St. Rita novena

We pray the St. Rita novena when a situation has no human way out. St. Rita of Cascia knew such situations herself: a violent husband, his murder, two sons who swore revenge, a convent that turned her away three times. For nine days we ask her to bring our impossible case to God. The novena below comes from a Chicago booklet of 1914, published with the permission of the Augustinian provincial and the imprimatur of Archbishop James Quigley.

The St. Rita novena prayer

Devotions to St. Rita (Chicago, 1914) gives a "Novena in Honor of St. Rita" for private devotion. Each day has a short meditation on one of her virtues and a prayer, followed by the same closing prayer to St. Rita. That closing prayer is the heart of the novena, so it comes first here. The booklet is in the public domain, and its prayers are printed word for word.

Prayer to St. Rita, said every day

Name your request where the prayer says to.

O holy protectress of those who are in utmost need, who shinest as a star of hope in the midst of darkness, glorious and blessed St. Rita, bright mirror of the Catholic Church, in patience and fortitude as the patriarch Job, scourge of devils, health of the sick, deliverer of those in extreme need, admiration of Saints, and model of all states; with my whole heart and soul prostrated before and firmly united to the adorable will of my God, through the merits of my only Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and in particular through the merits of His patient wearing of that torturing crown of thorns, which thou, with a tender devotion, didst daily contemplate; through the merits of the most sweet Virgin Mary and thine own excellent graces and virtues, I implore thee to obtain my earnest petition—provided it be for the greater glory of God and my own sanctification (here mention your request), and herein do thou guide and purify my intention, O holy protectress and most dear advocate, so that I may obtain the pardon of all my sins and grace to persevere daily, as thou didst, in walking with courage and generosity and unwavering fidelity through the heavenward path in which the love of my sweet Lord desires to lead me. Amen.

The booklet follows it with two invocations, three Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Bes, and a blessing of God:

St. Rita, Advocate of the Hopeless, pray for us. St. Rita, Advocate of the Impossible, pray for us.

Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of Mercy and God of all Consolation, who, through the intercession of St. Rita, comforts us in all our tribulations. Amen.

The order of each day

The booklet's "Exercises" are the same on all nine days:

1. The rosary of the Blessed Virgin (see how to pray the rosary).
2. The Litany of St. Rita.
3. The prayer for the day, given below.
4. The prayer "O holy protectress," above.
5. Three Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Bes.

Each day also gives a short ejaculation to repeat during the day, and the booklet asks us to receive the sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist "on or before the last day."

The nine days of the St. Rita novena

Each day's prayer follows a meditation on one part of St. Rita's life. The theme of each day is given before its prayer.

First day: prayer

As a girl Rita spent hours in the parish church; as a nun "prayer was her life." The booklet asks us to "ask our Divine Lord in union with the Apostles to teach you how to pray."

O blessed Rita, wonderful model of prayer for those in every state and condition of life, pray to your Divine Spouse, with whom your intercession is so powerful and your prayers so efficacious, that the spirit of prayer may descend into my heart and ever remain there. Obtain for me also, beloved patron, that like you I may find my chief delight in having recourse to my divine Master; that like you I may be worthy to be numbered amongst His chosen disciples; that He may protect me during life from the enemies of my soul's salvation and from every danger, and at the moment of my death place me among the heavenly multitude of the blessed. Amen.

Second day: humility

The ejaculation for the day: "Jesus meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine."

O glorious St. Rita, perfect disciple of the meek and humble Nazarene, because of that most profound humility which thou didst exercise amidst the lowliest duties of the convent after being introduced by thy holy Protector into the sacred cloister of Cascia through closed doors, where, following the rule of St. Augustine, thou didst lead a life hidden with Christ in God, we pray thee obtain for us from that God who resisteth the proud and imparteth His gifts to the humble, the grace to conquer the passion of pride within us, that noxious root of all our woes, so we may become worthy to be raised up to the eternal glory of heaven in imitation of our Divine Redeemer. Amen.

Third day: faith and the will of God

The ejaculation for the day: "Blessed be the Holy Will of God."

O glorious St. Rita, chosen friend of Jesus Christ, help me by your intercession and obtain for me the spirit of faith as lively as that which you yourself possessed, that it may guide and direct me in all the adversities of life and teach me to adore in all things the Holy Will of God. May this holy faith lift me above the things of time and show me in accordance with the science of all the saints that I should not place my heart on objects that will so soon pass away, but rather that the only royal road to the kingdom of heaven is the patient endurance of whatever may happen here below. O good Jesus, grant me through the prayers of St. Rita, the spirit of faith, that glorious gift which the prince of the Apostles asked with such fervor: "Lord, increase our faith." May my life be in accordance with the teaching of your holy Gospel and may I be able to say with my dying breath, "I have kept the faith," and now am ready for my eternal reward. Amen.

