the source of all other virtues -and their life-giving principle—is confirmed by -St. Gregory, who illustrates it by comparing the -virtues to the branches of a tree, which all spring -from the same root, which root of the virtues is -charity. In fact, the virtue of Christian prudence, -for example, is nothing else than a continued -eagerness, in those who love God, to distinguish -good from evil, and to select the fittest means to -please the Object of their love, and attain to Him -as their last end; justice is but a constant desire -in those who love God to render Him the worship -due to Him and their neighbour whatever is -theirs; temperance is a curb which they who -prefer Divine to earthly love employ in order to -keep their rebellious appetites under the sweet -yoke of that heavenly love; fortitude is but the -strength of charity which makes man superior -to every trouble and suffering; and the teaching -of St. Augustine regarding the other virtues is -the same, according to their various natures. -Now, if Rita's charity was as great as we have -described it, and as we shall afterwards see more -clearly, to what a pitch of perfection must she -not have reached in her practice of the other -virtues! -</p> - -<p> -Prudence, which is the first of the moral virtues, -was quite characteristic of Rita, and invariably -showed its presence in her exercise of all her other -extraordinary gifts. This it was that taught her -the saving art of examining and judging rightly -and adopting the most suitable means for attaining -that better part which, like another Mary, -she had irrevocably chosen for herself; this -suggested to her the surest method of regulating her -conduct, her appetites, and her very works of -penance and devotion; this made her sparing of -conversation, diligent, circumspect, cautious, -compliant and gentle-mannered; and, finally, this -virtue, through her long practice of it, or, rather, -because its origin is in God, enabled her to give the -solidest and holiest counsel to the advantage of -her neighbour. -</p> - -<p> -The virtue of justice also shone brightly in her -life, for her life was a continuous act of reverential -homage to religion, the majesty of God, the -greatness of the most holy Virgin Mary, the merits -of the Saints, the authority of the Church, the -laws of right, of friendship, of gratitude, and of -truth. -</p> - -<p> -Nor was she less remarkable for the virtue of -temperance, for she had conquered her passions, -and kept them subject to the spirit in a way -entirely heroic, by her continued rigorous fastings -and the uninterrupted practice of the most austere -penances. It is wonderful to consider how her -virtue of temperance, which increased and waxed -strong amidst harsh and stern surroundings of -penitential practices, brought in its train a -pretty group of gentler virtues—modesty, purity, -clemency, meekness, urbanity, graciousness. -</p> - -<p> -Rita's fortitude also, which whilst she lived -in the world was extraordinary, increased in the -cloister in proportion with her other virtues, if -we may not say it surpassed the others, since it -was the distinguishing mark of her character. -The devil, of course, tried, by insidious suggestions, -to tarnish the purity of her heart and inspire -her with a love of sensual pleasures and a distaste -for perfection; but although his infernal assaults -were strong and long continued, our saint, who -had prepared her mind against temptation from -her youth, and was now become an unconquerable -heroine in the army of Christ, was so well able -to defend herself and fight valiantly that -temptation only served to multiply her triumphs and -her laurels. It is said, too, that the tempter, -seeing that he failed in his interior assaults, -sought to frighten her by horrible phantoms; but -in vain, for Rita, by the sign of the Cross, put him -to flight, and showed her scorn for him as a -powerless enemy. The flesh, too, tried to rebel against -the law of the spirit; but the holy woman kept it -as a slave in bonds of sackcloth, and brought it -into subjection by sanguinary scourgings. Even -the little world of her convent tried her virtue in -some sense, especially during the years she suffered -from the sore on her forehead. But Rita's fortitude -made these little trials seem but playful -caresses. The pain and the stench of the sore, -the inconveniences of her poverty and mortification, -the great length of her last illness, and other -similar troubles with which the Lord tries the -souls that are most acceptable to Him, instead of -depressing her were rather as food to strengthen -and increase her fortitude, magnanimity, patience, -confidence in God, and final perseverance. -</p> - -<p> -With all this precious equipment of wonderful -gifts and sublime virtues, Rita had, nevertheless, -the meanest opinion of herself, and spoke of herself -as if she were the vilest of creatures, thankless -for the gifts which Divine goodness had bestowed -on her, a miserable sinner, and unworthy to enjoy -the companionship of so many sacred virgins of -the Lord. She not only spoke in this manner, but -wished everyone to have the same opinion which, -in her heart, she had of herself. Hence she had -a horror of praise, and when at meditation she -felt those extraordinary lights and that spiritual -ardour which preceded her ecstasies, she used to -beseech God that He would condescend so to -work in her soul that her companions might not -be conscious of it, and might never be led to have -a favourable opinion of her. But it was her -humility that betrayed her expectations, for the -more she humbled herself, the more was she -exalted, not only in the eyes of God, but of men, -and the deeper she sunk herself in the abyss of -lowliness, the higher was raised the edifice of -her sanctity. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0205"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER V -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S OBSERVANCE OF THE RELIGIOUS VOWS -</h3> - -<p> -There is a love which is the soul of every -virtue, and another love which is an -incentive to every vice; the former we call charity, -the latter concupiscence. Charity, since it comes -from heaven, has for its aim three noble objects—God, -ourselves, and our neighbours. Concupiscence, -since it is altogether of the earth, -has low aims, which are likewise threefold—the -pomp of the world, self-interest, and pleasure. -According as one or other of these is stronger in -us we attain sanctification and happiness, or -spiritual ruin and misery. To destroy the reign -of perverse love and these three hostile passions -there are no arms more reliable than those which -attack their very foundations, and these arms -are obedience, poverty, and chastity. These were -the arms which Rita continued to wield until she -received from her Divine Spouse the eternal -crown prepared for her ripe and splendid virtues! -</p> - -<p> -The strongest weapon of the perfect is obedience, -and when it is employed by charity it opens up -the way to every good object, as, on the other -hand, disobedience lays open the way to every -evil, visible and invisible, of the world. To begin -with the consideration of this great virtue, which -Rita made a solemn vow to practise, we can affirm -that she possessed it in a most eminent degree. -All her actions were so many acts of obedience, -or, rather, her whole conventual life was an -uninterrupted act of the humblest, truest, and -readiest obedience. Following the principles of -her enlightened piety, she knew only too well -the truth declared to Samuel, that the sacrifice of -the will is more acceptable to God than the sacrifice -of victims.[<a id="chap0205fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0205fn1">1</a>] She always kept before her eyes -the example of a God who, for our instruction, -willed to live subject to His own creatures. She -felt moved to imitate the heroic virtue of so many -sainted monks and nuns, and she saw clearly the -great advantage which obedience gave in directing -our steps through this world of darkness and sin. -She therefore subjected herself not only to all the -laws of the Gospel, of the Church, of the Rule and -Constitutions of her Order, and not only obeyed -with respect and alacrity all the commands of the -different superiors she had, and carried out the -duties of the various offices she filled, but she -eagerly desired to subject herself to her equals -or juniors in the convent, and sought to anticipate -the commands even of these, to follow their -counsels and carry out their desires, esteeming -herself only as the unworthy servant of all. -Virtue so rare deserved to be put to the severest -proof, since God often tries the virtue of the pious -either Himself or through the means of others. -</p> - -<p> -The trial of Rita's obedience was this: The -Prioress, who had observed her great spirit of -submission, commanded her to water every day -a dried-up tree that was in the convent garden. -Rita made no objection against so strange a -command; she did not say that such an order was -outside the matters to which the Rule obliged her; -she did not even submit that it would be time -lost, for she was convinced that the time in which -any work of obedience is done is time well spent. -Therefore, with her will in complete accord with -the orders she received, she continued to obey -them for several seasons, and in this she was -imitating the example of the holy abbot John, of -whom we read in the lives of the Fathers that, in -order to follow the instructions of his director, -he humbled himself so far as to carry a pail of -water a considerable distance to water a dry -trunk of a tree. So did St. Rita likewise, and -not in vain; for so pleasing to God were her acts -of heroic obedience that, as tradition tells, the tree -bloomed again, and began to bear flowers and fruit, -and from that fact it was called the 'Saint's Tree.' -</p> - -<p> -What chiefly concerned her was that her -obedience should bear fruit unto eternal life, and -hence the love which her heart felt for this -beautiful virtue was ever increasing. She therefore -sought the approval, direction, and restraining -influence of another's will not only in her temporal -undertakings, but also in her devotional and -penitential exercises. When there was question -of going to Rome to gain the indulgences of the -jubilee year, and again when she was to be -separated during the last years of her life from the -pleasant society of her sisters in religion, she -allowed no consideration of fervent piety, no -personal reluctance, to come between her and -her duty towards holy obedience, from which she -would not swerve an iota. Thus our saint passed -the rest of her life without a will of her own, or, if -she had a will, it was one that desired to do nothing -except what obedience ordered, in this way making -certain of doing the will of God in all things, -which was the single object of all her desires. -This is how she conquered in herself and annihilated -that great predominant passion of man, the -love of worldly glory. -</p> - -<p> -She conquered also the second strong passion—love -of self-interest—by a generous love of -evangelical poverty. We have already remarked -how from her earliest years, and amongst the -comforts of her father's house, she was enamoured -of this holy poverty, and how she was -accustomed to observe it in her humble manner -of dress, in opposing all outward show, in the -frugality of her living, in her abstinence, in -depriving herself of her best garments for the poor, -and in renouncing in their favour all her earthly -possessions at her entrance into religion, whence -it seems, there was nothing else that could be -added except the vow and perseverance. Nevertheless, -the spirit of poverty markedly increased -in Rita whilst she lived in the convent, where she -was chosen to dwell till her death. There, in -truth, everything breathed humility and straitness -of means, and she might well be satisfied that -by ordinary observance she was fulfilling her vow. -But saints are never satisfied unless they go -beyond the goal of ordinary mortals and if they -do not reach the heroic point of virtue. It -happened thus in Rita's case, for although she loved -uniformity and was opposed to those singularities -which often deserve to be the subject of suspicion, -yet she felt that she ought not to oppose God's -inspirations, or confine herself solely to the usages -of the community, but, subject to obedience, she -carried the rigours of religious poverty much -farther. We might tell here of her protracted -fastings and the small quantity of food of the -poorest sort with which she kept herself alive, -but we shall speak of these things in a subsequent -chapter, and shall now only touch on the poverty -of her dress and of her abode. -</p> - -<p> -She did not show her poverty by wearing a -coarser habit or one differing in any way from -those of her sisters in religion, yet there is one -particular that shows in a singular, not to say -miraculous, manner her spirit of poverty; for, -like the Hebrews in the desert, from the moment -she put her foot in the convent till she entered -the promised land of the blessed, a period of more -than forty years, she had only one habit, which -she wore night and day, and even during her -illnesses. As regards the poverty of her dwelling-place, -her little room, which may still be seen, -declares it sufficiently, for it is only a narrow cell, -the least of all, crushed into a corner of the -dormitory, and with no light except a sort of twilight -that filters into it from the common window. A -few pictures representing the mysteries of our -Lord's Passion were its only ornaments; the bed -was hard and rough, and more adapted to give -pain than rest; all other necessaries were wanting. -Yet the holy penitent lived there contented, and -considered herself rich and wealthy, especially -when she considered the nakedness of the Crucified -One, for she regarded the Cross of Christ, her -loving Spouse, as a mirror wherein to behold herself. -The cold words 'mine' and 'thine' which have -been the cause of division in families and -kingdoms, and still divide hearts, never issued from -her lips, and even the things most necessary to -her she let depend on her Superior's will, and was -always ready to deprive herself of them at the -slightest beck of authority, for she never had the -least desire to own anything. -</p> - -<p> -There is related of her a singular fact, which -proves her detachment from the things of earth. -Going on a journey undertaken for reasons of -devotion, of which we shall speak later, with some -of the nuns of the convent, she threw into a river -the money that had been given her to defray her -expenses, or, as others say, which she accidentally -found. Her companions thought that, considering -their great necessity, this was an act of real -imprudence, and could not refrain from blaming -her. But Rita, who was full of confidence in the -protection of heaven, assured them they would -want for nothing; and so it happened, for they -wanted for nothing throughout their journey. -That God who feeds the birds of the air and the -fishes of the deep took care to provide His servant -and her companions with every necessary on -their long way. In such a way did Rita, poor in -possessions and in spirit, advance with great -strides on the way of perfection, and add new -riches to the incorruptible treasures she had laid -up in heaven. -</p> - -<p> -By poverty and obedience she had overcome -the two passions of self-interest and worldly -glory; there remained the third passion, that for -sensual pleasures, against which our saint had -to wage a more bitter war, because, like the -Apostle, she felt in herself that law that was -contrary to the law of the spirit, and because, as -St. Augustine writes, this is precisely the hardest -fight that has to be fought by Christians and the -perfect. It is true that this most virtuous woman -was accustomed from her earliest years to watch -over all her thoughts and to keep a careful guard -on her senses, and that from her youth she had -determined to preserve the candour of her -virginity intact; that she constantly preserved the -most exemplary modesty; that she avoided to -the utmost of her power, even when in the world, -all evil discourse and companions and other -incentives to impurity; that she had lived most -chastely and immaculately even as a wife. Yet -with all this she was not free from temptations, -and to conquer them she had recourse to an -extreme rigour of life. -</p> - -<p> -The demon used all his power in attacking -Rita's purity; at one time he tempted her by -impure phantasms, at another by seductive -apparitions. But she put him to flight by her -lively faith and her austere penances. In the -fiercest assaults of temptation she went so far -as to burn her hand or foot, thus putting out one -fire by the pain of another, in order to keep herself -entirely pure in the sight of her most pure heavenly -Spouse. Through love of this virtue she avoided -all opportunities of seeing or being seen, and she -adopted this safeguard even with her own -relatives. When she had sometimes to appear -abroad she showed such recollection, modesty, -and gravity as to excite the wonder of others -and attract universal veneration. So remarkable -was her modesty on such occasions that when she -came back to the convent (in those days the -obligations of enclosure were not so strict as they -now are) she was sometimes able to declare that -she had not seen a single person. This -circumspection which our saint employed in the custody -of her eyes may seem excessive to worldly-minded -people, but 'everyone hath his proper -gift from God';[<a id="chap0205fn2text"></a><a href="#chap0205fn2">2</a>] and besides, the means of -attaining to extraordinary virtue like Rita's are not -always ordinary; nor were her penances, which -were a means to this end, ordinary penances. -If such was the violence of her spiritual struggles, -there is no doubt but that the victories she gained -were remarkable and productive of many good -results, and that the reward which God reserved -for her in a happy eternity was passing great. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0205fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0205fn1text">1</a>] 1 Kings xv. 22. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0205fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap0205fn2text">2</a>] 1 Cor. vii. 7. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0206"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VI -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S PENANCES -</h3> - -<p> -However hard and sharp penance may -appear at the first glance, yet it, too, is a -daughter of love, love that gives strength to put -a curb on carnal appetites, which are ever striving -to rebel against the first uncreated love, and which -incites to reparation of past offences and -atonement for them. It is no wonder, then, that Rita, -who was burning with the flame of Divine love, -and who had the holiest horror of sin, should -carry her austerities even to the point of heroism. -True, such innocence did not deserve so great -pains; but she who, in her profound humility, -thought herself full of defects and faults, who -knew human frailty and the frequent dangers -of falling into sin, and who was not exempt from -the wicked suggestions of the world, the flesh, -and the devil, did not consider herself exempt -from those penances which she practised, for the -good of sinners, as a defence against danger and -an assurance of victory in temptation. Her -whole life, therefore, was one continued exercise -of penance owing to the great self-denial which -she exhibited from her early youth, but more -markedly in her married life and her widowed -state, and owing also to the fastings she practised -in the world, and the other mortifications which -we mentioned in former chapters, but, above all, -owing to the severe and almost incredible chastising -of the flesh, which she made a law that she -observed during all the years she lived in the -cloister. -</p> - -<p> -To begin with her fastings, hardly had she -embraced the Rule of St. Augustine, which exhorts -all to conquer the flesh by fasting as much as -health will permit, than she abandoned herself to -a life of the most rigorous and prolonged fasting. -She never admitted any of those exaggerated -pretexts which the delicate sex finds it so easy -to allege in order to be dispensed from the laws -of fasting and abstinence. She only knew that -God is not deceived, and that to desire to deceive -one's self is impious folly. She therefore had no -hesitation in fulfilling the most rigorous laws of -abstinence without any ill-timed fear of injuring -her health. Every year she fasted during three -entire Lents, and also on the vigils of all holidays -of obligation, of all the feasts of the Blessed -Virgin, of all the saints of the Order, and of her -particular advocates, not to mention other -extraordinary fasts which she observed. She took food -only once a day, and never drank wine. Her -condiments were often wormwood, ashes, and tears. -For the greater part of the year she lived on -bread and water, and as she advanced in years and -progressed in sanctity she reduced her food to -such scanty proportions that it was looked on as -a miracle how she could in such a way support -life. St. Augustine's most prudent Rule does not -prescribe such things, and therefore Rita, by her -heroic fasts, gave all the more glory to the Most -High; and by imitating the abstinences of the -Baptist, of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, and her -other protectors, all well-known models of -penitence, she rendered them the truest honour, for -the best way of honouring the saints is to imitate -their virtues. But not only did she try to follow -their example by penances of this sort, but in -all the other austerities of her life she endeavoured -to imitate them as exactly as her condition -allowed. -</p> - -<p> -The very dwelling-place in which she hid herself -proclaimed her penitential disposition, for it -was only a little cell, bare and dark, and had rather -the appearance of a prison to which she had been -condemned for some serious crime. We do not -know for certainty whether even for appearance' -sake there was a bed in it, but we do know very -well that when Rita was overcome by natural -weariness she took her short repose stretched on -the ground, or, at best, on a board. She rose -without fail from that hardest of couches at -midnight to begin the infliction of greater torment -on herself; for at that hour she scourged herself -with a scourge of iron in order to appease -Divine justice in favour of the souls in purgatory, -who, though still of the communion of saints and -participators in our suffrages, are left to suffer -the greatest sorrow, deprived as they are of the -Beatific Vision and tortured by the pain of their -fires. Her great charity made her feel the holiest -compassion for these unhappy souls, and it was -charity that nerved her arm to continue these -scourgings; but if she ever felt for herself charity, -too, might have induced her to lay aside her -ensanguined whip of iron. On two other occasions -every day she took the discipline, once for -the benefactors of her convent and Order, when -she used thongs of leather, and again for the -conversion of sinners, at which her whip was of -twisted and knotted cords. With all this she -was not satisfied if that rebellious enemy her -flesh were not suffering continual pain, and hence -she always wore next her skin a cilicium made of -rough bristles, and on the inner side of her habit -she fastened thorns that pricked her painfully -at every movement she made. Amongst these -thorns and the painful practices of her life our -saint lay hidden, like the mystic lily of the sacred -Canticles, inaccessible to passions, guarded on -every side, growing more beautiful and brighter -every day, because more like her heavenly Spouse -crowned with thorns. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0207"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VII -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S SPIRIT OF PRAYER -</h3> - -<p> -If Rita's body, oppressed by fastings, -imprisoned in hair shirts and galling bonds, -made livid by scourgings, was forced to groan and -sigh, it was far otherwise with her spirit. The -more the body was crushed under the weight of -penances, the more were the spaces of the soul -enlarged, the greater its liberty, the more readily -might it raise itself above all earthly things, to be -plunged into the sublime depths of heavenly -things and taste of their ineffable sweetness. -And if her spirit sighed, it was a far different -sigh from that of the body; it was the sigh of -the dove—a sigh of peace and love such as was -foretold by the Holy Spirit the Consoler by the -mouth of the Psalmist to all souls that devote -themselves to penance and prayer—'Rise ye -after ye have sitten, you that eat the bread of -sorrow.'[<a id="chap0207fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0207fn1">1</a>] -</p> - -<p> -The same wonderful effects of grace were -experienced by St. Augustine, who in his exposition -of that verse of the Psalms could not refrain from -exclaiming, 'How sweet are the sighs and the -tears of prayer! No pleasure of the theatres -or of the world can equal the joy of such tears.'