Today's Saint is St. Rita of Cascia (also known as Margarita). She was born in Italy in 1381 and at an early age expressed a desire to become a nun, However, her parents insisted that she marry and at the age of 12 she was married to a man that treated her cruelly. She spent 18 years in this unhappy marriage, giving birth to two sons, until she was widowed when her husband was killed in a brawl.
She still wanted to become a nun, and when her sons had also dies, she tried to enter the convent of Augustinians at Cascia. She was refused because she was a widow and the convent had a requirement that all sisters had to be virgins. She was finally given entrance in 1413 and gained a reputation for austerity, devotion to prayer, and charity. In the midst of chronic illnesses, she received visions and wounds on her forehead which resembled the crown of thorns.
She is honored in Spain as La Santa de los Impossibles and elsewhere as a patron saint of hopeless causes. Her feast day is May 22.
P.S. - I am still taking suggestions for saints to feature in my posts this month.
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