St. Rita’s name engenders so much devotion from so many persons who have recourse to this Saint of the Impossible for her intercession before God. Thursday is the day when so many of her devotees turn to her in particular in all the Augustinian Churches, more so when the Thursdays of devotions in preparation for her feast day are celebrated.
St. Rita was an Augustinian religious who lived in central Italy more than 600 years ago but various aspects of her life, particularly the suffering she bore with so much faith, make her a very popular saint throughout the Catholic world. The devotions of the 15 Thursdays originates from the fact that St. Rita bore one of Christ’s thorns in her forehead for fifteen years, after she implored Jesus to share with him the suffering he had experienced for us. In this traditional context, so many persons turn to St. Rita’s intercession when enduring their own crosses and tribulations, and they fervently seek her help to convey to God their prayers.
The Augustinian religious, one can say throughout the world, spread over the years this devotion towards this saint and presented her to the people of God as a model of hope in facing the difficulties of life. In the course of the Thursdays leading to the feast of St. Rita, in all Augustinian churches throughout Malta and Gozo prayer sessions are held seeking her intercession.
Her feast will be celebrated on 22 May principally in the Augustinian Churches in Valletta and in Victoria, Gozo. The feast is also celebrated in all the other Augustinian churches. We are urged by the Augustinian communities to turn to this saint and to invoke her help in our journey towards God that He will never leave us alone, especially in the difficult moments of our lives.