[<a id="chap0207fn2text"></a><a href="#chap0207fn2">2</a>] We -must not, however, come to the conclusion -that this interior joy was the chief motive that -made our saint love prayer, for she loved the God -of consolations much more than she loved the -consolations of God; but it was an innocent -attraction to her God-loving heart, and on that account -she never could interrupt exercises so dear to her -without feeling pain. -</p> - -<p> -We have already related that from her -childhood she had received the gift of prayer, and -which she developed in a striking way even in -the years of her early youth; and we have told -how she gave herself entirely to prayer during -the year of her marvellous retirement in her -father's house, and how she continued to make -progress in devotional practices, especially when -she was freed from the ties and cares of -matrimony. Yet when we compare all these things -with her advancement after she has embraced a -conventual life, they seem but the very beginning -of piety. As a nun, Rita's prayers were offered -in the darkness of the night, in the early morning, -throughout the day—prayer, in a word, was her -life, for not even for a moment could she withdraw -herself from the presence of her uncreated Love. -The hours between midnight and the break of day -were the fullest of delight for her, and the most -favourable in which to treat all alone with God -the most important affairs of eternity and to pour -out the fulness of her love at the feet of the -Crucified One. In the winter time, however -prolonged her vigils were, that time was always short -to her, and daylight came unlooked for. It -seemed to her, as once to St. Anthony the abbot, -that the sun was doing her wrong by appearing -too soon, for she feared that he was coming to -scatter with his rays the beautiful light of her -heavenly exaltations and seraphic thoughts. She -never wanted matter whereon to meditate, for -the attributes of God and His inexhaustible -beneficence were to her subjects that she could -never be weary of considering. The sole thought -that she was in the presence of the majesty of -God, that infinite majesty that fills with its being -heaven and earth and the abysses, was sufficient -to raise her above every created thing and -transform her into God Himself. -</p> - -<p> -One subject, nevertheless, beyond every other, -occupied Rita's mind—that of the Passion of -Jesus Christ. It almost seems as if she had -inherited from her parents this particular devotion, -and that upon it she had laid the foundation-stone -of her sanctity. It was to the Passion that -she was accustomed from childhood to direct -her thoughts and affections, her sighs and tears. -The reader may remember how at a tender age -she shut herself into the little room at home, -and there continued to meditate on the sorrowful -mysteries, which also were depicted in the pictures -which hung on the walls, and, better still, were -carved on her heart. The senses should do their -part the better to assist the soul in its efforts -after piety, and this was the reason why Rita -procured and kept in her cell in the convent -certain representations of the Passion of her dear -Jesus. -</p> - -<p> -To this end she kept in two distinct parts of her -cell objects that recalled to her the history of -the Passion. In one place she constructed a -representation of a mountain, which, whenever -she looked upon it, recalled Mount Calvary and -all the torments which the Saviour of the world -suffered there. She meditated with sighs and -tears on her Divine Spouse arriving there, falling -under the terrible weight of His torments, His -cross, and all the sins of men. With an outburst -of weeping she thought of Him deprived of His -garments and fixed to the cross with rough nails. -She meditated with the liveliest compassion on -the cruel strokes of the hammer that tore His -hands and feet, and on all the other terrible -torments that Jesus suffered for love of men. -In another corner of her cell she had a representation -of the Holy Sepulchre, and at sight of it she -considered how the adorable body of Christ was -placed in it, how for three days it remained buried, -how His spirit went down to console the holy -fathers in Abraham's bosom, and, finally, how the -Redeemer rose again to a new life triumphant and -glorious. During these meditations our saint was -always alone; as Jeremias says, 'she sat solitary -and held her peace, and was raised above herself';[<a id="chap0207fn3text"></a><a href="#chap0207fn3">3</a>] -in that sweet silence, in those loving soliloquies, -in that intimate intercourse with God she was -superior to passion, to nature, and to herself. So -great was her mental exaltation during her -meditation on the Divine mysteries that she was -often raised above the life of the senses and rapt -in delicious ecstasies, and on one occasion, so -strong was the ecstatic influence, the nuns thought -she was dead. -</p> - -<p> -Now, seeing that she soared to such sublime -heights in prayer, it will be no wonder that she -possessed also as she did, and in a singular manner, -the gifts of wisdom and intelligence, so that she -could reason on the perfections of God and on the -most abstruse mysteries of faith with a subtle -knowledge that could be acquired by no study nor -any natural capacity. Thus God hides the secrets -of His wisdom from the wise of this world and -reveals them to His humble servants, to those who -appear ignorant in the eyes of the world. All -these things excited to rage the infernal enemy -of all good and all sanctity, and in order to make -the holy nun desist from her pious practice he -tried to frighten her with horrible yells and -dreadful apparitions. But she continued to be -motionless in prayer, and by prayer itself triumphed -over all the powers of hell. By the merit of her -prayers, too, she acquired a certain authority -over devils. A proof of this is that a woman who -had for years been harassed by diabolical -interference was freed from it by Rita. Through -prayer, too, she obtained the grace of a -supernatural healing for a young girl who was ill, -whose mother had the consolation of seeing her -cured after having brought her to the saint to -ask the help of her prayers. We know that God -was accustomed to grant whatever she asked for, -and so great was the fame of her successful -intercession and sanctity that devout people, confident -in her advocacy, came to her in crowds, and of all -who came none went away dissatisfied. Yet -these were but the first-fruits that appeared -externally and to the eyes of men to testify to -the extraordinary efficacy of her prayers. We -shall see more clearly in the remainder of her life, -and much more so after her death, in the many -prodigious works that God performed through -her intercession, how great was the merit of our -saint's faith and of her prayers. -</p> - -<p> -We may also mention at the conclusion of this -chapter the most fervent prayers which she often -offered before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament -and before the pictures of the most holy Virgin; -but it was not the circumstance of place that -chiefly enkindled her devotion, for at every -instant and in all places she found Jesus and Mary, -and a thousand objects adapted to excite her -most fervent piety. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0207fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0207fn1text">1</a>] Ps. cxxvi. 3. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0207fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap0207fn2text">2</a>] Ps. cxxvi. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0207fn3"></a> -[<a href="#chap0207fn3text">3</a>] Lam. iii. 28. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0208"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VIII -</h3> - -<h3> -A THORN FROM THE SAVIOUR'S CROWN OF THORNS<br /> -WOUNDS RITA'S FOREHEAD<br /> -</h3> - -<p> -Rita had lived thirty years in the convent, -leading that saintly life we have described, -and had attained her sixty-second year, when, in -the year 1443, it pleased God to mark in a -wonderful manner, and, as it were, put His seal on -her merit by conferring on her a privilege that is -well worthy to be described. -</p> - -<p> -There lived at that time St. James of the -Marshes, one of those Apostolic men whom God -then raised up, like St. Vincent Ferrer, -St. Laurence Giustiniani, St. Bernardine of Siena, -and St. John of Capestrano, to be strong barriers -against the depravity of the world, the rage of -civil discord, the shock of schism, and the advance -of rising heresies. After many years passed with -great advantage to souls in the missions of Bosnia, -Hungary, and the East, he was recalled in that -year by Pope Eugene IV., who destined him to -preach the Crusade in the province of Aquila, -against the infidel Sultan Amurath II., who had -already penetrated into the heart of Hungary. -On his return he had occasion to go through -the territory and towns of Spoleto preaching the -Gospel, and he expounded the word of God in -Cascia amongst other places. His discourses in -Cascia were on the subject of our Lord's Passion, -and Rita was present at them. That a nun was -present amongst the people to hear the holy -preacher will cause no astonishment when we -know that although the law of religious enclosure -had been established by many Councils and by -Pope Boniface VIII., yet its observance was not -rigorously enforced until the time of the Council -of Trent, and nuns might go out of their convents, -especially when there was question of fulfilling -religious duties or to hear the word of God -preached. -</p> - -<p> -Rita, then, with the other nuns of her convent, -was present at the sermons, which she listened to -with that purity of intention that casts out all -curiosity, and has for its only objects the glory -of God and the sanctification of the soul. The -sanctity and zeal of the preacher, who had long -known the secret of touching the most hardened -hearts, will enable us to judge of the effects of -his preaching. That his subject was our Lord's -Passion—the chief object of Rita's meditation, -and which excited her to the highest point of -the love of God—will be enough to tell us how -deeply his discourses must have impressed her. -A divine compassion filled her heart, and she only -restrained her tears as she listened in order -afterwards to pour them copiously forth when she -knelt before the crucifix in the old oratory of -the convent. One day, as she was there -prostrated, wounded in spirit by the vehemence of her -great sorrow, with much sobbing she prayed and -besought her Love, who had been crowned with -thorns, to permit her whilst still in the flesh to -taste at least of the bitter chalice of His sufferings. -Her heartfelt prayers were heard, and she saw -one of the thorns of the crown of the crucifix -detach itself, as it were, and strike her on the left -side of the forehead with such force that it almost -penetrated the bone, causing her exquisite pain. -She fainted from the pain, and it seemed to her -that only by a miracle could she survive such -great suffering. But love was stronger than pain -in her, and grace supported the weakness of nature -itself. The wound, which by time grew larger, -festered, and became wormy, was visible on her -forehead for fifteen years. The worms and the -offensive smell, similar to that which once -tormented Job, increased the pain of the wound and -disgusted others. But these things formed the -delight of the patient nun, whose one desire was -to become like her Saviour, who, as the prophet -Isaias says,[<a id="chap0208fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0208fn1">1</a>] was become for her and for the human -race the most abject of men and the Man of -Sorrows, whose look was hidden and despised—a -prophecy so exactly fulfilled that He was -unrecognisable when the streams of blood flowed down -His face from the wounds the thorns had made in -His head. When Rita was asked, as she sometimes -was, what the worms were that occasionally -fell from her forehead, she used to reply, with a -joyous smile, 'They are my little angels,' letting -it thereby be seen that the more she was -humbled and afflicted in the flesh, the more she -rejoiced in spirit, as was also the case with -St. Francis of Assisi and St. Catherine of Siena, -whose great privilege of the stigmata is celebrated -by feasts of the Church, and also with another -Augustinian nun, St. Clare of Montefalco, on the -living flesh of whose heart miraculous representations -of the Passion were impressed. Rita rejoiced -the more in this gift, inasmuch as it procured -for her more frequent occasion of exercising -herself in humility, patience, retirement, silence, -prayer, and the love of that God who had -conferred on her so marked a distinction. From -thenceforward as long as she bore that mark of -the Redemption on her forehead, which was as -long as she lived, she never ceased to thank Him -for it and to praise and bless Him. She, too, was -become an outcast from amongst men, but instead -of being afflicted thereby she was only the -more strongly united to God, in whom all her -desires and all her hopes of consolation were -centred. She considered that singular effect of -Divine grace which is not offended by unsightliness -of body as abundant compensation for any -sufferings she had to bear and as a pledge of an -ample eternal reward in heaven. -</p> - -<p> -</p> - -<p> -<a id="chap0208fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0208fn1text">1</a>] Isa. liii. 3. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0209"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IX -</h3> - -<h3> - RITA GOES TO ROME TO GAIN THE INDULGENCE OF<br /> - THE JUBILEE<br /> -</h3> - -<p> -If Rita's life till the time when she received -the wound in her forehead may be called a -hidden life, from thenceforward it was a buried -life, and invisible to the eyes of men. On that -account, passing in silence over an interval of -eight years, our history proceeds to describe the -events of her life in the year 1450. The intervening -years were not, however, years of idleness -for our holy nun, or if she did enjoy repose it -was not very dissimilar from that of the blessed -in heaven, and perhaps of more advantage to the -Church than any active efforts of hers. The -Western Church, as a matter of fact, had just then, -through the prayers of the saints, arisen from its -state of dejection and abasement. -</p> - -<p> -The schism of the Greeks, Armenians, and -Ethiopians had come to an end ten years before, -and the glory of that happy event was attributed -principally to the merits of St. Nicholas of -Tolentine, who was canonized at that time by Pope -Eugene IV. The other schism, of the anti-Popes, -died out, too, a few months later, when Felix -V. voluntarily abdicated; and Rita's penances and -prayers must have co-operated in bringing about -so joyful a conclusion. -</p> - -<p> -Nicholas V., who occupied the chair of Peter, -was thus enabled to proclaim peacefully a solemn -jubilee for the year 1450, to throw open the -treasure-house of Divine indulgences for the -advantage of the faithful. This was the sixth -jubilee celebrated in the new Church of Jesus -Christ, and seeing that the Church was enjoying -the lately restored peace, and that piety had -begun again to spring up, greater crowds of people -than ever before, from all parts of the world, -were flocking to Rome to participate in the -extraordinary spiritual favours. When even the least -devout were hastening thither, we may judge how -ardent was Rita's desire of availing of so precious -an occasion. She was aware that even her sisters -in religion were preparing to set out for Rome, -and she, who for many years and until that -moment seemed in her retirement to hate the -very light of day, was not afraid to leave her cell -for a purpose so holy; and making light of the -inconveniences of travel and of her advanced age, -she threw herself at the feet of the Superior, and -begged leave to join the other nuns in their devout -pilgrimage. But the Prioress did not think it -prudent that Rita, owing to the offensive nature -of the sore on her forehead, should appear in -public or undertake a journey, and therefore -sent her back to her cell, telling her that she -should first think of curing her wound, and then -she would grant the permission asked for. The -condition imposed almost in jest was not long in -being fulfilled, for Rita had recourse to fervent -prayer to the Lord, who had inspired her with the -desire of going on the pilgrimage, and who was -accustomed to grant all her petitions, and she -received instantly the favour she so ardently -desired. It is to be remarked here that Rita, -who always, in her profound humility, -endeavoured to hide the favours of heaven, chose in -this instance to make use of an ointment in order -to conceal the miracle of her instantaneous -healing. But the work of God was too evident, -and the Superior had therefore no hesitation in -granting the permission that Rita sought, and -her blessing. -</p> - -<p> -She set out on foot in the company of her sisters -in religion without any consideration for her age, -which was then about sixty-nine years, with no -dread of the long journey or the inconveniences -of the season, and she pushed forward joyously -towards the metropolis of the Catholic world. -</p> - -<p> -It was on this journey that the incident -occurred which was mentioned when speaking of -her spirit of poverty, that when she was crossing -over a river she threw into it the little sum of -money that was given to her probably to supply -their wants on the pilgrimage. Her companions -blamed her for what she had done; but not God, -who had secretly urged her to that act of -generosity, and who afterwards provided herself and -her companions with all they needed until their -return to the convent. When she arrived at her -journey's end she lost no time in gazing on those -monuments of profane antiquity of which Rome -is so proud, but directed all the feelings and -sentiments of her body and soul towards those -things that were the objects of her piety—the -memories of the holy martyrs, the confessions of -the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, devout -visits to the churches, and the gaining of the holy -indulgences. It would seem, indeed, that having -led such a stainless life, and after so great and so -severe penances, that she had no need to have -recourse to those extraordinary means of atonement -for sin; but holiness is always deeply humble, -and the same humility which led St. Briget and -St. Catherine to the second jubilee brought -St. Rita a century later to the sixth. Enriched -with new treasures of grace, and impatient to be -free from the din of the streets and the perpetual -crush of people, she with her companions, ever in -the arms of Divine Providence, began the journey -back to Cascia, and after walking four or five days -arrived again at the convent and her beloved cell. -She had hardly reached home when, wonderful -to tell, the sore on her forehead, which had healed -up by the power of God a little before she set out -from Cascia, suddenly broke out again, and -thereby made it more evident that the preceding cure -had been miraculous. Never more, until the day -of her death, was Rita to be deprived of a privilege -so dear to her. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0210"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER X -</h3> - -<h3> -RITA'S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH -</h3> - -<p> -Rita survived seven years after her return -from Rome. The first three of these, like -the eight preceding years, are hidden under the -veil of God's deep designs, for it is not granted -to us to discover anything of her exterior life -during that period. Of her interior life, too, there -is nothing left, if we except certain general -knowledge of her spirit of penance, her continued -love of prayer, and her union with God ever -becoming closer. -</p> - -<p> -Three years passed, and Rita had reached the -seventy-second year of her age and the fortieth -of her life in religion, when it pleased the Lord -to visit her with an illness which afflicted her -for four years, and ended only with her life. -This is the first time after so many years that any -illness of Rita's is mentioned, except the sore on -her forehead, which goes far to prove that even -long-continued and rigorous penances are -not—contrary to the opinion of the world's -delicacy—opposed to bodily health or calculated to -shorten life. It might seem, indeed, that, -considering the great misfortunes she had to bear, -the many humiliations, and the many voluntary -penances she undertook, she ought to be -exempted from this final suffering. With all that, -God wished that this beautiful work of His hands -should be marked by the greatest perfection, and -desired to exalt her to the higher places in His -glory, and He also willed to add to her past -sufferings and the still present troubles of her -wounded forehead the pain of this long illness. -We do not know with certainty what malady she -suffered from, but, whatever it was, it resisted -all the remedies of science. It is not improbable -that, as one of the writers of her life suggests, -it was a wasting fever, one of those maladies that -sap the vital strength by degrees through an -obstinate and mortal languor, and finally causes -death. -</p> - -<p> -During all that time she remained confined to -her hard bed, and the manner in which she bore -all the pains and annoyances of her long illness -was a cause of the greatest edification to all who -assisted, for her face not only showed the resignation -and serenity of her mind, but she was always -desiring to suffer still greater pain, and was for -ever thanking Divine Providence that deigned to -purify her in this world and give her some -occasion of acquiring merit. But there was one pain -she felt more than any other, and it was because -through illness she was become useless to the -community, and even a burden and trouble to -her sisters, especially by reason of the deformity -and offensiveness of the sore on her forehead; -yet not even the grief of this could take away -from her the merit of her most heroic resignation -to the will of God and equally heroic humility -and patience. Yet another matter there was -which must have weighed heavily on her, when we -compare the very lowly opinion she had of herself -with that sublimest idea she had been enabled -to form of God's infinite majesty, and that was -that she could now no longer present herself at -the Eucharistic table to receive her Jesus with -that frequency with which she had been -accustomed to partake of that heavenly bread, but -was now, on the contrary, obliged to receive Him -lying on her miserable pallet. But the holy soul -supplied in ardent desire and in the intensest -internal acts of adoration and love for that -external veneration which her bodily weakness -rendered impossible. As her disease progressed, -or, rather, as her sanctity increased, so small -was the quantity of food she consumed that it -could not be told how she was able to live, and -therefore the nuns who were attending on her -came to the conclusion that she was kept alive -by the bread of angels. Nor was their idea so -far from the truth, for Rita herself had to confirm -it when, on their pressing her to take some more -nourishment, she replied: 'My soul, fixed to the -sacred wounds of Jesus Christ, is fed with other -food.' -</p> - -<p> -Now, it happened that whilst the saint was in -this state, and not far from the end of her mortal -life, a relative came to visit her, and after passing -some time in condoling with her and giving her -comfort, was about to go away. Before her -departure she asked Rita if she wanted anything, -and said she would willingly do her a service. -'Yes,' said Rita. 'I beg you to go to the garden -of my house as soon as you reach Rocca Porena, -and pluck a rose there and bring it to me.' It -was then the month of January, the time in which -the greatest rigour of winter is felt, especially in -that valley, which is closed in on all sides by -overhanging mountains, where the sun rises late -and sets early, and where at that season all -nature is buried under snow and ice. At the -strange request the woman did not know what to -think except that Rita was wandering in her -mind through the severity of her illness. She -pitied her, and went back to Rocca Porena. When -she reached home it happened that she went to -the garden, either through curiosity or because -God so disposed it, and she saw, conspicuous -amidst the frozen bushes, a full-blown red rose. -At the sight she was seized by various feelings of -wonder, joy, and devotion, and ran to pluck the -flower, with which she returned without delay -to the convent of Cascia to deliver the wonderful -gift to the saint. Rita took it as coming from -the hands of her Divine Spouse, and with holy -joy offered it to her sisters who were standing -around. They, too, were seized with wonder -and amazement, and joined with her in praising -the goodness and omnipotence of God. -</p> - -<p> -Another prodigious occurrence, not unlike that -we have just related and not less wonderful, -happened very soon after. The same woman -who had brought the flower to the saint was -bidding her farewell on another occasion, and -asked her again if she needed anything. Rita -thus answered the charitable question: 'Since -you are so kind, I beg that you will go to the same -garden, where you will find two figs, which you -will have the charity to bring me.' This time -the woman did not hesitate a moment, but as -soon as she heard the words hurried home, and -in a short time was in the garden mentioned. -There, on a leafless tree, she found the two ripe -figs, which she plucked with renewed wonder -and pleasure, and carried immediately to the sick -nun. At the sight of this second wonder Rita -broke forth into new acts of gratitude and love -to the Lord, in which her sisters joined. The -fame of these miraculous events was spread -throughout the neighbourhood, and wonder -seized on all the people, and they conceived a -great veneration for the dying saint, whom they -clearly perceived to be beloved by God. -</p> - -<p> -Thus compassed about with flowers and fruit, -like the bride of the sacred Canticles,[<a id="chap0210fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0210fn1">1</a>] Rita felt -that she was languishing with love, and by this -growing weaker, she eagerly desired to be free -from the ties of the body, and at last take flight -to enjoy for all eternity her Uncreated Good. Her -chaste sighs were not in vain, for her Divine Spouse -Jesus, accompanied by the most holy Virgin, -appeared to her to announce the joyous tidings -that in three days she should be taken from the -world and from pain, and received into Paradise -to receive the reward due to her virtues and -sufferings. The vision disappeared, and joy inundated -Rita's heart, and well was this known from that -extraordinary and angelic serenity of her countenance -which she preserved till her last breath, in -spite of the pains and sorrows of death. The -nuns alone wept as they stood around her bed. -In these last moments of hers, profoundly moved -by her tranquillity and the wonders they had seen, -they had come to know her better, and to -appreciate more perfectly her extraordinary virtues. -In the midst of these tears the saint turned to -her dear sisters, humbly asked pardon of all of -them for any offence she might have given them -and for the trouble she had caused, left them in -remembrance of her beautiful words of peace, -obedience, and piety, and then asked the blessing -of the Superior. Her desolate sisters wanted, -too, to get a blessing from her as a pledge of that -charity with which she had always loved them, -and with which they besought that she would love -and protect them when she was in heaven. Rita -blessed them, tried to console them, and then had -no thought for anything but eternity. -</p> - -<p> -Our heroine, it is true, was assured from above -of the possession of future glory, yet she in no -wise neglected to fortify herself with all the aids -and comforts with which our holy Mother Church -prepares us for the great passage. Gathering, -therefore, all the strength of her spirit, she -expressed her desire that the Holy Viaticum -should be brought to her, and Extreme Unction -administered. She received these holy -Sacraments with a fervour which cannot easily be -imagined, much less described, and with these -fresh pledges of grace, and with her eyes turned -towards the home of the Blessed, her soul took its -flight thither, where she lives an immortal life -filled with ineffable joy, the reward of her heroic -Virtues. Her precious death took place during -the Pontificate of Calixtus III., in the year 1457, -when she had attained the seventy-sixth year of -her age and the forty-fourth of her religious life, on -the night of the 22nd of May, when Saturday was -ending, a day specially consecrated to the honour -of the Virgin Mary, to whom she was always most -devout, and towards the beginning of Sunday, -the day dedicated to the Lord and figurative of -eternal repose. