St. Rita: Patron Saint of Impossible Causes

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Rita of Cascia, patron of impossible causes. You might remember a reference to her in the opening of the Disney movie, The Rookie. I fondly call her Thorn Head because she received a partial stigmata wound from one of the thorns of Christ's crown of thorns. She suffered greatly because of this partial stigmata.  "The injury caused by the hurt developed into a serious ulcer, one most painful and unsightly, so unsightly, in fact, that for many years Sister Rita had to make her devotions alone!" (EWTN) Some accounts suggest that the wound gave off a foul odor until the time of her death when it is reported that the smell of roses filled the room.

St. Rita belongs to a unique group of saints known as the incorruptibles. No, this is not a new Marvel super hero team. Instead, this means that the bodies of these saints was not subject to the natural corruption of decay. According to the National Shrine of St. Rita:

It became clear that something exceptional was occurring as her body seemed to be free from nature’s usual course. It is still preserved today, now in a glass-enclosed coffin, in the basilica of Cascia.

Ignatius Press distributes a DVD of an Italian made film on the life of St. Rita. The movie mostly focuses on her early life, but is well made and fairly true to her life story.