National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia

Rita of Cascia was born in Italy in 1386. At the age of twelve, she was married to an abusive man and was forced to endure his rage until his death eighteen years later. Rita delighted in her two sons until they also died; she then entered a convent and devoted herself to Christ. Rita is worshipped as the "Saint of the Impossible" and the "Saint of Desperate Causes." In 1907, George Lovatt built this Renaissance-style church in Philadelphia. It has become a national center of devotion to St. Rita.