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0210fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0210fn1text">1</a>] Cant. ii. 5. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -END OF PART II -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0301"></a></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -Part III -</p> - -<p class="t3b"> -RITA IN HEAVEN -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER I -</h3> - -<h3> - WONDERFUL EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT RITA'S<br /> - DEATH—BURIAL OF HER SACRED BODY<br /> -</h3> - -<p> -In describing Rita's mortal life, we judged it -expedient to give from time to time some -idea of the trend of events and of the calamities -of the times in which she lived, and we have hopes -that it will not be displeasing to the reader nor -outside the scope we proposed to ourselves if -we continue to follow the same plan now that we -are come to speak of her immortal life in so far -as it may be said to be visible in those works in -which God willed to give glory to His servant even -on earth. For her, indeed, time was changed -into changeless eternity, but the world was, as -ever, in its instability, and was perpetually -changing appearance. The short-lived peace -which had been established at the Council of -Florence had once more fled from the distracted -East, and Mahomet II., destined by God to -punish those relapsing schismatics, had at this -time overturned the Empire of Constantinople, -and was threatening with ruin the newly-established -Empire of Trebizond, as well as other -kingdoms. It is true that in the year 1457—the -year of Rita's death—the infidel usurper was -driven back out of Hungary and Belgrade, and -had been defeated by the brave Scanderbeg in -Albania, by Cardinal de Aquileia on the Ægean -Sea, and by Uson Cassano near the confines of -Persia. But these losses caused only a temporary -check, and were but the last flattering hope of -the hardened and perfidious Greeks. Calixtus -III. was then Pope, and from his Apostolic throne it -was his sad lot to see the heritage of Jesus Christ -despoiled, and could only weep over what he could -not prevent. The wise Pontiff strained every -effort to prevent still greater ruin, but the -effeminacy, egoism, and rivalry of the Courts of -Europe opposed his brave purpose, and left open -a free passage to the progress of the conqueror. -In the West the outlook was brighter for the -Church and the world, for affairs were directed -by the Emperor Frederick III., surnamed the -Peacemaker, and Pope Calixtus, whose great -desire was to see peace firmly established in -Italy, from whence it had so long been banished. -Indeed, it was only in the year before he ascended -the Papal throne that the first signs of reviving -peace were seen in that troubled peninsula. It -was through the means of a humble Augustinian -friar that in the end was obtained that peace -which princes and monarchs had in vain attempted -to restore; for Fr. Simonetto of Camerino, a -priest of extraordinary piety, is famous in history -for being the pacificator of Italy. Good morals -and piety began to gain vigour, and brought -consolation to the Church for the irreparable -losses it had sustained in the East. The reigning -houses also that were least friendly to national -concord, and which had not remained unstained -by depravity, began again to give indications -of sanctity. In this very year of 1457, Fr. Gabriel -Sforza, Archbishop of Milan, styled the Blessed, -passed to his heavenly reward, and a few months -after his death Blessed Christina Visconti followed -him to the kingdom of heaven. Like Rita, both -of these were Augustinians. The Governments -of the republics of Siena and of Genoa were the -last to suffer from the disasters of war, the former -having been attacked by the ambitious Picunino, -and Genoa having been engaged with the maritime -forces of Alphonsus, King of Naples; but even -these wars had at last come to an end. Cascia, -which still continued to be governed as a republic, -in common with the other States was enjoying -in prosperity the fruits of peace, and was now -about to acquire greater renown through the -death of Rita, whose imperishable glory was soon -to be proclaimed. -</p> - -<p> -Scarcely, indeed, had she breathed her last -when began a long series of prodigious events, -which immediately spread her fame abroad. -The first of these to excite wonder was that at -the moment of her death the nun who had been -her closest companion in life saw the soul of the -saint take its flight to heaven, accompanied by -angels, in the garb of brightness in which it had -pleased God to clothe her. The second wonder -was that at that same moment the bell of the -convent rang out, tolled by no visible agency, -and the saint's cell was radiating with an -unaccustomed splendour. The sore on her forehead, -too, which in life had been most offensive, was -now giving forth an odour of heavenly fragrance, -and that wound, which had been an unsightly -deformity, now took on the appearance of a -shining jewel. Her body, which before had -exhibited all the wasting effects of continual -mortification, but was the seat of a most pure -soul and the temple of the Holy Ghost, was -now transformed and clothed with almost superhuman -beauty. In a word, not only her soul, but -her very body seemed as if it had been assumed -into the splendour of the saints. At the -manifestation of events so wonderful the nuns and the -faithful who were present changed their sorrow -into a holy joy, and ceased not to bless the Lord -and recommend themselves to Rita's patronage. -As the report of these prodigies spread about, the -people flocked in crowds to see and to venerate -that sacred body, and thus God was praised in -the wonders He had worked, the virtues of His -saint were published, and in the hearts of many -there sprang up the desire of imitating her example. -The obsequies were to be solemnly celebrated on -the following morning, and meanwhile the crowds -arriving from all the surrounding country were -continually increasing. Amongst the others came -a woman who was a near relative of Rita, whose -arm had been many years paralysed. This -woman approached the sacred body, and, to relieve -her feelings of love, sorrow, and devotion, clasped -it around the neck. On the instant her withered -arm suddenly regained feeling and strength. -She began to cry out that a miracle was wrought -for her, and all the bystanders took up the cry -of 'A miracle! a miracle!' whilst she who was -healed kissed again and again the body of her -deliverer, and returned thanks to God for His -great mercy. The body was brought from the -cell into the ancient chapel, where it was quickly -surrounded by a crush of impatient people, who -seemed as if they never could be satisfied with -gazing on the sacred remains of the holy nun. -The last solemn offices were celebrated, but the -body had to be left visible for a long time to satisfy -the pious curiosity and devotion of the faithful. -At last it was placed in a coffin of poplar, which -was enclosed in another of walnut wood, in order -that one who was so honoured by God should -receive honourable sepulture. This was but the -beginning of Rita's renown. We shall see as we -advance how God gave greater glory to His -servant. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0302"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER II -</h3> - -<h3> - MIRACLES WROUGHT BY GOD THROUGH RITA'S<br /> - INTERCESSION BEFORE HER BEATIFICATION<br /> -</h3> - -<p> -The primary object of miracles is to establish -the Catholic religion, and this is the reason -why the Son of God and His disciples performed -so many miraculous works that filled the world -with amazement and invited men to embrace -the faith. Even when the kingdom of Christ -had been established miracles did not altogether -cease, but rather it pleased God for His greater -glory to raise up miracle workers in every age -for the edification of the faithful, to place a more -distinctive mark on His Church, and to confirm -His followers in the faith. A little before Rita's -time there were chosen, amongst others, -St. Nicholas of Tolentine, St. Vincent Ferrer, -St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Francis of Paul to be -famous ministers of His omnipotence and mercy. -Then followed St. Rita, who, although during -her life she did not perform marvels as did these -Apostolic men, yet after her death became -celebrated, and is still celebrated throughout the -whole world for the many great miracles with -which it pleased the Lord to publish the merits -of His beloved spouse. -</p> - -<p> -But as St. John the Evangelist has said, -speaking of our Lord, so very numerous were the -miracles He wrought that only a small proportion -of them is recorded in the Sacred Writings, we -may say, preserving due proportion, much the -same of Rita. For not only have lapse of time -and carelessness deprived us of the memory of -many of the miracles worked through her -intercession, but even in the present, when nearly -every part of the world is ringing with the fame -of her great prodigies, authentic testimony is -often wanting, and sometimes we are at a loss -for a simple relation of the facts. We must -therefore perforce be contented with recording a -certain number of them taken from the process -of her beatification, and we shall follow the order -in which they are related by those writers of her -life who have preceded us. The series of miracles -of which we have authentic knowledge begins -from the third day after the saint's death. We -give it here in compendium. -</p> - -<p> -On the 25th of the month of May in which -St. Rita died a certain Baptist d'Angelo of Col -Giacone, in the territory of Cascia, who had -completely lost his sight, having heard of the miracles -which God was working through her intercession -in those first days after her death, had his faith -quickly aroused, and with confidence recommended -himself to her patronage, and in an -instant his sight was restored. -</p> - -<p> -Two days later a woman named Lucrezia di -Paolo, from Col Forcella, a village also in the -territory of Cascia, whose body was swollen and -doubled up through advanced years and owing -to a sort of dropsy from which she suffered, went -to where the saint's body was lying, and, having -prayed there with strong faith, was enabled to -return to her home free from disease and in -perfect health. -</p> - -<p> -On the same day another woman named -Frances, the wife of Antonio Fucelli of Cascia, -who had been deaf for five years, was praying -before the body of the saint in the presence of a -multitude of people. On a sudden she felt that -her hearing was restored. The truth of this -miracle is attested by the people who were -present. -</p> - -<p> -Two days later still a man named Salimbene -d'Antonio, from Poggio-Primocaso, one of whose -fingers had lost all power of motion and was dried -up for many years, went to pray that he might -be cured, and touched the saint's sacred body -with his powerless finger; he, too, was -instantaneously cured, and went back to his home -rejoicing. -</p> - -<p> -On the last day of May a woman called Giacomuccia -di Leonardo, from Ocosce, a village quite -close to Cascia, was miraculously cured of grievous -pains, from which she had been tormented for -two years, and which had reduced her to a state -of extreme weakness. This grace was granted to -her after having prayed most fervently for eight -days, at the end of which her persevering faith -was rewarded by her restoration to health. -</p> - -<p> -Frances di Giovanni, from Bisella, in Nursia, -who was deaf and dumb from birth, was brought -on the same day to visit the miraculous body of -the saint. She ardently recommended herself to -her patronage, and performed the acts of devotion -possible to a deaf mute. Speech and hearing -were thereupon suddenly granted to her. The -first words she uttered were 'Ave Maria,' a fact -which amazed her parents and the people who -witnessed the miracle. -</p> - -<p> -Still another miracle was wrought by the -omnipotence of God, through Rita's intercession, -before the end of that month of May. A certain -Lucrezia, wife of Ser Paolo of Golforalla, who -was all swollen with dropsy, and whose case the -physicians judged incurable, had herself brought -before the saint's body, and there with the -strongest confidence begged that her heart's -desire might be granted. She, too, was restored -to health and strength. -</p> - -<p> -On the 2nd of June in the same year a youth -named Bernard, the son of Matteo Del-re, from -Ocosce, who was suffering from the gravel and -was in very great pain, was brought to where the -saint's coffin was by his father, who besought -for him the pity of the saint, and was granted -the grace he prayed for. -</p> - -<p> -The next day a man called Spirito d'Angelo, -from Cascia, through the intercession of St. Rita, -was cured of chronic sciatica, from which he had -suffered grievous pain for four years. -</p> - -<p> -Four days later a young girl from Rocca, in -the territory of Nursia, whose name was Maria -d'Angelo, who had been deaf and dumb from -birth, went with her parents to do homage to -the saint of Cascia, and, like Frances di Giovanni, -she, too, obtained hearing and speech. When -this miracle was made known the girl had to get -into the pulpit to satisfy the pious curiosity of the -people, and there for the first time she pronounced -the sweet name of Mary and the names of other -saints, and so great was the wonder of the people -that a thanksgiving procession was formed, in -which the clergy took part, and a sermon was -preached by Fr. Giovanni Paoletti of Cascia. -</p> - -<p> -On the 13th of the same month Francesco, son -of Antonio Pasquali, of the village of San Cipriano, -in the district of Amatrice, who was also a deaf -mute, was brought by his father and others to -Rita's glorious tomb, and departed thence with -the full use of his senses, astonished at the -novelty of his sensations and the greatness of -the miracle. -</p> - -<p> -Another miracle took place five days after in -favour of Lucia di Sante Lalli, from the town of -S. Maria, in the territory of Nursia. One of her -eyes was entirely blind for fifteen years, and the -other was nearly so. She went, accompanied by -her mother, to visit the holy body of the saint -in Cascia, and remained there praying for fifteen -days, at the end of which, through her faith and -the intercession of the saint, she regained her -sight, as she had ardently desired. -</p> - -<p> -After describing the last-mentioned miracle -there is a break in the ancient records, and we -read of no other miracles till thirty years later. -Under the date of the 3rd of June, 1487, we find -that Pietro di Giovanni of Paganelli, and his wife, -a native of Nursia, made a vow to St. Rita for the -restoration to health of their son Pietro, who was -so tongue-tied that he could not utter a word. -The saint consoled them, for in a short time their -son was in perfect health, with full use of speech. -</p> - -<p> -A daughter of Gregorio d'Antonio of Col -Giacone, who had lost the power of speech after -a severe illness, recovered it after being brought -to the saint's tomb. This fact is mentioned -under the date of the 22nd of June in the same -year. -</p> - -<p> -About the same time Sante di Mariano of Rocca -Porena, whilst playing bull, was thrown violently -against one of his companions, who had a knife -in his belt, and was accidentally so severely -wounded in the ventral region that the physicians -despaired of curing him. He had recourse to the -saint, and although he was not cured instantly, -yet he immediately began to improve, and -ultimately he was restored to perfect health. -</p> - -<p> -On the 18th of May, about two years afterwards, -Angela, wife of Domenico Berardi of Logna, -a town in the territory of Cascia, whose arm was -crippled and so diseased that it brought on -feverish feelings every day, had recourse to the -invisible virtue of that holy body, and was -completely healed. -</p> - -<p> -Father Nicola Galli, who had been confessor -of the nuns in the convent in which the saint -lived, and who wrote her life, which to a great -extent we are making use of in this chapter, and -who declares that he took his account of Rita's -miracles from the process of her beatification -given him by the nuns, relates as the sixteenth -of her miracles that a certain Giovanni di Rocca -Porena was restored from death to life through -the merits of the saint, but he mentions no -circumstances. -</p> - -<p> -A woman named Fior di Pier Antonio had a son -named Spirito, who suffered from a sort of -insanity, which doctors would call <i>lycanthropy</i> (a -species of insanity in which the patient imagines -himself to be a wolf), owing to which he was given -to wandering through the woods and mountains, -and felt a tendency to hurl himself from high -places. His afflicted mother, seeing that all the -remedies of science were useless, had recourse -to St. Rita, and was consoled by her son's being -restored to health and his right mind. -</p> - -<p> -About the year 1491 a certain Vannetta, -daughter-in-law of Ser Antonio di Nardo, from -the town of Fogliano, near Cascia, was suffering -from so dangerous an affection of the throat that -she could swallow neither food nor drink, and -therefore believed that she had reached the end -of her days. Once, on being awakened from a -heavy sleep, which her friends thought was the -lethargy of death, she complained of being -deprived by them of the beautiful vision she had -been enjoying. To their questions about her -vision she replied that she had seen St. Rita, who -had called to her and touched her throat with her -finger and disappeared. It was found that the -cure was not simply imaginary, but that the girl -was freed from her disease. -</p> - -<p> -About the same time a boy named Amico, -the son of Antonio of Col Forcella, who was -suffering great pain from gravel, was recommended -by his mother to the powerful intercession of the -saint, and her faith was rewarded by his -instantaneous cure. -</p> - -<p> -In the following year Giovan Marino, of Logna, -was cured of a disease called <i>serpentina</i>, through -which his whole body was paralysed, for it pleased -God to hear, through the intercession of Rita, -the fervent prayers offered in his behalf by his -aunt Donna Santa. -</p> - -<p> -Towards the end of the same year Pier Marino, -son of Marino Bruchi of Nursia, who had received -two mortal wounds in a scuffle, had recourse to -the patronage of Rita, and not in vain, for he -was seen to get better, and through persevering -prayer was soon restored to health. -</p> - -<p> -Three other miracles are described as having -taken place about this time through Rita's -intercession. The first was the healing of Donna -Santa (perhaps the same as was mentioned before), -daughter of Domenico of Logna, who was suffering -from headaches, and tumours, and swelling of -the throat. She besought the saint to obtain -her restoration to health, and vowed to send a -florin as offering to her convent. Rita heard her -prayers, and became her advocate before the -Giver of every good gift, who instantly gave her -back the health she prayed for. -</p> - -<p> -The next was that wrought in favour of a -certain woman named Giacoma, the wife of -Martino of S. Anatolia, in the territory of Cascia, -who broke her shoulder-blade and her thigh by -falling from a height on a rock. She was tortured -by most violent pains, against which she could -find no better remedy than to have recourse to -Rita, to whose convent she vowed to present a -half-florin. Her prayers were heard, and she -was instantly cured. -</p> - -<p> -The third of the cases, registered under date of -the 18th of November, happened thus: Antonio, -the son of Giuliano and Gemma of Nursia, was -lying mortally wounded and left for dead, having -received fourteen wounds, one of which had almost -severed his shoulder from his body. His mother -and his sister Maria determined to trust themselves -to the help of heaven, and had recourse to the -intercession of St. Rita. They therefore made a -vow to visit her venerated body and to bring a -waxen image. Hardly had they made the vow -than the young man was cured of his wounds. -</p> - -<p> -Lucchessa, the wife of Giovan Marino of -Collecurioso, now destroyed, in the territory of -Cascia, had been possessed by the devil for many -days. She was brought to Rita's grave, and -there was delivered from that molestation through -the saint's intercession. When this favour was -conferred there were many present, religious and -seculars, who also bore witness to the horrible -yells uttered by the infernal spirit as it left the -body. -</p> - -<p> -In 1494 Monica di Colantonio of Colle, in the -district of Nursia, was cured of a fistula solely -because her father, Domenico, had gone to Cascia -to honour the saint, to whose efficacious patronage -he had recommended himself. -</p> - -<p> -Towards the end of the same year, on the -16th of December, a man named Giovanni -Andrea, son of Giovannuccio, from Atri, a town -in the territory of Cascia, came to Cascia to thank -his protectress Rita, who, he affirmed, had -formerly delivered him from a serious illness, -and had saved him again from imminent danger -of death when a chestnut-tree had fallen on him -and threatened to crush him. -</p> - -<p> -Two years later a certain Paolo, son of Giovanni, -a native of Collecurioso, whose son Angelo was -suffering torture from the gravel, made a vow -to bring his son to return thanks at the saint's -tomb if he were cured, and to have the miracle -painted on a tablet. His faith was rewarded by -his son being cured. -</p> - -<p> -In the same year Andrea d'Angelo, from Onelli, -in the Cascia district, was cured, through the -intercession of the saint, from an illness by -which he was confined to bed for ten months. -</p> - -<p> -In 1501 a woman named Perna, wife of Marino -di Aliena, who was tormented by evil spirits, -was delivered from them by favour of the saint, -to whom she had had recourse. -</p> - -<p> -At the same time Giovanni di Bartolomeo, -from Roccatervi, in the neighbourhood of Cascia, -who had cut a vein near his left instep eight -years before, and whose case was considered -incurable, besought St. Rita with fervent prayers -to come to his aid. When he perceived that his -prayers were heard, and that a cure impossible -to human science had been effected, he made an -offering on the 10th of June of a silver crown to -the church that guards the saint's body. -</p> - -<p> -Pier Angelo, son of Pier Domenico, from the -neighbourhood of Spoleto, had fled in the year -1503 from that district to escape an epidemic -that was raging there. When he thought the -danger was past he returned, but one of his -daughters was seized by the malady. The -afflicted father bethought him of seeking the -protection of the miracle-worker St. Rita. He -promised to visit her venerated tomb and to make -an offering of four carlins. His faith was rewarded -by his daughter's deliverance. -</p> - -<p> -Vannuccio di Sante of Foligno, one of whose -arms was withered, had recourse to the saint -to obtain the favour of being cured, and made -a vow to offer the figure of an arm in wax. The -power of his arm was immediately restored. He -determined thereupon to fulfil his vow on a -certain Sunday, but when the day came he -changed his mind, and meant to go to Nursia. -But he paid