St. Rita of Cascia
Married at twelve to a violent man and widowed by murder, she begged Heaven to stop her sons taking revenge, then entered the Augustinians at Cascia.
Canonized 1900
St. Rita of Cascia (Catholic Encyclopedia)
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (Herbermann, 1907-1913), 'St. Rita of Cascia' — born at Rocca Porena in the Diocese of Spoleto 1386, died at the Augustinian convent of Cascia 1456; married at twelve in obedience to her parents to 'a man extremely cruel and ill-tempered', a model wife and mother for eighteen years until his murder. Solemnly canonized 24 May 1900. NOTE: the encyclopedia predates the 1969 calendar reform and is NOT a source for the feast day. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13064a.htm
- General Roman Calendar, 22 May — 'St Rita of Cascia, Religious'. Liturgy Office, England and Wales. https://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Calendar/Info/General-Roman-Calendar.pdf
- Historicity is traditional rather than documented: the Life was written at the time of her beatification by the Augustinian Jacob Carelicci, from two older biographies — no contemporary record survives.