the penalty of his ungrateful fickleness, -for he was seized with such a pain in one of -his feet that he could not walk. Thereupon he -resolved to fulfil immediately his vow, and he -added a second one of bringing also the waxen -figure of a foot. He was relieved of the pain, -and hesitated no longer to fulfil his double vow. -This happened in 1506. -</p> - -<p> -It happened about the year 1510 that a certain -Messer Francesco of Monferrato, who was five -years bedridden owing to gangrene of the throat, -saw St. Rita appear to him in a dream. He paid -no attention to the vision, but the saint appeared -to him a second and a third time. On the third -occasion she informed him who she was and -whence, and exhorted him to go to her tomb; -she then touched his throat, and he was restored -to health. He arose from his bed cured, and set -out for Tuscany, and from thence he went to -Rome, for he did not know where Cascia was, -where Rita was buried. But in Rome he found -a farmer from Nursia, who gave him the information -he needed, and when he arrived at Cascia -he made an offering of a box full of silver coins, -had a procession of thanksgiving celebrated, and -on the occasion of it a sermon was preached by -Fr. Ludovico of Cascia, a Franciscan. -</p> - -<p> -Giovan Angelo, the son of Leonardo, from -Ocosce, in the district of Cascia, was freed on -the 26th of April, 1525, from an evil spirit by -which he was obsessed, and to express his -gratitude for the favour, obtained through Rita's -intercession, made an offering of four carlins to -the convent, a thousand wooden stakes for the -vineyard, and his own services as long as he lived. -</p> - -<p> -In the same year and month another man -obsessed by the devil, whose name was Bernardino, -the son of Domenico Saccomadi, from the town -of San Giovanni, in the Cascia district, was -delivered from the infernal enemy after being -brought to visit the body of St. Rita, before which -public prayers were recited for his liberation. -</p> - -<p> -On the 26th of December of the same year a -son of Giovan Francesco of Nardi, in the suburbs -of Cascia, a child three years old, after a very -serious illness, which lasted for thirteen days, -was become quite blind, and could take no -nourishment, and was, in fact, at the point of -death. The father went to Cascia to beg the -intercession of St. Rita, and to his prayers were -added those of the nuns, who also gave him a little -piece of Rita's habit. He returned home, and -with firm faith touched his son's eyes with the -relic he had received, and invoked the name of -Rita, and immediately it was seen that the grace -he had sought had been granted. As a sign of -gratitude he brought an offering of eight florins' -worth of articles to be used in the services of the -saint's church. -</p> - -<p> -A similar miracle happened towards the year -1535, in the case of Constantino, the son of -Scolastica and Giacomo di Pietro Zocchi, from -Agriano, in the district of Nursia. He, too, was -suffering from a mortal illness when his mother -made a vow in his favour to St. Rita, and he was -cured on the instant. To fulfil her vow and testify -her gratitude, Scolastica presented a vestment -to the church on the 1st of June. -</p> - -<p> -About the same time it also happened that a -little girl of ten years, called Antonia, who was -the daughter of Giovanni di Silvestro of Rocca -Porena, fell into the river Corno, then very much -swollen by floods, and was swept along in the -strong current for nearly half a mile. Before -losing consciousness she offered herself to St. Rita, -and the waters bore her to the river bank as one -returned to life from the dead. -</p> - -<p> -Donna Brigida, wife of the noble Marsiglio di -Marino of Nursia, was also the recipient of a -singular favour from St. Rita in the year 1548. -She was lying ill in bed, despaired of by the -physicians and near death. A certain Girolamo -di Giovanni, who occupied a room not far from -where the sick woman was lying, twice heard a -voice commanding her to make a vow to the -saint. At the second time of hearing he woke -the servants, the vow was registered by the -invalid, who instantly spoke. She was cured -without the application of other remedies, and -the same day the little silver crown she vowed -to send to Cascia was despatched. -</p> - -<p> -The year after a certain Ferrantino di Benedetto -of Collecurioso, in the Cascia district, was so -terrified by a phantom of the night that he fell -into convulsions and became delirious. St. Rita, -to whom he had remembered to pray, appeared -to him in one of his lucid intervals and advised -him to go to her tomb and pray there, and that -he would there regain his health. He went on -St. James's Day, and although he was as ill as -usual whilst going, no sooner had he reached the -blessed tomb than he was cured in body and mind. -</p> - -<p> -Nicola, the son of Francesco Cascianelli of -Antrodoco, in October, 1562, had recourse to -the saint to heal him of a chronic illness, -promising to make an offering of three crowns -at her sepulchre. He, too, was instantaneously -cured. -</p> - -<p> -On the last day of May, in the year 1563, -there happened another noteworthy miracle -wrought in favour of Donna Cheava di Paolo, of -the Castle of Uncciafora. Two months before -she had an apoplectic fit, and during all the -intervening time her tender mother could obtain no -relief for her, and was herself condemned to -useless weeping, till she determined to make a -vow to the saint. After two days she had the -happiness of seeing her daughter restored to her -former health. On the very day of the recovery -the mother went to Cascia to perform her vow -at Rita's tomb, and the assembled people -celebrated the miracle with a procession. -</p> - -<p> -Four years afterwards, on the 23rd of April, -Angelina di Marco of Poggio-Primocaso was prostrate -at the saint's tomb, returning thanks to her -for having saved her nephew, who had been at -the point of death after falling down a precipice. -</p> - -<p> -Many other wonderful cures are recorded in -the process of beatification without a date being -mentioned. We read, for example, that a woman -from Monte Leone named Pazienza, who was -obsessed by the devil, was freed from her great -misfortune on being brought to the tomb of the -saint; that Ristorio Sarsio from Amatrice, who -was brought almost to death's door by pains in -his sides, was cured whilst in the act of making -a vow in the saint's honour; that a child of -four years—Giovanni Andrea, son of Fabiano -Fortunati—who had fallen into a vessel of boiling -water, and thereby lost sight and speech, as soon -as his mother had asked the saint's intercession -for him, again spoke and recovered sight, and in -a short time was as well as ever; that a certain -Bernardino di Tiberio, who had become blind -of an eye from a wound, was brought to the -saint's tomb, and instantly regained the sight of -his eye whilst the coffin was being uncovered; -and that a woman from Logna, who was returning -from Cascia after being cured there miraculously, -suggested to another woman to make a vow to -St. Rita in order that a daughter of hers who was -blind might recover sight. The daughter promised -St. Rita to become a nun in the Augustinian -convent in Cascia, and her vision was immediately -restored. She was afterwards Prioress of the -convent for thirty-five years. Fr. Galli, who -wrote the saint's life, through fear of wearying -his readers contented himself with simply alluding -to many other like miracles and wonderful favours -worked by St. Rita. Most other writers of her -life have followed his example, except that a -few have given some little additions. We, too, -shall imitate these older examples, and close our -list of miracles worked by St. Rita before her -beatification. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0303"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER III -</h3> - -<h3> -EFFICACY OF RELICS OF ST. RITA -</h3> - -<p> -It is quite certain that the power of working -miracles belongs only to Omnipotence; -nevertheless, the many wonderful works done at the -tombs of the saints seem to indicate that in those -holy places there breathes an air participated -through that incommunicable virtue by means of -which not only those sacred bodies, but -everything that belongs to them, co-operates in -performing the wonderful works of God and in -celebrating and making known these wonders. -This is the same power that first accompanied -the shadow of St. Peter, as the Holy Spirit assures -us it did,[<a id="chap0303fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0303fn1">1</a>] and that afterwards, on the testimony -of St. Augustine, was communicated to those -renowned chains that were the instruments of -his generous confession and his guide to -martyrdom. The Church's history supplies us with -innumerable examples of cases in which similar -virtue was annexed to relics of the saints and -to objects connected with the veneration of them, -and in St. Rita's case we have a special confirmation -of this fact. And, to keep to our subject, -the truth of this assertion as regards St. Rita is -witnessed by immemorial report, by such -examples being recorded in the process for her -beatification, and by proven cases, some of -which we here record. -</p> - -<p> -Before the saint's body was removed to its -new resting-place—that is, before the year -1745—it was the long-established custom of the nuns -to cover it with a new veil every year, the old one -being divided into minute portions and distributed -to the faithful to satisfy their devotion. 'Many -miracles were worked through them,' says Father -Rabbi, who cites the following case as an example: -</p> - -<p> -On the 27th of April, 1652, twenty-four years -after an office in honour of St. Rita had been -granted, a fire broke out in the house of Giovanni -Polidori in Narni, and soon spread to an alarming -degree. His wife Chiara, seeing that human aid -was of no avail in overcoming the increasing -flames, and recollecting that she had a little piece -of the saint's veil, hurriedly sent her daughter to -the roof of a house that had not yet taken fire to -cast from there the piece of veil into the flames. -The daughter did as she was told, and for fear -the relic, which was wrapped in a piece of paper, -should not carry so far owing to its lightness, she -tied it with a thread to a piece of mortar. As -soon as she had done so, she threw it, and the -fire immediately ceased. Then Chiara, her family, -and the others who were living in the house, -went directly to St. Augustine's Church to offer -their thanks to God and His saint. They found -in the church the woman who had given the piece -of veil to Chiara, and who was of even greater -faith than her. Chiara considered that the relic -was burned, but the woman maintained that it -must have escaped the fire, for the instrument of -the miracle ought not to have become the food -of the conquered flames, and told them to go and -look for it amidst the ashes. They went, and -Chiara soon had reason to wonder at a second -marvel, for she found the relic just as it had been -when it was thrown into the flames, and neither -the paper around it nor the string was in the -least burned. They then returned to the church -to renew their thanksgiving for the wonderful -works done in their favour. The report of the -occurrence was soon spread abroad, and a public -account of it was printed on the 25th of the -following May. -</p> - -<p> -It was also a pious custom of the nuns to -distribute to the people the dust, the scrapings from -the walls, and such things, of the saint's cell, and -of the first coffin in which her sacred body had -been placed and in which it had lain until 1745, -and many marvellous results were obtained also -from the employment of these things. Amongst -other wonders Father Rivarola relates this one: -A servant of Cardinal Fachinetti, Bishop of -Spoleto, had a daughter who was blind of one eye, -and whose other eye was so diseased that no hope -could be entertained of curing it. She recovered -the sight of both eyes by the sole use of that dust, -which her mother cast into her eyes, an act which -would naturally have further injured her eyes -if the dust had not been made salutary by the -Omnipotent, who, as we read in the Gospel,[<a id="chap0303fn2text"></a><a href="#chap0303fn2">2</a>] -gave sight to the blind by using clay. A certain -Francesco Armilli obtained a similar grace by -the same means. Both of these afterwards went -to Cascia to give public testimony of the facts, -and to return heartfelt fervent thanks to St. Rita. -</p> - -<p> -There are authentic documents in existence to -prove that marvellous cures were also wrought -through the means of the oil of the lamp that -burns before the receptacle wherein the saint's -body is placed. By means of that oil Alessandro -Alessandrini of Amatrice, who had been stabbed -in the side, and was almost at death's door, got -better in a moment of the violent pain he was -suffering, and was afterwards entirely cured -without the use of any other remedy, nor did any -sign of the wound remain on his body. -</p> - -<p> -Granita, the wife of Antonio Vanatelli of Atri, -was cured in the same manner of a large abscess -on her side. Signor Pompeo Benenati of Cascia, -who was a captain in Ferrara, was cured of a -dangerous hemorrhage by the same marvellous -remedy, and as a mark of his gratitude sent a -silver lamp to the sepulchre of the saint of his -native town, his deliverer. A son of Signora di -Giovanni Andrea of Nursia, whose feet, legs, and -arms were so crippled that he could not stir -from his bed, was healed by the virtue of that -same oil, and was afterwards as able to go about -as if he had never been ill. Don Sante Mazzuti, -parish priest of Castel San Giorgio, near Cascia, -who was attacked by the plague, which was -devastating many parts of Italy in the time of Pope -Alexander VII., was also cured by applying the -same wondrous oil. -</p> - -<p> -It was also customary with the nuns, from the -year 1500 at least, to bake little loaves on which -they impress the image of St. Rita, and these, -after having placed them in presence of the sacred -body, they distribute in large quantities, and even -send them to distant countries. Devout people -who are seeking favours from the saint in their -necessities, after reciting a <i>Pater Noster</i> and <i>Hail -Mary</i>, or some other prayer, eat a little of that -bread, and they drink a little water, perhaps in -memory or in honour of the very little food -the saint was accustomed to use, for bread and -water were her usual sustenance. Now, as many -authors testify, on the authority of the process -of beatification, and the witnesses cited for the -canonization confirm them, the sick have often -found this bread a very efficacious remedy in -their illnesses, and especially those suffering fever. -Moreover, in cases of storm by sea or land, it is -a pious practice in some places to throw a bit -of the bread towards the sky or into the sea -whilst reciting a prayer to the saint, and it has -often been observed that thereupon calm and -tranquillity succeeded. It is, in fact, related -that many sailors have been thereby delivered -from shipwreck, and, amongst others, Pompeo -Martini of Cascia and his companions whilst they -were on a voyage to Sicily. They tell, too, that -in time of pestilence many were either preserved -from infection by using this bread, or else regained -their lost health. -</p> - -<p> -With regard to this matter, there is one fact -at least which we ought not to pass over in silence. -We have already made mention of that contagious -disease which was rife in the year 1656, to the -great loss of many Italian cities, and which -brought desolation to Rome itself. There lived -in Rome at that time a girl of about twelve years -of age, daughter of an innkeeper, whose house -was near the Church of St. Blase, which had been -dedicated about that time to St. Rita. The -little girl, by reason of the great devotion which she -had towards the saint, was accustomed to make -use of these little loaves. It happened that whilst -she was sleeping one night with her two aunts they -were both unexpectedly attacked by the pestilence, -and both of them died that night whilst -she was asleep. When she awoke she was so -frightened by what had happened that she fell -off into a faint so deep that she, too, was thought -to be dead, and she was put with the two corpses -on a car and carried to the cemetery of St. Paul -that had been arranged for those who died of -that disease. When they were removing the -bodies from the car she was found to be alive -and conscious, and was carried back to her home -amidst the astonishment and joy of all who were -present. When she was asked at home how it -was that she was alive, she answered, 'I do not -know, except that when I awoke and saw that -I was lying between two dead bodies I said, -"Blessed Rita, help me."' Now, let us ask how -could a person of tender years, after being so long -between two persons just then dead of the plague, -escape the contagion without the special favour -of heaven, or of that saint who had been the -special protector of her devout client? How -admirable, indeed, is God in His saints! -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0303fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0303fn1text">1</a>] Acts v. 15. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0303fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap0303fn2text">2</a>] John ix. 6. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0304"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IV -</h3> - -<h3> -MARVELS OF ST. RITA'S SEPULCHRE -</h3> - -<p> -It was the Almighty's will that the body of -the saint, born of a mother so long barren, -visited by the wonderful bees, miraculously -brought into the convent, marked by a wound -from a thorn of the Crucified One, and in death -crowned with splendour and clothed with a -beauty almost heavenly, should also be glorified -in a singular manner after death. And so it -has remained for several centuries without -showing the least sign of decay, and may be seen -even to the present day miraculously preserved. -Before the year 1628—that is, for a space of -171 years—its eyes were always seen to be closed, -and so they appear in pictures taken before that -date; but in that year there was a tumult excited -in the church by an insignificant cause on a day -on which ceremonies more solemn than usual -were being observed to celebrate the granting -of an Office in the saint's honour, and on that -occasion the eyes of the saint were seen to open, -to the great amazement of all present. The -scandalous conduct of those who caused the -tumult, and through passion violated the laws of -charity and the sanctity of the holy place, seems -to have awakened that venerable body from its -long repose; for it raised itself aloft out of its -resting-place, whilst a perfume as from Paradise -filled the church, its eyes opened, and thus struck -terror into the hearts of the brawlers, and filled -them with penitence for their deeds, so that the -sacred offices were finished in peace. -</p> - -<p> -The scene we have described calls us to consider -a second prodigy, that of the odour which is -often observed in the vicinity of the saint's body—an -odour of unsurpassed sweetness, which invites -to devotion and brings spiritual comfort and -consolation. It lasts sometimes for a considerable -period, sometimes is very transient; it diffuses itself -to a great distance at times, or is only apparent -in the vicinity of the body, and at different times -has different degrees of pleasantness. This, which -we might call an odour of Paradise, is sometimes -so widely diffused as to be noticeable not only in -the church where the body is preserved and in -the adjacent convent, but also in the neighbouring -houses and in the streets, and it is wonderful -that it has never seemed unpleasant to anyone, -but, on the contrary, has brought spiritual -consolation, and excited the devotion of those who -have had the happiness of experiencing it. -</p> - -<p> -There are many documents in existence which -give the fullest testimony regarding this wonderful -odour, and notably the processes of St. Rita's -canonization, which put beyond all doubt the -fact that it is really supernatural, for neither -was Rita's body ever embalmed, as we have said, -nor were any spices or other odoriferous -substances ever placed either within or near the -receptacle wherein it lies. -</p> - -<p> -Moreover, it is an ancient tradition in Cascia, -which is confirmed also by the writers of her life -and by the processes of beatification and -canonization, that on the occasions of the triduums -that are accustomed to be offered at the altar of -the saint for the sick who have recourse to her, -it is not hard to discover whether they are going -to get back health or are going to die; for a -sweeter perfume is given forth when the object -of prayer is to be granted, whereas an odour -somewhat like that of incense, or the absence of -odour altogether, is an indication of death. -Stranger still, the same wonderful fragrance has -been experienced even in distant countries, when -extraordinary graces have been obtained by -the intercession and through the invocation of -St. Rita. So the constant tradition affirms, and -the processes of canonization confirm tradition -in this point. Fr. Rabbi quotes a specific case -in proof of this belief. A medical doctor, Signor -Andrea, came from Sinigaglia to Cascia with his -wife Violante to thank the saint for her intercession -and to present a silver votive offering for -the healing of their son, who had been cured of -a mortal illness. The healing of their son had -been signified to them a little before they came to -Cascia by the same wonderful fragrance. These -sweet odours are also manifest, not to mention -many other occasions, whenever the Bishop of -Spoleto or the Augustinian Provincial come to -hold their usual visitations. -</p> - -<p> -Another fact calculated to cause still greater -surprise is that Rita's body has been seen to -raise itself in its coffin from the bottom of that -receptacle up to the grating on its top, especially -during the time of the Provincial's visitation. -The same wonderful occurrence has also been -remarked during the visitations of the Bishops -of Spoleto in the convent, as if the saint thereby -wished to renew her homage to her episcopal -Superior. On these occasions the motion of the -body is not always the same. Sometimes it has -been remarked to be much slower than at other -times, and it has on occasions been seen to raise -itself for a moment and then sink back again -into its usual place. On many other occasions -besides at times of visitation this spontaneous -raising of the body has been noticed. In order -not to make so seemingly incredible a statement -without sufficient evidence, we transcribe a -deposition sworn by some of the most prominent people -in the town of Cascia. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -NOTE TO CHAPTER IV -</p> - -<p class="t3"> -<i>In the Name of God. Amen.</i> -</p> - -<p> -On Saturday the 16th May, 1682, in the church -called anciently St. Mary Magdalen's, but now -called B. Rita's, we the undersigned, of the -territory of Cascia, diocese of Spoleto, by means of -our oath, etc., in the presence of me a notary and -Chancellor forane of the bishop of the territory -of Cascia, give full and undoubted testimony, -etc., for the truth, and not otherwise, etc., that -at the present the blessed body of our B. Rita is -entire, uncorrupted, with its flesh white, without -any stain of corruption, with its eyes open, and -especially the left, which is seen to be more open -than the right, and with the eyelids separated, -and with the mouth somewhat opened, in which -are seen and very clearly distinguished the white -teeth, the hands likewise white, etc. -</p> - -<p> -Similarly have been observed by us, and recognised, -the garments and the veils, that she has -on her head, which are the same that she wore -when she was alive, and with them was the blessed -body placed and arranged in the same coffin, -where at present she is found, as by relation and -continued ancient tradition of the nuns of this -convent, which garments and veils have been -found to be sound, entire, and not corrupted by -moths, nor by time, these garments appearing, -as the veils also, as if they were worn at the -present time by a living person. -</p> - -<p> -Similarly we attest as above, that we have felt -many times an odour and a fragrance wonderful -and of Paradise, without being able to say what -kind of odour it is, and this sometimes has been -observed in a manner that it was felt outside the -church. And by much more is this odour -marvellous inasmuch as her body was not embalmed, -or opened, but placed in the coffin where it is -found, with all the internal portions not separated, -nor divided from the body. -</p> - -<p> -Similarly we fully testify as above, that we -have many times observed that her blessed body -had raised itself from the place where ordinarily -it lies up to the top of the little grating which is -above the said coffin, where reposes the same -blessed body, and especially this happens on the -occurrence of her feast, and when she has worked -some miracle, as happened in the year 1628 for -the first time, when was celebrated the feast of -her beatification, of which appears authentic -testimony made under date 13 June, 1660, by -deed of Signor Giuseppe Benenati, native of -Montefalco, with the legal form of this public -office, and so much we say and attest for the truth, -etc., not only, etc., but in every other better -way, etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Carlo Giudici, Vice-Governor of Cascia, was -present, and affirm as above with my own -hand. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Raffaele Cittadoni, Archpriest of the collegiate -church of said place, was present and affirm, -etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Dionigi Panfili, Vic. forane of Cascia, was -present and affirm, etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Ortensio Martini, Canon of the collegiate -church of said territory, was present and -affirm, etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Antonio Frenfenelli, Canon of the collegiate -church of said territory, was present and -affirm, etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Cerulino Berardi, Captain of the company of -the cuirassiers of said place, was present -and affirm, etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Angelo Graziani, Captain of the infantry of -Cascia, was present and affirm, etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Alessio Martini, notary public of Cascia, was -present and affirm, etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Giovanni Graziani of Cascia was present and -affirm, etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -I Giovanni Battista Leonetti of Cascia was -present, etc. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -<i>In the Name of God. Amen.</i> -</p> - -<p> -In the year of our Lord 1682, the fifth declaration, -on the 28th day of the month of May, 6th -year of the Pontificate of Innocent XI., Pope by -Divine Providence, I Petrus Gentilis of Tutia in -Cascia, of the diocese of Spoleto, by public -Apostolic authority notary, etc. -</p> - -<p> -L <b>+</b> S. -</p> - -<p> -</p> - -<p class="t3"> -<i>The Consuls of the Renowned Territory of Cascia.</i> -</p> - -<p> -To all, etc. The aforesaid D. Petrus Gentilis -and our other fellow-citizens are such as they -describe themselves in their public and private -declarations, and in this the usual and due forms -were observed, and in the present matter -undoubted faith is to be given them, etc., and -therefore we have given these at Cascia from the -Consular Palace this last day of May, 1682. -</p> - -<p> -L <b>+</b> S. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -DOMINICUS DE LANCELLOTTIS,<br /> -<i>Canc. Secr.</i> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0305"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER V -</h3> - -<h3> -IMMEMORIAL WORSHIP OF ST. RITA -</h3> - -<p> -It had been provided by the sapient Pontiff -Alexander III. three centuries before Rita's -death that no one, however remarkable for -holiness of life, and dying in the fame of sanctity, -should receive public and ecclesiastical worship, -unless after the approbation of the Holy Apostolic -See. But it must be admitted that Rita's sanctity -and miracles had more effect than any decree -that interfered with the devotion of so many, and, -indeed, the decree was unknown to most of them. -Hardly was Rita dead than there was a great -concourse of the people of Cascia gathered at -the feet of the sacred body, with hands raised -in veneration and entreaty, beseeching the favour -of their new protectress. The constant and -wonderful works which it then pleased God to -perform to the advantage of those faithful people -justified their confidence, and served to augment -their fervour and at the same time the veneration -and glory of the saint. Following the -example of the people of Cascia, and incited by -the fame of Rita's miracles, the peoples of other -places, near and far, hastened to offer her their -religious homage also, in order to become participants -in her favours, or to make votive offerings, -or to leave memorials of graces received. As a -consequence, lamps and candles were soon -burning around her venerated tomb; her picture -became honoured, and many votive tablets and -gifts in ever-increasing numbers were offered. -Hence, also, devout processions began to be -celebrated on the occasions of the more extraordinary -miracles, and hence her feast began to be kept -on the anniversary day of her death, or, rather, -of her birth to immortal life. -</p> - -<p> -This singular devotion to the saint never -declined; it rather acquired greater vigour and -wider bounds as years went on. The processions -took place only in Cascia in the beginning, but -in the course of time they began to be held by -the faithful of the neighbouring towns and -villages, who had begun to invoke, as they still -invoke, the favour of their common advocate. -These pious demonstrations of public and solemn -veneration are usually celebrated about the time -of her feast, and are always accompanied by -pious offerings. The feast itself, which at first -used to be observed in an ordinary way, came -to be celebrated even magnificently when the -devotion increased, and to be regarded as a holiday -of obligation. The Offices of the Church, which -were attended by great crowds of people, many -of them from distant places, were made more -impressive by the aid of the choicest music and -the rich decoration of the church. But what -has ever caused the greatest edification in -connection with this festival was to see the number -of strangers, and especially women, who came on -pilgrimage in bare feet and humble attire. -</p> - -<p> -From that period the convent and church, -which were formerly known as St. Mary Magdalen's, -came, in a beautiful way, to be called, -as they are so called at present, by the title of -St. Rita. For the pilgrims, as they approached -the goal of their journey, had no other care than -to find out where the convent of St. Rita was, -and on their return were used to say that they had -been in the country and in the Church of St. Rita. -Hence that manner of speaking, which has -prevailed from an early date, has finally succeeded -in giving its fixed name to that venerated shrine. -</p> - -<p> -It is also deserving of notice here that the custom -of calling her the Blessed, which had been -introduced even during the century after her death, -in a short time became public and general. -About eight years after her most glorious death -the learned Cardinal Girolamo Seripando had -already placed Rita on his list of the Saints and -Blesseds of the Augustinian Order; Panfilo, -Crusenio, Gelsomini, and Ferrario had in their -works already confirmed these titles and honours; -the Fathers-General of the Order were already -accustomed in their official documents and letters -patent to style her either by the title of Blessed -or that of Saint, and distinguished her convent -by the same title. In a word, the general body -of the faithful had already beatified her long -before the Vicar of Jesus Christ had her name -inserted in the Roman Martyrology or had -granted an Office in her honour. Now, if the -worship given to Rita was so great before it was -allowed by the Church to honour her publicly, -we may imagine how much it was increased -when the decree of the Supreme Head of the -Church, who could do no less than add his voice -to the general chorus of praise, set his seal and -approval on it. Religious veneration to the -famous Rita then speedily spread throughout the -whole earth, and together with the people, Kings, -Cardinals, Prelates, and personages of the greatest -distinction, bent their knees in devotion before -the humble servant of God, and deemed -themselves happy in her patronage. Amongst the -countries remarkable for devotion to her, the -kingdoms of Spain and Portugal were pre-eminent, -both in their European possessions and -their vast colonies in the Western world; for -throughout them all the name of Rita was -glorious, and their monarchs gave the most -edifying examples of piety and munificence. And it -was in these Catholic dominions that, owing to -the very many great miracles she wrought, she -began to be known by the title of '<i>the Saint of -the Impossible</i>,' and in them hard to find a church -which has not an altar dedicated to her honour. -So much was her veneration extended that the -inhabitants of the city of St. Sebastian, in Brazil, -made a supplication to Pope Benedict XIII. to -obtain the extraordinary faculty of -consecrating a church under the invocation of B. Rita, -and when the faculty had been granted their -pious intention was soon carried into effect. -Seventy years before that Monsignor Giuseppe -Cruciani of Cascia, chamberlain of Pope -Alexander VII., had obtained possession of the Church -of St. Blase in Rome, with the intention of -rededicating it to B. Rita, and to-day we find it so -dedicated, and it has become the church proper -to the people of Cascia in Rome. Still earlier, -and immediately after her beatification, Monsignor -Fausto Poli, himself a native of Cascia, who -was then Maggiordomo to Pope Urban VIII., and -afterwards became Cardinal and Bishop of Orvieto, -acquired possession of the house in which the -saint lived during her married life, and at his own -expense had it converted into a little chapel; -and so it remains to the present, and in it is -preserved as a relic the mantle she wore in the -world. -</p> - -<p> -We must not pass over in silence a noteworthy -fact recorded by some biographers of the saint, -which is confirmed by a tradition in Rocca Porena, -and sworn to in a deposition included in the -first process. It is this: The saint's room -received its light whilst she dwelt in it, and until -it was changed into a chapel, from a little window, -or, rather, aperture, in the roof, and there, as is -piously believed, the angels used to appear who -came to comfort her in her sorrows. When she -entered the convent others dwelt there until the -time of her beatification. Her successors in the -house—and amongst them was a priest, Don -Diamante di Pier Felice, who was examined as a -witness in the first process—tried to close the -aperture; but all their efforts were fruitless, for -as often as they closed it they found it opened -again, and it was, moreover, observed that -through that opening neither rain nor snow ever -entered. -</p> - -<p> -The convent cell, too, which Rita sanctified -by so many years of her presence, by her profound -meditations, and by the pitiless scourging of her -body, and where the two coffins in which she was -first buried are at present preserved, began to -be held in veneration from an early period and -to be looked upon as a private oratory. In brief, -it is an undoubted fact that the religious honours -shown to our saint began from the very time of -her death, and as time went on they increased -without any interruption and became more -distinguished, till veneration to Rita was spread in -a singular manner throughout the whole Catholic -world. Thus are the humble exalted by God, -and thus are the just in the everlasting memory -of the ages. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0306"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VI -</h3> - -<h3> -SOLEMN BEATIFICATION OF RITA -</h3> - -<p> -A period of one hundred and seventy years -had passed since Rita went to live crowned -with glory in the kingdom of the blessed, where -there is no change of years or of things, and from -whence she was regarding with compassionate eyes -the ever-changing vicissitudes of this valley of -tears. In that interval between Rita's death and -her solemn beatification the world had changed a -hundred times its form and appearance. Convulsions -of nature, ruling passions, kingdoms -ceasing to be, new Governments, dominions -extended, fires of war enkindled, extinguished, and -enkindled again, heresies ever variable, now -spreading themselves, now kept within bounds, -councils assembled, Apostolic enterprises, and -the barque of Peter always safe amid the shocks -of tempests—these are the things that make -up the long history of that time, and, indeed, of -every epoch. -</p> - -<p> -However, at the time in which the honours of -beatification were being prepared for Rita, the -world and the Church were enduring only minor -afflictions, and the aspect of affairs would have -been still more serene but that the question of -the succession to the extinct House of Mantua -was giving rise to some hostile movements in -Italy, and that the rebellious Calvinists were -causing civil discord in France. Still, compared -with the past, those were times of peace, of -gentleness, and of religion. In the East, in fact, -the infidel Amurath IV., sunk in debauchery, had -lost the taste for war and conquest. The -Emperor Frederick V., in the West, was keeping the -heretics in subjection and preparing the way -to restore to the Church the rights and property -they had usurped. Italy had no longer to tolerate -those wandering troops of armed men of which -we have elsewhere spoken, who, however they -may have bargained to bring help, were much -more accustomed to bring ruin and mourning -in their train; nor was there that multiplicity -of Governments, each as ambitious and tyrannical -as it was insignificant. Cascia, too, although -fallen from its primitive splendour, was yet at -peace, as was the rest of the Pontifical dominions. -</p> - -<p> -The arts were flourishing and gaining new -lustre in this time of tranquillity. But what is of -most importance is good order, religious and -moral, and the Council of Trent had brought -back order into the bosom of Christianity, and -there it continued to rule. -</p> - -<p> -At that time the chair of Peter was occupied -by Urban VIII., whose virtue, learning, and -illustrious enterprises have made his name -immortal. Before ascending the Papal throne he -had governed the Church of Spoleto with great -edification and splendid success, and there he had -every facility for inquiring into Rita's virtues -and miracles, and the antiquity and fame of -the veneration paid to her. God afterwards so -disposed it that he should take upon himself -the government of the Universal Church, and -should co-operate in the fulness of power in -exalting our saint. It is true that she had already -been beatified by the people from the time of -her death, but in strict truth and in accordance -with the sacred Canons, it did not belong, nor -does it belong, to the people to declare anyone -saint or blessed, for the oracle of the Apostolic -See is needed. For Jesus Christ alone sanctifies -in the Church triumphant, as He teaches in the -Book of Leviticus, where He says, 'I am the -Lord who sanctifies them,' and so in the Church -militant it is the prerogative of His Vicar on -earth, the Roman Pontiff, to set the seal of his -approval on sanctification and publish it to the -world. -</p> - -<p> -Never was there a more favourable opportunity -than that which then presented itself, when the -Papal throne was occupied by a Pope who had -been himself a witness of the devotion with which -the faithful flocked to Rita's tomb and of the -ever-increasing veneration in which she was -held; and therefore the Augustinian fathers, -the nuns, and the Council of Cascia, determined -to unite their influence with that of Monsignor -Fausto Poli and other distinguished persons, -amongst whom was pre-eminent the Lady Costanza -Barberini, the Pope's sister-in-law, in -supplicating him graciously to proceed to the -anxiously desired beatification of Rita. Their -petitions were sufficient for the Pope, who ordered -the Sacred Congregation of Rites to set about -the affair. The Congregation committed to the -Bishop of Spoleto the task of investigating into -the fame of the sanctity, the virtues, and miracles -of the saint, and instructed him to prepare what -is called the informative process. -</p> - -<p> -On the 16th of October, 1626, the legal inquiry -was therefore begun, and in due time brought to -a happy conclusion. In the month of March of -the following year the results of the Bishop of -Spoleto's investigation were submitted to a rigorous -examination by the Sacred Congregation and -approved of. The Cardinals of that Congregation -delivered the canonical relation of the investigation -and its issue to the Pope, who was rejoiced -with the success of their labours. Thereupon, by -a Special Brief of the 2nd of October, 1627, he -granted leave to the whole Augustinian Order -and the Diocese of Spoleto to recite the Office -and celebrate Mass in honour of B. Rita, and this -privilege was extended four months later by a Brief -of the 4th of February, 1628, at the instance of the -Father-General of the Order, to all priests -celebrating Mass in any church of the Order, or of -the Diocese of Spoleto, on the day of Rita's feast. -The joy of the Augustinian Order and of Spoleto -for so sovereign and gracious a concession may -not be described. But the solemn beatification -was not promulgated until the 16th of July, 1628, -when the religious ceremony was celebrated in the -Church of St. Augustine in Rome in the presence -of twenty-two Cardinals and a great number -of other prelates. We make no mention of the -splendid festivals organized in honour of the -illustrious Blessed Rita, of the panegyrics -preached, of the poetical compositions with which -her virtues and miracles were celebrated. The -devout clients of Rita vied with one another -in defraying the expenses of these pious festivities, -but the most distinguished for his liberality was -Cardinal Antonio Barberini, the nephew of the -reigning Pope. -</p> - -<p> -The pomp of the ecclesiastical functions was -renewed in all the churches of the Order, but the -people of Cascia and the nuns of Rita's convent -rightly determined that their celebrations more -than any other should be remarkable for magnificence. -The joyful pealing of the bells, which -continued for several days and nights; the -bonfires on the hill-tops that illuminated the whole -country around; the silken hangings and rich -ornaments that decorated the church within and -without; the new paintings representing Rita's -glorious deeds and her miracles; the solemn -procession in which all the clergy, secular and -regular, and all the confraternities of the town -and district took part, bearing in triumph the -banner of the blessed one; the band of children -dressed to represent angels that accompanied it; -the many wax torches and gifts; the enormous -concourse of the faithful, many of them from -distant places; the solemn religious functions; -the sacred plays and representations; and other -like pomps, all publicly testified the common -applause and universal joy. -</p> - -<p> -Even the body of the saint seemed as if, on so -glorious a day, it wished to add to the splendour -and gladness of the extraordinary festivity; for, -after the many years that had passed since Rita's -death, it opened its eyes, as if to take pleasure -from the solemn feast and general rejoicing, and -at the same time to appease that momentary -tumult of which we have already spoken. Then, -too, the church was filled with that sweet odour -we have described, and the sacred body raised -itself to the height of the grating at the top of its -resting-place. And, lest anything should be left -to mar the tranquillity of that happy day, she -imposed silence on the demons by then liberating -from their influence two women—one from Spoleto -and the other from Sinigaglia—who had been -obsessed. But all that we have hitherto narrated -was only accidental honour, and but a shadow -of the immortal glory which Rita enjoys in heaven. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0307"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VII -</h3> - -<h3> -MIRACLES WORKED BY RITA AFTER HER BEATIFICATION -</h3> - -<p> -It is related in the holy Gospels that once -when the Saviour was going to Jerusalem, -as He entered into a certain town He saw ten -lepers coming to meet Him, who began to shout -from afar off, 'Jesus, have mercy on us,' and that -all of them were miraculously healed by Him, -but only one fulfilled the duty of gratitude by -publicly giving glory to God and going back to -give thanks to his Divine Benefactor. -</p> - -<p> -We are forced to think that something similar -must have been the case with those who have -received extraordinary favours and graces through -the invocation and protection of Rita. For, on -the one hand, the constant appeals of the faithful -for her intercession, the numerous triduums and -novenas which the sick cause to be celebrated -in many places in order to be cured of their -diseases, and the fame which is spread throughout -the earth of the benefits she has conferred and -the miracles she has worked, show with sufficient -clearness the truth of them and their frequency. -But, on the other hand, there are few who give -full praise to God by publishing the wonderful -works He has done in honour of His beloved, -or, at most, they content themselves with hanging -a tablet or votive offering on her altars. The -present author, too, may perhaps be not -altogether free from fault, for he confesses in his -nothingness that he has neither sufficient zeal, -nor correspondence sufficiently wide, to enable -him to know all the facts. Nevertheless, we -shall for the last time, for the glory of God and -of Rita, relate a few of the more striking miracles -we have been able to gather, and which seem best -authenticated. -</p> - -<p> -When we were speaking of the marvels done -through such relics of the saint as the portions -of the veil or by the use of the little loaves, we -took occasion to mention some miracles that took -place after the time of her beatification, and now, -in order to avoid repetition and to pass over -what is hidden in the obscurity of a period long -past, we shall confine our attention to the century -in which the cause of her canonization was resumed. -</p> - -<p> -A youth of fifteen years, by name Francesco -Cavalieri of Cascia, was in the year 1746 confined -to his bed by gangrene of the leg, which had -broken out in five different places, and was so bad -that the surgeons had resolved to amputate the -limb. His father thereupon made a vow to the -saint, who heard his prayer, and deigned to appear -to the sick youth, first in the silence of the night, -and again at dawn, telling him to get up and go -to her church. He went as told by the saint, -and was restored to perfect health. -</p> - -<p> -Sister Chiara Isabella Garofili, professed nun -of the convent of Cascia, was twice cured through -the saint's intercession in ways that were -certainly more than natural. The first case -happened in 1775, when she had been suffering for -eight years from a complication of diseases, of -which the description would be long, and which -had then become incurable. St. Rita appeared -to her in a dream, telling her to get up—that she -was cured. When she awoke she found that she -had been restored again to health. The second -case occurred in 1786, in which year Sister -Chiara's right arm unexpectedly lost all power -of motion, and she was also deprived of speech. -She tried several medical remedies without avail, -and ultimately abandoned their use, and put all -her confidence in the help of Rita alone. Her -trust was rewarded, for then, to the surprise of -the doctor and of the community, she found herself -well once more. Yet the impediment in speech -still remained to some extent; but she went to -the saint's tomb accompanied by her sisters in -religion, and the Superior anointed her tongue -with oil from the lamp that was burning there, -and in an instant her cure was perfected. This -fact is confirmed by the legal testimony of the -doctor, Laurenti. -</p> - -<p> -During the year 1777 Giovanni Graziano of -Poggiodomo, in the district of Cascia, fell from -his horse, and was dragged for a considerable -distance along the road, receiving a number of -bruises and lacerations; but as soon as he invoked -St. Rita she appeared to him, and restored him -to his former health and strength. -</p> - -<p> -Another miraculous recovery, which has been -authenticated in legal form, was that of Sister -Vittoria Teresa Bargagnati, which took place in -1781, when she was a novice in the convent of -St. Teresa in Terni. Her malady was that she -could retain no food in her stomach. She had in -consequence been confined to bed for several -months, and seemed at the last extremity. In -this state, seeing that all the resources of medical -science were of no avail, she resolved to have -recourse to more effective aid, the intercession of -St. Rita. Animated, then, by that lively faith -which is able even to move mountains, she applied -to her stomach a picture of her saintly advocate, -and immediately after rose from her bed, went to -the refectory, and ate the same food as the others, -nor did she ever after experience any trace of -her malady. -</p> - -<p> -There is a still more marvellous recovery, which -is also proved and confirmed by legal testimony—that -of Rosa Mazzi, a young lady of Cittei di -Castello, who was afterwards Sister Anna Rita -of the Augustinian convent of St. Maria Maddalena -in Spello. In the year 1780 she began to -suffer from pains, difficulty of breathing, and -vomitings of copious quantities of blood, and -afterwards from inflammatory fevers and ischury, -so that in two years she was reduced almost to -the point of death. In this desperate crisis her -confessor, who was attending her as a dying -person, told her of the miracle we have just -related, which had recently happened in Terni, and -encouraged her to have equal confidence. She -determined to make a devout triduum to the -saint. The triduum was hardly finished when -Rosa felt herself well again, rose from her bed, and -continued to be even haler and stronger than she -had been before her long and mortal illness. This -wonderful miracle occurred on February 6, 1783. -</p> - -<p> -Signora Rosalia, the daughter of Francesco -Pelagalli of St. Anatolia, but then living in -Camerino, was seized in the year 1802 by constant -rheumatic pains, which tormented her for two -years, and brought her to a deplorable state. -One evening, when she was suffering more than -usual, and so much that she was forced by the -pains to cry out aloud, she thought of recommending -herself in her extreme anguish to the merciful -intercession of Rita. She put into her mouth -one of the little loaves blessed in her honour, and -that instant was completely cured, and she -continued to enjoy good health from that time. -The documents, drawn up in legal form, which -attest this remarkable recovery, are still extant -in the archives of the convent. -</p> - -<p> -For the sake of brevity we omit many other -wonderful cures obtained by those who sought -the assistance of St. Rita. But we must not -altogether neglect to speak of the solemn -transposition of her body. After death, as we have -already said, Rita's body was placed in a coffin -which was enclosed in another coffin, and there it -remained for public veneration for the space of -288 years, from the year 1457 till 1745. But in -that year a devout client of the saint resolved to -provide a more worthy resting-place for those -venerated remains, and a new urn, ample and -beautiful, was sent to the convent. This the -Augustinian nuns adorned with hangings and -ornamentations, so that its appearance should -in some way correspond with their devotion. -Monsignor Paolo Bonavisa, Bishop of Spoleto, -added by his presence to the solemnity of the -occasion, and on Sunday, October 24, in the -presence of many notable witnesses, carried out -with due formality the transposition of the sacred -body into its new place of repose, where now it -lies. So may God grant us, through the abundant -merits and powerful intercession of Rita, to keep -our minds and hearts raised above earthly things, -so that we may one day be transported with her -to participate in the immense and eternal joy -of Paradise. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0308"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VIII[<a id="chap0308fn1text"></a><a href="#chap0308fn1">1</a>] -</h3> - -<h3> -MORE RECENT MIRACLES OF ST. RITA -</h3> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap0308fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap0308fn1text">1</a>] Added to this edition. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -We must not pass over in silence the -marvellous fact that, as the time of the -canonization of our heroine was drawing nearer, -it pleased the Lord to let men see more clearly -how powerful before the throne of His infinite -mercy is her patronage in favour of those who -piously invoke her. -</p> - -<p> -The devotion towards St. Rita, which was -already of ancient date and widely spread, has, -in fact, in these latter years become more universal -and more fervent. Amongst every class of -persons are found some who confidently have -recourse to her intercession; triduums and novenas -are offered in her honour, her pictures are looked -for everywhere, relics of her are eagerly sought, -and in the severest crises her name is invoked. -</p> - -<p> -This great increase of worship is due principally, -we believe, to the very many signal graces which -have been obtained in every country through -Rita's intercession. -</p> - -<p> -It would be too long to narrate all those cases -we have knowledge of, but we must not entirely -disappoint the pious curiosity of devout readers -by omitting them all. We select, therefore, a few -cases from a collection of these extraordinary -favours made by Monsignor Casimiro Gennari, -titular Archbishop of Lepanto, who is himself a -most devoted client of St. Rita and most zealous -in spreading veneration towards so powerful an -advocate. We have chosen those which in our -opinion are most extraordinary and miraculous. -</p> - -<p> -At the same time we wish to protest, out of -veneration to the decrees of Urban VIII. of the -13th of March, 1625, and of the 5th of June, 1831, -and of those of the Congregation of Rites, that -if anything we have hitherto written or are -about to write of the miracles of St. Rita be -not approved by the Holy See, it ought to -receive only that amount of credence to which -the evidence adduced entitles it. -</p> - -<p> -Sister Mary Consiglia Giona, a native of Naples, -who entered the convent of St. Cosmo in -Conversano in the year 1859, contracted in 1863 a -very painful malady of the eyes, which gave her -no rest night or day. During six years she -consulted many doctors, who prescribed various -internal and external remedies, but always -without result. Ultimately she had to leave the -convent and go to live at Bari for six months -under the care of an expert oculist, but even then -she experienced no relief. The malady went on -increasing, till, to her great grief, she lost the sight -of her eyes, whilst the pain in them continued as -great as ever. She thus returned blind to the -convent, and having lost all confidence in human -aid, she turned to God and asked Him to cure her -through the patronage of the Blessed Virgin and -the saints. She thought many times that in a -dream she had seen the most Blessed Virgin, who -was blaming her for having too much complained -of her sufferings, and who exhorted her to offer -her pains to God. One night when Sister Mary -Consiglia had been suffering more than usual, -worn out she fell asleep, and she seemed to see -in a dream the three Babylonian youths, who -wanted her to give them some bunches of grapes -that were not yet ripe which were hanging from -a branch near her room. She refused, and the -youths then said: 'Why do you want a grace that -is not yet ripe?' They disappeared as soon as -they had uttered these words, and the nun was -covered with great confusion. -</p> - -<p> -She continued, however, to have Masses -celebrated, and to address her prayers to the most -holy Virgin and to various saints, but the grace -she sought was still denied her. About this time -she heard people speak of Rita of Cascia as the -saint who obtains from God what is otherwise -impossible, but having lost her confidence she -had no desire to have recourse to that saint. -Nevertheless, she was induced, and almost -constrained by violence of pain, to begin a novena -of prayer in her honour. Shortly after the -saint appeared to her in a dream, and assured her -that she should soon be cured. And so it was. -Her recovery had not long to be waited for; it -was speedy and complete, without any human -aid, for once more she joyfully opened her eyes -to the light of heaven, and her pain ceased as if -by magic. She has preserved her sight strong -and perfect even to the present day, nor has she -any need of spectacles even for reading, as so -many of her sisters in religion have. -</p> - -<p> -This nun, grateful for the great favour -conferred on her, began to spread devotion to -St. Rita with the utmost zeal. She had her statue -placed in the convent church and exposed for -veneration by permission of the Holy See, and -her proper Mass is said on the feast day, which -is celebrated with great solemnity and attended -by a large concourse of the faithful. In this way -special devotion to St. Rita began in Conversano -and the neighbouring towns, and many wonderful -graces have been granted in those places by this -most powerful patron. -</p> - -<p> -Sister Anna Rosa Biscozzi, a nun of the same -convent, was, in 1885, attacked by a violent pain -in the ear, which continued for four months, -and not only rendered her completely deaf, but -nearly drove her mad with agony. The disease -made such progress that one evening blood began -to pour from her ear, and no means of stanching -it could be found. The doctor's efforts were -quite useless, and not being able to suggest -anything better he ordered the ear to be dressed -with oil of almonds. But the invalid, instead of -using the oil that was prescribed, made use of oil -from St. Rita's lamp, and she anointed the affected -part with it for seven days, reciting three Glorias -and an Ave, whilst she made the sign of the Cross -with the oil, and finally saying the ejaculation, -'Blessed Rita, pray for me.' On the seventh -night she had a feeling as if something inside her -head had opened, and from that moment she -noticed she could hear the ticking of the clock, -and in a short time every trace of her malady had -disappeared. -</p> - -<p> -Signora Nicoletta de Bellis of Rutigliano was -often complaining of an intolerable pain in her -head, which came on every fifth or sixth day, -and had reduced her to a condition of the utmost -emaciation. She had consulted many physicians, -amongst them some of the most distinguished -in Naples, and had submitted to many courses of -treatment, but all to no effect. The malady -was obstinate, and her health was failing day by -day. Her aunt, who was a nun in the convent of -St. Cosmo in Conversano, of which we have had -reason to speak already, told her of St. Rita's -miracles, and persuaded her to have recourse -to that saint by a fervent novena. The invalid -followed her advice, and we may imagine her -joy and wonder on finding herself freed from her -malady at the very beginning of the novena. -The recovery was a perfect and lasting one, and -no vestige of disease was left. -</p> - -<p> -A poor man from Conversano had the misfortune -to get a fistula on one of his eyes, which could -be got rid of only by a difficult and costly surgical -operation. He would have to go to Bari and pay -200 lire to the surgeon, which it was quite -impossible for him to do. He had recourse to -St. Rita in his trouble, and besought her intervention -with a lively, ardent faith. His prayers were -heard; the fistula disappeared from his eye -without the intervention of the surgeon's knife. He -had a solemn Mass of thanksgiving sung every -year in honour of his deliverer. -</p> - -<p> -In 1886 a little boy of four years fell on the fire -of a brazier, and besides being badly burnt, his -eyes were so seriously injured that he could no -longer open them. His afflicted mother called -in the doctors, and applied the remedies they -prescribed, but without effect. Day passed after -day, and the child remained blind, nor was there -any hope left that he would recover his sight. -His pious mother then betook herself to prayer to -God and His saints; she addressed many appeals -on her child's behalf to various heavenly patrons, -but the favour she sought was not granted. One -night, whilst she was sleeping, there appeared to -her a nun, who said, 'You have had recourse to -many saints: why have you not applied to -me?' 'And who are you?' asked the woman. 'I am -Blessed Rita,' was the reply, 'whose statue is in -the Church of St. Cosmo. I promise you that if -you come to visit me your son's eyes will be opened -when you return.' The woman was in the church -early next morning to pay the visit suggested to -her and to beg the saint's intercession. On her -return she heard her son calling, and on going to -him found him with eyes open and entirely cured. -</p> - -<p> -In March, 1887, Signora Maria Soria -Carcaterra of Conversano received a remarkable -favour from St. Rita, which she herself thus -describes: -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'I, the undersigned, testify that I have received -the following favour from B. Rita of Cascia. A -cyst having appeared on my right eyelid, I -consulted various distinguished doctors, who told me -I should have to undergo an operation. But I -thought it better to recommend myself to B. Rita, -and after many prayers she did me the favour of -causing the cyst to disappear without any need -of doctors or of medicine. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -'MARIA SORIA CARCATERRA.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Signor Giovanni Biscozzi had in 1887 been ill -for a long time with a painful malady. The -physicians thought he was suffering from disease -of the heart, and therefore incurable. It is -certain that he had to remain shut up in his room, -for every changing of place caused him grievous -torment. When his aunt, who was a nun in the -convent of St. Cosmo in Conversano, came to -learn this, she sent him one of St. Rita's blessed -loaves, advising him to take a little piece of it -every day and then drink a little water in memory -of the saint's fastings, and to recite three Glorias -and an Ave and the invocation, 'Blessed Rita, -pray for me.' The sick man followed the advice, -and immediately had experience of its salutary -effects, for he felt considerably better, and very -soon was restored to his former health. As a -mark of gratitude he sent the convent a present -of oil to be used in the lamp at the saint's statue. -</p> - -<p> -Paolina Giannetti, a lay sister of the same -convent of St. Cosmo, had a large pustule on her arm -which was very painful, and since she could not -be dispensed from working, it festered, and her -whole arm became swollen, and in consequence -of this she fell into a violent fever. It was -thought indispensable that a doctor should be -called in, and that evening a message was sent to -the doctor asking him to come next day, that a -lay sister had need of his services. That night -a picture of St. Rita was given to the sick nun, -and she placed it on her diseased arm all night. -Hardly had she awakened from sleep when she -found that the swelling had entirely subsided, -that the fever had left her, and that every trace -of the pustule had also disappeared. The doctor -came later, and was told there was no need for -his services. -</p> - -<p> -Signora Natalizia Scattone of Conversano -relates that her husband had a large tumour on -one of his legs, which forced him to keep his bed -for many days, and which had ultimately to be -removed by an operation. His wife was very -much afraid that the wound made by the surgeon -would become a fistula, for even the slightest -scratch on her husband took several days to -heal. She had before received many favours from -St. Rita, and was therefore very devout towards -her; and on this occasion, hardly had the surgeon -departed after the operation, than she placed a -relic of the saint over the bandages, and prayed -with all her heart for her husband. On the -following day the surgeon returned to dress the -wound, but when the bandages were removed, -it was found to be completely healed, to his great -amazement and that of the family. -</p> - -<p> -Signor Domenico Lopriore of Conversano had a -tooth extracted in 1887, and perhaps owing to -the damp to which he exposed himself by going -into the country at an early hour, an abscess -was formed in his mouth, which reduced him to -the last extremity. A very high fever, with -swellings in his throat, face, and tongue, deprived -him of all repose. His tongue especially had -grown so large that he had perforce to keep it -full two fingers' breadth hanging out of his -mouth. The doctors, seeing that he was growing -worse, ordered him the last Sacraments. He -had a cousin who was a boarder in the convent of -St. Cosmo, and who was very devoted to St. Rita. -She, with the nuns, prayed very fervently to -the saint for the sick man's recovery, and his -uncle, a priest, offered Mass for the same intention -on the saint's altar in the church. The holy -sacrifice and the prayers soon brought about -the desired effect, for the sick man suddenly -became much better, and in a short time was -completely cured. -</p> - -<p> -Devotion to St. Rita has not only brought health -to bodies, but salvation to souls, as the following -shows: Sister Genefosa Perrini, nun of the -convent of St. Cosmo, having to live out of <i>clausura</i> -for some time owing to ill-health, had occasion to -go to Bari one day with her brother, Canon -Francesco Perrini. In that town they heard of a -young lady who was dying, and who, masquerading -as a freethinker, refused to have anything to -do with priests or Sacraments. Her relatives, -who were in the utmost affliction at such a -misfortune, begged the Canon and his sister to go and -see her, in the hope that their visit might excite -some good thought in her. They went to see the -invalid, but as soon as she caught sight of them -she began to abuse them bitterly. Said the -Canon to her: 'Signora, I am only come to pay -you a simple visit, and also, if you please, to -bring you a cure for your disease.' 'What cure?' -asked she, growing calmer. 'If, indeed, you have -an efficacious one, you are welcome.' By good -fortune the Canon had a little picture of the saint, -and, offering it to the sick lady, he said: 'Here -is the cure. If you will have recourse to this -advocate, who is called the Saint of the Impossible, -you will be saved.' The sight of the picture, -indeed, worked a wonder. Instead of flying into a -passion and throwing it back to them, as she had -done on other occasions, the invalid freely accepted -it, took it with devotion, and placed it under her -pillow. After this the Canon with his sister took -his leave and went away, but hardly had he gone a -few yards than he was called back in a great hurry, -and when he went to the invalid she asked him -to hear her confession. The Canon showed her -that he could not hear confessions outside his -own diocese, and he exhorted her to avail herself -of a confessor of the place. She allowed herself -to be persuaded, a confessor was called in, and -she made her confession with great sorrow. -She said that Rita had appeared to her as a nun, -and incited her to die well. She received the -Holy Viaticum and Extreme Unction with signs -of sincere piety, and then delivered up her soul to -God. -</p> - -<p> -In March, 1888, Signora Caterina Bianchini -had a little son of five years of age who was -attacked by cancerous diphtheria in the throat, -which soon placed him in extreme danger of -death. The physicians had despaired of him, and -gave him only four hours to live. His mother, -who at other times had received signal favours -from St. Rita, had recourse to her, confident in -her assistance, and beseeching her with tears to -help her. She anointed the child's throat with -the oil of the saint, and, most wonderful to tell, -hardly had the oil touched his throat than he -moved himself, recovered consciousness, spoke, -and in a few days was well. On the following day -the doctor and their relations called rather to visit -the parents than the child, who they thought was -dead, but imagine their astonishment on seeing -him restored to health! 'My mother,' said he, -'rubbed me with St. Rita's oil, and said. "Saint -Rita, give me my son," and I was well again.' -</p> - -<p> -In 1890 Signorina Susanna Pallieri of Conversano -had suffered from a severe pulmonary complaint, -and when she recovered from it she was -troubled by a gathering in one of her eyes which -remained from that disease, and which resisted -all the efforts of her doctors. When she found -that none of the doctors of her native place could -effect a cure, she put herself under the care of -Dr. Vitali, a distinguished oculist of Bari, for -three months. But the gathering in her eye -grew worse instead of better, and finally the oculist, -seeing that all his attempts produced no result, -had to throw up the case. It would be impossible -to tell the sorrow of the poor young lady at so -unfortunate a result of her efforts. Having lost -all hope in human aid, she, with her mother, -began to beseech St. Rita either to cure her of -her malady or else take her out of this world -to escape the intolerable anguish of the pain -she had to bear. Their prayers were not in vain, -for on the very next day after beginning the -prayers her eye was very much improved, and -that evening she was entirely cured. Dr. Vitali -was immediately informed of what had happened, -and at first did not believe it; but when he saw -that she had really been cured, he declared openly -that such a cure ought to be regarded as a real -miracle. From that day Signorina Pallieri was -entirely cured of the disease of her eye, and -enjoyed excellent health, nor does she cease to return -thanks to the Saint of the Impossible. -</p> - -<p> -In the town of Turi, in February, 1893, a boy of -five years of age named Filippo d'Addabbo, who -had just had an attack of scarlatina, developed -symptoms of violent fever accompanied by -swellings of his whole body. For two days he -had remained in bed unable to speak, and the -doctors gave him up for dead. In this state he -suddenly opened his eyes, made a sign towards a -picture of St. Rita that was hanging in the room, -and said to his mother: 'Take down that picture, -and light some candles before it,' and they did so. -Early on the following morning he said: 'Mamma, -write to Aunt Chiara Maria (she was a nun in -the convent of St. Cosmo) in Conversano to have -a Mass said to St. Rita.' And they immediately -did as he wished. On the evening of that day -the child grew worse, and they were afraid he was -dying, as the doctors had assured them. At a -certain time of the night, however, he became -noticeably better. When the doctors came next -day to visit him they found him, to their astonishment, -entirely recovered, and repeating the words, -'Blessed Rita has cured me.' -</p> - -<p> -Natale Esperti, a shoemaker of Conversano, had -been in a deplorable state of health for a long -time, for his feet and legs were swollen, and a -pain in the heart deprived him of all chance of -repose. The heart disease became worse, and -the doctors attending him lost all hope of saving -his life. On Tuesday in Holy Week, 1895, he -received the last Sacraments, as he was almost -on the point of death, and his end was expected -every hour. His sister-in-law, who was most -devoted to St. Rita, pitying his sad case, went to -pray for him in the Church of St. Cosmo, and -brought some candles to light before the saint's -statue. Whilst all the others were weeping about -the bed of the dying man she obtained a little -picture of the saint, which was placed on his breast -whilst they recited the invocation, 'St. Rita, -pray for him.' They also gave him a little piece -of the saint's blessed bread, which he tried to -swallow. A wonder was instantly seen, for the -swelling decreased considerably, and the pain at -the heart disappeared. In three days the man -who had been dying was able to rise from his -bed cured, to the incredible wonder of all who -had assisted him dying. -</p> - -<p> -Signora Antonia Bernardi of Cisternino also -obtained a stupendous favour from our saint. -In May, 1895, she had an attack of scarlatina, -which was epidemic in that town, and had proved -fatal in many cases. In her case it was so -violent and so much resisted all the skill of the -doctors that she was declared incurable, and she -was preparing herself to receive the last -Sacraments. Her parents were distracted with grief, -but knowing the miracles that St. Rita works in -every place, they had recourse to her patronage -in their sorrow. The dying woman also recommended -herself confidently to St. Rita, and joined -her prayers to those of the others. Whilst she -was in a paroxysm of fever, and hence could not -say whether she was sleeping or waking, St. Rita -appeared to her, and with her another saint -whom the sick woman could not distinguish. -The saint came close to her bed, and said to her, -'I have cured you; now you will be well, but -mind, return me the visit at Conversano.' The -saint disappeared, and the sick woman found -herself instantly well. Her parents and relatives -were seized with the utmost astonishment, and -they took care to betake them to Conversano to -return the visit of their beneficent visitor. There -is no need to say that after this event the worship -of St. Rita was extended to people of every rank -in Cisternino. -</p> - -<p> -Amongst the very many places into which the -worship of St. Rita has been publicly introduced -in very recent years, Noci, a large town in the -diocese of Conversano, is deserving of special -mention. There is an altar, richly ornamented, -erected in the principal church there in honour of -the saint, and never a day passes that crowds of -the faithful do not go there to offer their prayers -or pay their vows. And Rita, looking with -pleasure on the piety of the people of Noci, -repays them every day with help and favour. -For brevity's sake we shall mention only three -examples of this, and in the first place that -obtained by the priest, Don Francesco Morea, who -is remarkable for promoting devotion to St. Rita. -Here are his words: -</p> - -<p> -'About midnight on the 10th of April, 1895, I -was awakened by violent beatings of my heart, -so frequent and continuous that I could not -breathe. I remained a long time sitting up in -bed with my hand tightly pressed over the region -of the heart, in great trouble, without being able -to utter a word. However, I turned to Blessed -Rita in thought, placed her picture over my -heart, and vowed a silver heart if she liberated -me from this sudden illness. I recited three -Glorias in her honour, adding, "O, Blessed -Rita, pray for me." As soon as I had done this I -was quite well. The beating of my heart became -regular; I was able to lie down and sleep. From -time to time since this nervous palpitation has -returned, but never in the same form as that -night, nor for so long. I redeemed my vow on -the 14th of May by hanging on her picture the -silver heart I promised.' -</p> - -<p> -The influenza, which was rife in many parts of -Puglia in 1895, did not spare the town of Noci. -Amongst others, Maria Luizzi, wife of Simone -Sansonetti, a bleacher, was attacked by it. -After struggling with the disease for several days -at last it left her, and the doctor allowed her to -leave her bed. Hardly, however, had she put -foot on the floor than she felt entirely prostrated, -and experienced such a feeling of dizziness that -she fell at full length on the floor, and was with -great difficulty got into bed again. On the next -and three following days the same feelings of -weakness and dejection continued. On the -evening of the fifth day, animated with strong -confidence in St. Rita, to whom, as we have said, -an altar in the parish church was dedicated, -she prayed in this way: 'O Blessed Rita, I -promise to present you with my breloque if you -allow me to remain out of bed all day to-morrow.' When -the time came to get up, she left her bed -and dressed herself, without the least doubt that -her prayer had been heard. She tried to walk -about her room, and found she could do so without -difficulty, for she felt herself fortified with new -strength, and all the ill-effects of the influenza -vanished. She redeemed her vow to the saint on -the 5th of June, 1895. -</p> - -<p> -The following fact that happened in Noci on the -28th of June, 1895, crowns all the wonderful works -which the Saint of the Impossible performs every -day. It is the case of a doctor—as pious and -religious as he is skilful in the healing art—who -was unexpectedly attacked by cerebral congestion -and reduced to the last extremity, and even -thought to be dead, who, after simply being -anointed by the saint's oil moved himself, -revived, and completely recovered. But let us -leave it to himself to tell the story, for out of -gratitude for the favour received he has written -the following with his own hand: -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'On the 28th of last June, in the forenoon, -whilst I was making my usual round of medical -visits, I began to feel unwell; and about eleven -o'clock, whilst I was standing by a sick man, I -could not complete my visit, for I almost fell -into a swoon. The women who were standing -opposite me noticed that I was ill and gave the -alarm. The priest, Don Pietro Gentile, near -whose house I was, was sent for and soon arrived. -He asked me how I felt, and I replied, "I mistrust -myself." "Do you wish to go home?" said he. -"Yes," I answered, "let us go." And with the -utmost difficulty I got there. I threw myself on -the bed, lost all sense, was seized with epileptic -convulsions of the Jacksonian type, proceeding -from congestion of the brain. I had three attacks -at short intervals, each more serious than the -preceding one. Blood was let, leeches were -applied, many mustard cataplasms were used, -ice was kept constantly to my head. My -colleagues who affectionately attended me already -despaired of my recovery, and had the last -Sacraments administered to me; the priests were -reciting the prayers for the dying, and it was -rumoured that I was dead. The good people -poured into the church, and now had no hope -except in a miracle. Ceaseless prayers were -offered, especially before the altar of Blessed -Rita. The oil of the saint was requisitioned. I -was conscious of waking as from a calm sleep, -whilst I felt a hand anointing my cheeks; I -afterwards learned that the same thing had been -done over my stomach and on my temples. -From that moment I WAS COMPLETELY RESTORED -TO HEALTH, and but for the concern of my -friends I would have dressed myself and gone -about my usual occupations. This event, really -extraordinary, believed by all the people to have -happened by the intercession of Blessed Rita, I -consecrate in this account of it, as a proof of my -gratitude, to the glory of the same Blessed -Rita. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -'PASQUALE TATEO, M.D. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - 'Noci,<br /> -'2<i>nd of July</i>, 1895.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Since this case is so singular, and the miracle -so great, we subjoin the account of it given by -the zealous priest of the place, Don Francesco -Morea: -</p> - -<p> -'The deaths of the three ladies, Vavalle, -Mansueto, and Anguilli, had impressed the town -with sadness, when a new and unexpected sorrow -came to disturb all the people. In less time than -it takes to relate the sad tidings had passed from -mouth to mouth; people of every condition were -seen to stop in astonishment, to ask news of -one another, and turn their steps to the house -where the sick man lay. It was singular to see -the stairs crowded with little children of both -sexes, to see the people come out tearfully on -the balconies and ask news of the passers-by, and -the universal sorrow would have told you the -great esteem in which he that was so near the -tomb was held. The news that he had already -received the last Sacraments, and that the -priests, who with the doctors were about his bed, -had begun the prayers for a soul departing, -made it clear to all that very few hours of life -remained to Doctor Pasquale Tateo. In the -midst of such heartfelt sorrow there were some, -however, who were offering fervent prayers for -him to the Most High through the intercession -of the Saint of the Impossible. There were some -who, whilst they slept, felt inspired by the same -blessed servant of God to light a lamp before the -picture of the miracle-worker, and thus obtain -for certain the favour they desired; there were -some who began in secret a triduum for the sick; -and by the dying man's bed were some who, -provided with the miraculous oil, anointed with -it, whilst reciting the usual prayers, his head, his -stomach and abdomen, that were swollen to an -extraordinary extent. And such great faith in -the intercession of our new protectress was -crowned by a most singular grace. As soon as -the anointing was completed there came on a -more violent fit of convulsions than any that had -preceded it, and it was thought the doctor's last -hour had come. But that fit was the last, and -it seems that the powerful advocate wished to -have it understood that she intervened on behalf -of her faithful clients exactly when they were -in direst peril, and when all hope of recovery -by human means had been abandoned. Whilst -the convulsive fit was in progress they began again -to anoint him with the marvellous oil, and then he -came to himself, and looked as if he were waking -from a calm sleep of three hours. -</p> - -<p> -'The transition from death to life was so sudden -that those who were present could not but -acknowledge that the recovery was a true miracle -granted to the prayers of the entire town by its -new protectress, Blessed Rita. Pleasant to relate, -there was no time of convalescence, no getting -better by degrees, no further remedy applied to -him; but on the 30th the doctor, without any -trace of weakness from the blood-letting, but full -of energy, cheerful, and witty, as he usually had -been, woke early in the morning, and, hearing -the bell of the Capuchin church ringing, wanted to -get up and go to Mass, as it was a feast day, but -he was not allowed to do this. He rose later in -the day, was able to take his meals, and returned -to his house without assistance, amidst the wonder -and applause of the people. The next day, -early, he resumed his ordinary professional -duties. These circumstances were such as would -make those who did not know of the miracle -believe that the occurrence must have been the -result of an excited imagination rather than -undeniable fact. Yet such they were, and the -miracle is all the more wonderful on this account, -and worthy of being published for the glory of -God and Blessed Rita. To this end the doctor, -out of gratitude, promises to make the altar -dedicated to her in this principal church even -richer than it already is, by presenting a beautiful -silver lamp to be hung from the arch in front of it.' -</p> - -<p> -On the 20th of January, 1896, Signora Anna -Gregori of Rome was seized by a violent fever, which -at first was thought to be simply rheumatic fever, -but which very soon developed into that terrible -malady pleuro-bronchial pneumonia, which is in -most cases fatal in Rome. In spite of the prompt -and skilful treatment of the well-known Professor -Masciarelli, the disease continued to gain force -so rapidly that the patient, who was also <i>enciente</i>, -received the last comforts of religion on the -25th of the month, and also the blessing of the -Holy Father, and after having tearfully given -her last messages to her friends, she was awaiting -the call of the Lord with resignation. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile her husband, Signor Augusto -Gregori, who was inconsolable at the loss that -threatened him after only eight years of married -life, turned with confidence to Our Lady of -Pompei and to St. Rita of Cascia, that -well-known sketch of whose life he had read a few -days before, called 'The Saint of the Impossible.' He -fervently besought her aid, promising to -present a silver votive offering and to spread -devotion to her. Even before midnight of that -day the invalid felt relief, the fever went down, -her strength came back, and after two days the -doctors declared her out of all danger. She was -shortly after able to rise from her bed completely -recovered. The favour was a complete and perfect -one, for after her serious illness there was no trace -of tuberculosis, which was feared, and after less -than a month she gave birth to a strong and -healthy little daughter. Her husband, who -quickly redeemed his vow, does not cease to give -glory to the Saint of the Impossible. -</p> - -<p> -Simone Rotunno and his wife, Rosa Naracci, of -Conversano, were overwhelmed with grief at a -serious illness that threatened the life of their -little daughter Maria, a child of four years. On -the 27th of January, 1896, about five in the -morning, they found her writhing in convulsions and -almost at the point of death. Immediately they -besought the help of their great patron St. Rita, -and anointed the child's members with oil from -the saint's lamp whilst they were offering fervent -prayers. They had not long to wait, for at eleven -o'clock on the same morning the child, who had -hitherto shown no signs of life, stirred in bed, -opened her eyes, and began to speak, and after -ten days was restored to perfect health. -</p> - -<p> -A boy and girl, children of Doctor Vito Antonio -Argenti of Polignano, on the sea-coast, caught -the influenza, which was rife there in 1896. The -disease took a very serious turn in the boy's case, -and developed into pneumonia, accompanied -by high fever and pain in the shoulder. The -dangerous development of the disease caused -consternation in the family. -</p> - -<p> -They immediately began a novena to St. Rita, -to whom devotion is very generally practised -in that place, and in whose honour an altar is -dedicated in the Church of the Sacred Heart. -They had two lamps lighted before her picture, -and promised many gifts if their son should be -restored to health. Their prayers were answered, -for the child grew markedly better during the -novena, and was completely cured by the time -it was finished. The same remedy was adopted -in the case of the little girl, on whom the disease -had told severely. They put a picture of the -saint on her breast, which she often kissed -devoutly, another novena was begun for her -recovery, and an improvement was soon evident, -and continued till she was restored to perfect -health. -</p> - -<p> -A woman from Casamassima, who was married -at Bari, had an only son of about seventeen years -of age, who was very wild and dissolute. He -was for ever running away from home, getting -into trouble, and giving vent to his vicious -inclinations, and staying out at night more often -than not. Seeing that all good advice and even -threats were thrown away upon him, his afflicted -parents applied to St. Rita in prayer, for they had -heard of the wonderful deeds she had done. -They began a novena of certain Paters and Aves -as well as they could. On the third day their son -appeared at home, but shortly after went off again -and returned no more. Nevertheless, they still -had confidence in the saint, and began a second -novena after the manner directed in a little book -they got from an aunt of theirs. When the novena -was nearly finished the son came back quite -changed from what he had been. He threw -himself at his parents' feet, and with tears asked -their pardon for the grief he had caused them, -promising to lead a new life for the future. To -remove all occasion of giving way to his vagrant -propensities, he asked them to have him taught -some business in which he could by his conduct -give proof of his sincerity. His parents, beside -themselves with joy, hastened to Conversano to -return thanks to St. Rita, and as a proof of their -gratitude they had a lamp lighted before her altar, -which they made arrangements to keep burning -on Friday in every week. -</p> - -<p> -The brother-in-law of a certain Sister of Charity -was dangerously ill of pneumonia in February, -1896. The doctor who was called to attend him -did not let his friends know how critical the case -was, in order not to frighten them, but he only -said to the patient's wife, 'Pray to God for your -husband.' Luckily for her, she had a copy of the -book 'The Saint of the Impossible,' which her -sister the nun had given her, and she entrusted -everything to the saint, and earnestly begged her -help for the sick man. One night he almost -swooned from the violence of his cough, and had -to sit up in bed. About midnight he saw a nun -come close to him and gaze at him fixedly -without speaking. She stood by his side for half -an hour and then disappeared. From that time -the longed-for recovery commenced, and to the -doctor's astonishment went on rapidly till he -was entirely restored to health. It would be -impossible to describe the joy of the family at this -marvellous result. The fame of it was spread -about, and devotion to the Saint of the Impossible -spread to such an extent that a picture of -St. Rita had to be placed in the parish church to -satisfy the people's veneration. -</p> - -<p> -Twelve children of the house of Ventimiglia -were all suffering from the measles in March, 1896, -in Vatolla, which is a town of the province of -Salerno, and the youngest, a little girl of two -years of age, was, in addition, attacked so badly -by laryngitis that it was feared she would choke -every moment. Her eldest sister, beside herself -with grief, took her little picture of St. Rita, -and, fastening it about the little patient's neck, -earnestly prayed for the grace of her recovery. -Only a few minutes passed when little Teresa—for -so the sick child was called—raised herself -without assistance in her cot and asked for milk. -That evening the fever, which had been very high, -had almost disappeared, and her cough, too, had -ceased to a very great extent. A few days later -the child was able to get up, fully recovered. -The family, out of gratitude to their great -protectress, had a Mass celebrated at her altar in -Conversano. -</p> - -<p> -In 1896 the marriage of Giuseppe Centrone to -Maria Rotunno, two very good and pious young -persons and fairly well off, was to have taken -place. Through a slight quarrel, however, the -marriage was broken off by the bridegroom. -The bride, troubled at this sinister turn of events, -together with her parents had recourse to -St. Rita, and promised to present a golden votive -offering if the groom should of himself reopen -negotiations for the marriage that had been -abandoned. On the vigil of her feast the saint -appeared to the bridegroom in his sleep, and -said: 'Beppino, your wife must be Maria and -no one else.' This was enough to bring him back -to his bride and to have the marriage take place, -as it did, in fact. The vow to the saint was not -only fulfilled, but they had a High Mass offered -on her altar. -</p> - -<p> -One night in 1896 a young woman from -Castellana was sleeping on the top of a very high -rick of straw, when suddenly it gave way and fell -to the ground. The young woman, who would -have been crushed to death under its weight, -immediately invoked St. Rita, and was rescued -from danger without receiving the slightest injury. -The saint appeared to her the following night -whilst she was asleep, and said: 'I have saved you -from death, and I want in return that new dress -you have made.' The poor girl had, by dint -of careful saving, made a new dress for herself, -with which she wished to make an appearance -on the feast days, but she made the required -sacrifice to the Saint of the Impossible. She -sold it and brought its price to be used in spreading -the devotion to St. Rita from the church in -Conversano. -</p> - -<p> -In 1896 there was a family in St. Vito dei -Normanni which was plunged in the greatest -misery owing to its head having entirely abandoned -himself to a disgraceful vice, which he still -continued to practise in spite of the terrible -consequences it brought upon him. For although -symptoms of paralysis and rheumatism showed -themselves, and he was reduced to a state of the -utmost weakness and almost blindness, he still -went on to follow the path that ends in ruin of -body and soul. His unfortunate family, having -heard of the innumerable miracles of the Saint -of the Impossible, had recourse to her. They -made a most fervent novena in her honour, -and ended it with receiving Holy Communion, -and very soon the good effect of their prayers -was evident. After a couple of days the man who -had been brutalized by his base pursuits began -to take heed for himself; the spirit of prudence -awoke in him again; he abandoned his wicked -practices, regained sight and strength, and -recovered the health he had squandered. It is no -wonder that the name of St. Rita is glorified in -that family, or that the eldest daughter has made -a vow to recite the prayers of St. Rita's novena -every day as long as she lives. -</p> - -<p> -A young lady named Franceschina Gabrielli, -from Noci, fell dangerously ill in 1896, whilst -she was on a visit to some relatives in Rutigliano. -All the doctors of the town were called in successively -to prescribe for her, and others were brought -from distant places, but they could not stop -the progress of the disease that was killing her. -The grief of her family and relatives was -indescribable on being informed by the doctors -after three consultations that nothing but a -miracle could save her. The young lady, worn -out by the disease and in her last agony, had -received the last consolations of religion, and the -special benediction of the Holy Father, and was -preparing herself for the passage to eternity. -All preparations were made for her funeral, the -dress for the corpse and the coffin were got ready, -and the clergy and confraternities appointed to -assist in the procession to the tomb. -</p> - -<p> -But Franceschina had very special devotion to -St. Rita, and was recommending herself to her -protection with most fervent prayers. She held -a picture of her in her hand, which she was kissing -every minute, and although resigned to make -the sacrifice of her life to God, she promised the -saint to honour her by procuring a little statue -of her if she should obtain the grace of recovery. -One evening she was suffering a great deal, and -the doctors foresaw that she would die that -night. The priests were watching by her bedside -and comforting her by reciting the prayers for the -dying. At midnight she thought that St. Rita -with St. John appeared to her, and that St. Rita -said: 'Do not be afraid; you will be well.' What -is certain is that just at that time she broke -silence and began to sing a hymn of St. Rita. -But the really astonishing fact is that all danger -was at an end from that moment, and her disease -disappeared as if by magic. The next morning -she was convalescent, and the doctors in their -astonishment had to confess that in this wonderful -recovery God had intervened. -</p> - -<p> -The Salesian Missionary Sisters of the Sacred -Heart amongst other occupations are employed in -the religious and literary education of young -girls, whom they watch over with a care that is -truly maternal. Their mother-house is in Rome, -and there is attached to it what is styled a -providential boarding-school for young women -who attend the normal schools, and at the end -of their course get a Government certificate that -entitles them to teach. Providential this college -really is, for its pupils attend the Government -schools and yet are carefully preserved from every -danger. In 1896 the annual examinations at -the end of the scholastic year were approaching. -The students were in a state of trepidation, for -with all their diligence and labour in study very -little was needed to have girls make mistakes in -the presence of examiners who were perhaps not -too favourable to them. Having heard of the -miracles of St. Rita of Cascia, they confidently -turned to her, and confided to her care the -result of the examinations. They had recourse -to her patronage, they offered prayers in her -honour, and other works of piety. Nor were their -hopes frustrated. The examinations resulted -most brilliantly, and to the entire satisfaction of -all who took part in them. To thank her for so -remarkable a favour the grateful girl students -elected St. Rita their special protectress. -</p> - -<p> -On the 29th of May, 1897, a Calabrian gentleman -arrived in Conversano on a pilgrimage, and, going -into the Church of St. Cosmo, he went to the altar -of St. Rita, and, prostrate before it, offered his -thanks to the Saint of the Impossible. He -afterwards told the nun who was promoter of the -devotion that his name was Luigi Naccarato, -of the province of Cosenza, and that he had come -to redeem a vow made to the saint for a remarkable -favour granted to him. He had been suffering -for many years from a disorder of the brain -that rendered him incapable of doing anything. -His brother, a doctor, had used every means to -eradicate his disease; he had consulted the most -eminent medical men in Naples and elsewhere, -but without any good effect. Having lost all -hope in human means, he had recourse to the aid -of Heaven by prayers to several holy patrons, -but it seemed that Heaven, too, was deaf to his -appeals. At last a lady in Cosenza had advised -him to trust himself to the Saint of the Impossible, -who had granted many extraordinary graces to -those devoted to her. The young man, who -was truly religious, willingly followed her advice. -He began to invoke the saint, and made a vow -to visit Conversano if his prayers were heard. -His petition was granted; the disease that had -hitherto baffled every remedy disappeared, and -he felt himself free in mind and vigorous in -health, as if he had never suffered from any -malady. -</p> - -<p> -Not dissimilar from the preceding case was the -disease from which the Princess Telesio Antonacci -of Naples suffered, and by which she was brought -to a deplorable state. Her brain was so weakened -that she could not fix her mind on anything or do -anything. When all the efforts of medical science -had proved vain, her sorrowful sister, who had -the book we have so often mentioned, wrote to -Conversano to have a novena offered to the -saint. The novena was made, and some of the -blessed oil was also sent to have the invalid's -forehead anointed with it. Instantly a wonderful -change was wrought. As they anointed her -forehead the disease grew less, her mind became -clear, and her strength came back. The application -of the oil was persevered in and so did the -improvement continue, and the oil of St. Rita -was recognised as the only remedy against that -terrible disease. The Princess, in gratitude for -so signal a favour, sent a present of a barrel -of oil to Conversano, and money also to be -employed in worship in honour of the saint. -</p> - -<p> -A little girl, the daughter of Sebastiano -Giannuli, a merchant of Bari, had suffered from her -earliest years from a tumour in the knee. The -doctors of the town held different opinions as -to the nature of her disease, and the well-known -Doctor Giuseppe Luciana was consulted, who -diagnosed the case as caries of the bone, and -declared a surgical operation indispensable for a -cure. This operation would be painful, difficult, -and full of danger. The family by this opinion -was reduced to a state of consternation, and had -recourse to prayer, and by the suggestion of a nun -made a novena to St. Rita, but the favour they -prayed for was then denied them. The operation -had to take place on the 22nd of July, 1897, -and the tibia was almost entirely separated from -the thigh-bone; the knee-pan was almost entirely -removed, nearly four fingers' length of the tibia -was removed, and as much of the thigh-bone, and -both were united so as to form one bone only, -whence all power of bending the joints was lost. -Owing to the difficulty of the operation the -doctors could not promise that she would surely -recover; they only said the child would have to -suffer a great deal. And, indeed, the poor child -did suffer a great deal from high fever, excruciating -pains, and a weakness so extreme that she -could not even cry out. -</p> - -<p> -On the next day the child, who up to that time, -owing to the pain she was suffering, had not even -opened her mouth, asked for a picture of the -saint that was hanging in the room, and began to -say, 'O, Blessed Rita! oh, grant me the favour, -because I am suffering very much! It is true -that I have been ungrateful towards you, because -when the others were saying the novena I was -distracted, and I took very little care to pray to -you; but now I know how wrong I was, and I ask -your pardon. Oh, grant me the favour, for I -think I cannot suffer any more.' And whilst -the attendants were drawing close to her bed, -she added: 'Make way; she is coming now.' 'Who?' -they asked. 'A nun,' answered the -child. 'Where is she coming from?' 'From -there—from that door.' 'What is she doing?' 'She -is moving about my bed—coming to sit near me.' The -child then remained motionless, as if she -were listening to something being said to her, and -soon after said: 'With the help of the saint, -doctors, how well she has settled my leg! She -has put her beautiful hands on me and cured me!' -and, turning to those near her who were weeping, -'Do not cry any more,' she said; 'be all very -glad. Do you not see how glad I am at getting -so beautiful a favour? I have no more pain. -Blessed Rita has told me that all my pains will -end in three days; with my injured leg I shall be -able to dance, to jump, to run about without -trouble.' -</p> - -<p> -And so it turned out. The child was able to -get up after three days free entirely from all trace -of disease. But the most stupendous part was -that her right leg, from which half a palm's length -of bone had been cut off, and which would be -shortened, even supposing her cured, and quite -incapable of bending, was found after the -intervention of Blessed Rita to be of the same length -as the left, and equally flexible and sound. -</p> - -<p> -Most grateful for so great a miracle, the family -did not put off going to Conversano to return -thanks and redeem their vow to the Saint of the -Impossible, and many people took notice of the -child that had been cured, how she walked without -difficulty and without a halt, both her legs -being precisely of the same length. -</p> - -<p> -The following stupendous fact that happened -in the case of a person who had never even heard -the name of St. Rita of Cascia shows how much -God wishes glory to be given to His famous -servant. -</p> - -<p> -To Vito Palazzi and his wife Rosina Surico of -Gioia del Colle, near Bari, a child was born in -1897, who was christened Filippo. From birth -the infant had one of its feet turned, so that the -sole of the foot was twisted to a right angle from -the place it ought to occupy. Doctors were -consulted, but to no effect. They declared no -care could remedy the defect, and that an -operation would be dangerous and useless. The poor -mother could only weep distractedly. One night, -after crying excessively, she was sleeping, when -a nun appeared to her in her sleep. 'Rosina,' -said she, 'why do you weep? Can you not have -recourse to me in your affliction?' 'And who -are you, O, blessed sister?' said she. 'I am -Blessed Rita of Cascia,' said the nun. 'O, -Blessed Rita,' said the afflicted woman, 'cure my -little Filippo for me;' and she showed the saint -her infant's twisted foot. 'Have faith, Rosina,' -said the saint to her; 'the defect in the child is a -serious one, but God can do all things;' and so -saying she made the sign of the Cross three -times on the foot and disappeared. When the -woman awoke on the following morning she -remembered the vision, and, hurrying from her bed, -she ran to the infant's cradle; she undid the -bandages and looked at its feet, and found them -both as they ought to be, for the deformity of the -left foot had disappeared. She knelt on the floor -and thanked the saint most earnestly. She then -called her husband, showed him the infant's -foot, and told him of the vision and miracle. -She remembered St. Rita, and wrote to Conversano -for a large picture of her, which she had framed, -and before which she keeps a lamp burning night -and day; and she likewise had a High Mass sung -before the saint's altar, nor is she ever wearied -in telling the miracle and giving glory to the saint -to whom she owes it. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0309"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IX -</h3> - -<h3> -HER CANONIZATION -</h3> - -<p> -In reading the wonderful and miraculous facts -of the life of St. Rita and the very many -prodigious works done by God through her intercession, -the reader must have asked himself more than -once how it is that so grand a soul, whose heroic -virtues shine so brightly, and who was, like the -greatest saints of the Church, favoured by God -with most singular graces and sublime privileges, -should be adorned with the aureole of a saint and -raised to highest honours of the altars only after -more than four centuries had passed since she -had gone to immortal glory in heaven. -</p> - -<p> -The only reasonable answer to this question, -the only explanation of a delay not by any means -unique in the history of the canonization of the -great heroes of the Church, is that the judgments -of God are incomprehensible and His ways -unsearchable, and the Divine wisdom which in His -own time makes each cause produce its effect, and -all things regulates in number, weight, and -measure, so disposes it that the exaltation of -His servants on earth then takes place when it -is for the greater glorification of His Church and -the greater spiritual advantage of Christians. -This just reflection ought to console us in the -sorrow we naturally feel at the long delay that -has occurred in bringing to a happy termination -the process of the canonization of our heroine. -</p> - -<p> -After the privilege of reciting the office and -celebrating Mass in honour of the saint had been -granted to the Augustinian Order and the Diocese -of Spoleto in 1627, as soon as the solemn festivals -we have described were brought to an end, -devotion to St. Rita increased to such an extent, -and the desire of the faithful became so fervent -to have their great advocate enrolled by the -Church's supreme authority in the catalogue of -the Blessed and afterwards of the Saints, that -in August, 1737, her cause was resumed in the -state and terms in which it was found. On the -3rd of August in that year an ordinary session of -the Congregation was held to debate the point -whether the case excepted in the decrees of Pope -Urban VIII. was fully established, and in the -result the Congregation found the answer to -be in the affirmative, and Pope Clement XII., -on the 13th of the same month, confirmed the -finding of the Congregation. On the 25th of July -in the following year remissorial letters were -therefore sent to the Ecclesiastical Courts of Spoleto, -in whose jurisdiction Cascia then was, authorizing -them to institute an Apostolic process of inquiry -regarding the virtues and miracles of Blessed -Rita, it being the unbroken practice of the Holy -See not to grant the supreme honours of the -altars unless it be shown that the theological and -moral virtues were practised in a heroic degree. -But the process then begun was interrupted -by various events, and was not resumed until -1851. Without further interruption it was finally -perfected in 1855, and its validity was approved -in 1856 in Rome by Pius IX., of happy memory. -Meanwhile the fame of the extraordinary graces -and miracles granted by God through the -saint's intercession was everywhere increasing, -but it is hard to collect the proofs and institute -a process that will satisfy the rigorous requirements -which the Church exacts in those matters. -</p> - -<p> -Nevertheless, juridical proofs of some of these -miraculous occurrences were not wanting. In -fact, in the years 1851 and 1852 there was held -by Apostolic permission in the Ecclesiastical -Courts of Nursia, under the jurisdiction of which -Cascia had passed, a process of inquiry into the -reported case of instantaneous curing of a -girl—Elisabetta Bergamini, who had been suffering -from conjunctivitis complicated with ulcerous -keratitis. Owing to the efforts of the Most -Rev. Mons. Casimiro Gennari, then Bishop of -Conversano, and at present titular Archbishop of -Lepanto and Assessor of the Inquisition, who is -most zealous, as we have said, in spreading -devotion to St. Rita, the authorization of the -Holy See was asked for and obtained in 1887 to -institute a formal Apostolic process of inquiry -into the case of Cosimo Pelligrini, of the town of -Conversano, who was reported to have been -miraculously cured. As soon as the inquiry was -perfected, it was scrutinized in an ordinary -Congregation of the Rota on the 28th of June, 1892, -and its validity recognised. On the 17th of the -following month the Holy Father deigned to -confirm the sentence of the Sacred Congregation. -</p> - -<p> -Almost at the same time there was held, by -virtue of remissorial letters of the 18th of February, -1892, in the Ecclesiastical Courts of Nursia, a -special inquiry, in which the Promoter of the Faith, -Mons. Agostino Caprara, intervened, into the -most sweet and miraculous odour which from -time immemorial is at intervals experienced about -the blessed body of St. Rita. By other remissorial -letters of the 22nd of August following, the -Promoter of the Faith was empowered to examine -the venerable body itself, in order to make certain -that it had never been embalmed, nor any -odoriferous substances placed in it. -</p> - -<p> -When this process of inquiry into the marvellous -odour was brought to an end, it was decided to -join it to the process that had been executed -in the courts of Spoleto by ordinary authority in -1626. On the 25th of February, 1896, the Sacred -Congregation of Rites delivered its judgment that -the validity of the two processes of 1626 and 1892 -had been established, the reporter of the cause -being his Eminence Cardinal Gaetano Aloisi-Masella, -Prefect of that Congregation. As regards -another process of inquiry executed in 1775, with -only ordinary authority, into the instantaneous -and miraculous curing of an Augustinian nun of -the convent of Cascia, it was decided to supplicate -the reigning Pontiff, Leo XIII., that he would deign -to make good the defect of jurisdiction, and make -the acts of that process valid. But the Holy -Father, rather than grant the convalidation, was -pleased to dispense, by most special favour, with -the fourth miracle, for from time immemorial the -proof of four miracles has been required for the -canonization of the servants of God. -</p> - -<p> -Owing to the sovereign concession of the Holy -Father, the promoters of the cause of canonization -had high hopes of bringing it to a happy -conclusion before much more time should pass. -They obtained leave to introduce the Ordinary -Process of 1626 as having equal value as proof -with the Apostolic Process that closed in 1855; -and the presence of the consulters and their voting -being dispensed with, on the 6th of April, 1897, -in an ordinary meeting of the Congregation, the -writings of St. Rita were inquired into, and it -was further debated and discussed 'Whether the -virtues of Blessed Rita had been so clearly -established that the discussion of her miracles -might be proceeded with?' The session gave an -affirmative decision, which was confirmed by -the Sovereign Pontiff on the 9th of the month. -</p> - -<p> -The way was thus prepared for the discussion of -the miracles. Information regarding them and -summaries were prepared, and the opinions of -two distinguished experts were added. On the -27th of June, 1899, the Congregation met under -the presidency of the Most Eminent Cardinal -Aloisi-Masella, reporter of the cause, to discuss -the miracles, and on the 9th of January, 1900, the -preparatory Congregation held its meeting in the -Vatican palace, and on the following 27th of -March, in the general Congregation, assembled, -as is customary, in the presence of the Holy -Father, the following subject was discussed: -'Whether any, and what, miracles have been -conclusively proved, after veneration had been -allowed to the Blessed, in case and to the effect -of the present discussion?' And by a very -special favour of the Holy See the following was -also discussed: 'And granted the approval of the -miracles, whether her canonization may safely be -proceeded with?' -</p> - -<p> -The Most Eminent Cardinals and Most -Rev. Consulters delivered their opinions on both -matters, and were heard most attentively by -the Sovereign Pontiff; and although he described -the cause as <i>most rare</i> and <i>most noble</i>, he -nevertheless, according to the usual custom, deferred -giving his definitive decision, but <i>redoubled his -prayers to implore the help of Heaven</i>. -</p> - -<p> -On Palm Sunday, the 8th of April following, the -Holy Father, after having most fervently offered to -God the Eucharistic Sacrifice, had the decree of -approval of the three miracles, of which we shall -speak afterwards, read and published with the -accustomed solemnity by Monsignor the Secretary -of the Sacred Congregation of Rites. He next -published the decrees, called the 'Tuto,' for the -beatification of seventy-three Venerable Martyrs -of China, Tonquin, and Cochin China, members of -the Dominican and Franciscan Orders, the -Congregations of Missionary Priests, and of Foreign -Missions; and the decree of beatification of the -Venerable Martyrs of the West Indies, members of -the Order of Discalced Carmelites, and that of the -beatification of the Venerable Servant of God, -Maria Cresenzia Hoss, professed nun of the -Third Order of St. Francis. His Holiness then -deigned to address to the assembly a Latin -allocution, in which he manifested the joy that -he felt, especially for the decrees regarding -Blessed Rita of Cascia, the glory and ornament -of the Augustinian Order, and the jewel of the -Umbrian province, which gave birth also to -St. Benedict and St. Francis, and where for many -years the Sovereign Pontiff himself had exercised -as Bishop his pastoral ministry. All the more -did he rejoice since it was a question of this most -humble and most holy woman's canonization, a -solemn religious ceremony, and supreme act of -the Pontifical authority and of the infallible -teaching of the Vicar of Jesus Christ. He added -that it was desirable that the marvellous odour -which is diffused and given forth from time to -time near the sacred remains of the Blessed Rita, -and called prodigious from the time of Urban VIII., -should soon be renewed, as a happy augury of a -better future in this Holy Year and in this -century that is about to commence. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap0310"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER X -</h3> - -<h3> -THE THREE MIRACLES APPROVED FOR HER CANONIZATION -</h3> - -<p> -<i>First Miracle</i>.—The odour which is felt -near St. Rita's body, especially when -miracles are worked through her intercession, and -which is diffused in a wonderful manner. -</p> - -<p> -As regards this miracle, we told in full everything -about it in the fourth chapter of the present -part. We have only to add our joy that the -oracle of the Holy See has solemnly confirmed -what historians have written regarding this -sweet odour, and what has been alleged in the -processes and confirmed by experience. -</p> - -<p> -<i>Second Miracle</i>.—Complete and instantaneous -recovery of Elisabetta Bergamini from conjunctivitis -complicated by ulcerous keratitis of the -small-pox form. -</p> - -<p> -Elisabetta Bergamini of Terni, about seven -years before the time of which we wrote, had been -attacked by the small-pox in so virulent a form -that it left her whole face pitted, and destroyed -the sight of her eyes, so that she could hardly -distinguish light from darkness. Several physicians -consulted by her parents had submitted her to -different forms of treatment for the recovery of -her sight, but to no purpose. She was then sent -as a boarder to the Augustinian convent of -Cascia, where her father's sister was a nun, -known as Sister Maria Maddalena, in order to -pray the Lord through St. Rita's intercession -either to restore her sight or else take her to -Himself. She was there principally because her -father's stepmother had been miraculously cured -by St. Rita some years before. -</p> - -<p> -The girl was brought to the convent and confided -to the nuns' care in 1833. Pitying the sad -case of the afflicted child, they took most loving -care of her. The doctor who attended the -convent was called in to visit her, and he confirmed -the opinions of the doctors of Terni that her -disease was incurable, and that only a miracle -could restore her sight. The poor child suffered -great pain, and even the light caused her so much -inconvenience that two patches of green silk had -to be hung over her eyes. Besides, there was a -constant flow of humour mixed with tears, which -was so corrosive that it ate away channels on her -nose and cheeks, and gave forth a nauseating -and insufferable stench. To give some relief -to the little patient, her aunt and the mistress -of the boarders used to wash her eyes, by the -doctor's directions, with a decoction of -marshmallows; but even from this treatment she -suffered a good deal, for in the course of it her -eyelids had to be raised as much as possible, and -this caused her acute pain. -</p> - -<p> -Elisabetta continued in this deplorable state till -September of that year, when the nuns thought -of getting her to wear a black votive dress in -honour of St. Rita. This dress was first blessed -by the confessor and touched to the receptacle -in which the saint's body lies. She was dressed -in that habit and her eyes touched with a little -silver rod, which tradition says once touched -St. Rita's forehead. The mistress noted that -afterwards the flow of humour from her eyes had -decreased, and this fact gave Elisabetta courage to -have greater confidence in the saint's protection. -That morning the nuns, according to custom, -were sorting in the courtyard the corn to be -employed in making the little loaves of St. Rita. -The mistress brought Elisabetta to them, and -she sat down near one of the nuns, and, owing to -her blindness, began, instead of selecting the best, -to mix what had already been sorted with the -inferior corn. The nun told her to keep quiet, -and the mistress then gave her a cup with some -corn in it to play with. As soon as Elisabetta -got the cup she began to stir the corn with her -little hand, and suddenly called out that she -could see, and as she did not know what corn -should be rejected, she held out a grain in her -hand and asked whether that should be put -aside or not. At the same time she threw off -the green patches, and the nuns ran in astonishment -to look at the child's eyes, and saw that -they were most beautiful and entirely cured. To -make sure that she had recovered her sight they -made her sort all the corn that she had in the cup, -and she did it perfectly. Then they all went -together to where the saint's body was to thank -her for so great a miracle. The child then saw -for the first time the body of her benefactress, -and she wept with love, and with her arms crossed -returned her thanks in a loud voice. When the -doctor of the convent saw Elisabetta he declared -that the saint had worked a great miracle, and that -otherwise she never would have been able to see. -</p> - -<p> -The child remained in the convent for nearly -three years after, and her eyes were always -strong. She learned so well to read that she used -to recite the office in choir with the nuns, and read -instruction for the lay sisters. She also learned -to write and sew, and do other feminine work -that needs very acute sight. -</p> - -<p> -As a complement of the narration of this -miracle, we judge it right to quote the words of -a famous Roman physician, who was called on to -give his judgment on this prodigious event. His -learned opinion, delivered in writing, ends thus: -</p> - -<p> -'It is a matter of conscience and of necessity -to reiterate my opinion that this cure has been -instantaneous, perfect, and lasting, in no way -caused by art or by natural forces, impossible to -take place except by miracle, which by science -and by conscience must be classified with the great -inexplicable portents which the Omnipotent God -allows to be performed by His faithful servants, -and in our case by Blessed Rita of Cascia; and -this I again repeat in my deposition under my oath.' -</p> - -<p> -<i>Third Miracle</i>.—Instantaneous and perfect -curing of Cosimo Pelligrini from chronic catarrhal -gastro-enteritis, hemorrhoidal affection, and -serious and permanent chronic anæmia. -</p> - -<p> -Cosimo Pelligrini, of the town of Conversano, -in the province of Bari, a tailor by trade, and -fifty years of age, broken in health by long years -of labour and by troubles of mind, began to lose -strength, and his eyesight became so weak that -although he used very strong glasses he could -distinguish only with difficulty objects a short -distance away. He had, besides, grown so deaf -in both ears that it was necessary to speak in a -very loud voice to make him hear, and so great -was his deafness that he did not even hear the -strokes of a hammer with which on one occasion -his cloak was nailed for a joke to a bench on which -he was sitting. -</p> - -<p> -Besides his great loss of strength and the -weakening of his organs, he also suffered from -serious disorders of the stomach, pains in the -abdominal region, frequent vomitings and -hæmorrhoids. He, moreover, experienced frequent -sudden attacks of dizziness, which were so serious -as to make him fall to the ground unless he -speedily retired to bed, and stupefied him for -hours, during which time his sight was altogether -obscured. At night he often suffered from -muscular contractions, and if he spoke for long -or listened to others for any length of time he -was seized with shakings in all his members. His -ways of curing himself made his already sufficiently -deplorable state of health still worse. For, -instead of consulting a doctor, following his own -caprices he took frequent purgatives, and bled -himself so often and to such an extent that he -developed chronic anæmia, which showed its -presence in his pallid, emaciated countenance. -He was thus often forced to keep his bed, and his -bodily weakness and mental agony made life -a burden. -</p> - -<p> -Such for many years was Pelligrini's miserable -condition. About the year 1877, on the 22nd of -May, the feast of St. Rita, to whom he had great -devotion, when he was entering his house after -hearing Mass at the saint's altar in the church -of the nuns of St. Cosmo, he fell to the ground, -deprived almost entirely of sense. He was put to -bed, and the doctor immediately sent for. On his -arrival the doctor instantly saw the very grave -state of the man, prescribed some remedies, of -which, however, almost no use could be made, -and ordered the last Sacraments to be administered. -After being anointed, Pelligrini became -so ill that he lost all strength and the use of his -senses, and was hardly able to breathe; his face -became corpse-like in its pallor as he lay motionless -in bed. In this state he passed two days, and -on the third day the doctor was of opinion that -he would not live till evening. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile a lay sister of the convent, who was -sister of the sick man's wife, sent to ask how he -was, and in sending an answer his wife requested -the nuns to light the lamp at the saint's altar and -offer prayers for her husband, who was in his -last agony. The request was immediately -attended to by all the community. Little over an -hour passed when Pelligrini, as if waking from a -profound lethargy, opened his eyes, began to -move his arms, and, calling his wife, said to her, 'I -am cured. Blessed Rita has made me well.' He -then began to tell how the saint had appeared to -him, had touched him on the forehead, shoulder, -and breast, and assured him that he would be -cured, and that after only a day or two of -weakness he would be entirely well. He also gave -the same account of the vision to others who came -to see him, and the fact proved that the saint -had miraculously saved him from imminent death. -</p> - -<p> -The next day he left his bed completely cured, -as Rita had told him he would be. He was able -to eat and digest his food as well as any person -of strong robust health, and all those chronic -ills that afflicted him for so many years were -instantaneously and entirely eradicated, and his -deafness and lack of vision also were entirely gone. -He could see as well as if he had never been -shortsighted, and could detect the least noise, and -although he was seventy years of age he had -regained full vigour and strength. -</p> - -<p> -Many people went to see Pelligrini, who seemed -as one raised from the dead to a new life, and who -was filled with a new strength. All who saw him -gave glory to God and to Rita for so wonderful -and surprising a fact. After ten years, when he -was eighty years old, he was examined by doctors, -and found perfectly healthy and full of vigour. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap04"></a></p> - -<h3> -CONCLUSION -</h3> - -<p> -We have now come, oh, reader, to the end -of our journey, and however short it has -been, you, the faithful follower of our steps, -cannot fail to look back, as travellers do after -a difficult passage, and consider with us the -difficulty and roughness of the way that Rita -traversed in order to reach her sublime goal. -We are convinced that it is not simply curiosity -that has moved you to follow our plain narration -of facts, but the proposal to follow on the path -that Rita has travelled by, and walk in her -footsteps, for the lives of the saints are written -and read for no other object than with the Divine -assistance to cause their virtues to be imitated. -And you must have remarked that Rita's -virtues have this peculiar characteristic—that -persons of both sexes, of all ages and conditions, -may put themselves in the way of practising -them and turning them to account. The young, -married persons, parents, widows, persons in -religious life, the troubled and afflicted of both -sexes, have each in the life of this saint a bright -and shining mirror wherein to behold their stains, -their weakness, their imperfection, and see also -how to remove these blots under Rita's care and -protection. -</p> - -<p> -The incident of the wondrous bees flitting about -her cradle, described in the first part, seems to -us to symbolize the great multitude of Christian -souls, each of which in its proper place may -extract, like industrious bees, the honey and -fragrance of virtue from this mystic, odoriferous, -and precious garden. She is indeed the jewel of -the Umbrian province, as the inspired Pontiff, -Leo XIII., styled her in most happy phrase on -April 8, 1900, whose beauty can never fade, about -which thousands of souls may gather and be -excited to thoughts of ineffable sweetness that -will produce good fruits in time and in eternity. -</p> - -<p> -You young people, you parents, you religious, -you troubled and afflicted, never lose sight of -your model! Have recourse to her in all your -trials, and even when your troubles seem -irreparable, do not lose courage, for she who is -commonly called the <i>Saint of the Impossible and of -desperate cases</i> will then especially guard you and -bring you consolation. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t4"> -R. & T. WASHBOURNE, 4 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /><br /></p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of St. Rita of Cascia, O.S.A., by -Richard Connolly - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF ST. RITA OF CASCIA, O.S.A. *** - -***** This file should be named 52481-h.htm or 52481-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/4/8/52481/ - -Produced by Al Haines -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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