Fourth day: obedience

O glorious St. Rita, bright ornament of the Augustinian Order; model of obedience during your whole life; perfect disciple of Him who came on earth to do the will of His Heavenly Father, and who was obedient in all things even unto the death of the cross; obtain for me by your powerful intercession the grace to render myself perfectly obedient and submissive to all God's designs in my regard. May I obtain also the grace to behold God in the person of my superiors, spiritual and temporal, and thus render them that loyal and loving service which characterized your every act. Amen.

Fifth day: patience in suffering

O blessed Rita, model of patience and resignation to the will of God, in all your trials; how much I need the consolation afforded by meditating on your sufferings, and learning from you never to be downcast but always to raise my eyes to heaven, there seeking, as you did, the strength to bear patiently the various ills of life. Obtain for me from your Divine Spouse and Model those virtues of patience and resignation, the true philosophers' stone which will change the ordinary trials of life into the precious pearls of a glorious diadem, similar to that which now adorns your brow, and which will be forever yours in reward for your patiently bearing the cross your heavenly Father sent you. Amen.

Sixth day: the Passion of Christ

On this day the booklet recalls the thorn. As Rita knelt before the crucifix, "she saw one of the thorns from the crown of the crucifix detach itself and strike her on the left side of the forehead," and she bore the wound until she died. The story is traditional, told by her earliest biographers and honored in every image of her.

O sweet Lord Jesus, Who became man for the salvation of the human race, and who suffered such untold pains and humiliations that guilty man might be restored again to the love and friendship of his Creator, grant that through the merits of blessed Rita, the sorrows of Your Passion may be the constant object of my thoughts and aspirations. Imprint deeply in my heart the love of Your Passion, and grant that in imitation of my glorious patron, St. Rita, I may deserve to hear an answer to my prayers and may come with her to eternal happiness. Amen.

Seventh day: forgiveness

Rita forgave the men who killed her husband. "Resolve, then, today to banish from your heart all ill-will and uncharitable feelings toward those who may have done you any injury."

O dearest Lord, how many times I have offended You and how kind You have been to me in granting me the grace of repentance. I acknowledge that my life has been one of ingratitude for the numberless favors which You bestowed upon me. I thank You especially for the various lessons of virtue You have given me through the life of blessed Rita, and beg of You to impress on my heart the lesson of forgiveness of injuries. O blessed Rita, spouse of Jesus suffering, you who were so cruelly treated by others during life and yet pardoned from your inmost heart the injuries you received, obtain for me the favor to love all men, even those who may do me the greatest injuries. Amen.

Eighth day: the Holy Eucharist

The booklet asks us to prepare today to receive Holy Communion tomorrow, "the closing day of your novena."

O sweet Lord Jesus, who out of love for me dost remain day and night, a Prisoner of Love in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, often lonely and neglected by those You love, but more so by me. O grant me, dear Jesus, through the intercession of Your beloved servant Rita, to find my joy and consolation in visiting You in this Sacrament, and in receiving You into my heart. I desire now to receive You but, alas, I am not prepared. Come then into my soul in spirit. Prepare it for that happy moment tomorrow when I will have the happiness of receiving You sacramentally as the crowning work of this novena, and grant me through the intercession of St. Rita the favors I am asking You during these days of prayer. Amen.

Ninth day: the love of God and a holy death

Rita died in the monastery at Cascia on May 22, 1457, after receiving the last sacraments. "Be devoted to Mary, and ask her frequently to intercede for you at the hour of your death."

O glorious St. Rita, filled with love for your heavenly Father, take me today, unworthy though I be, under your powerful protection, and obtain for me the favor I am seeking during this novena (name your request). I beseech you also to obtain for me the ineffable grace of loving God with my whole heart during the remainder of my life, of loving Him above all things in imitation of the bright example of your life, that thus I may merit as you did to die in the sweet embrace of Jesus and Mary. O teach me, dear Saint, to prepare myself for that moment on which so much depends, and obtain that death may be for me the entrance to eternal life. Amen.

Other prayers from the 1914 booklet

The Litany of St. Rita, said every day of the novena, closes with this prayer:

O God, who in Thine infinite tenderness hast vouchsafed to regard the prayer of Thy servant, Blessed Rita, and dost grant to her supplication that which is impossible to human foresight, skill and efforts, in reward of her compassionate love and firm reliance upon Thy promises; have pity upon our adversity and succor us in our calamities, that the unbeliever may know Thou art the recompense of the humble, the defense of the helpless, and the strength of those who trust in Thee. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The booklet also prints a short prayer to be said once a day, which a decree of August 11, 1906, enriched with an indulgence of 300 days. The Church revised all such grants in 1968, but the prayer is as good as ever:

O glorious St. Rita, who didst miraculously participate in the sorrowful Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, obtain for me the grace to suffer with resignation the troubles of this life, and protect me in all my needs. Amen.

And a Memorare in her honor, for any hour:

Remember, O holy protectress of those in extreme need, that no one ever turned to thee in affliction, besought thy assistance, or implored thy intercession and was left unaided. With a firm reliance upon thy favor at the Throne of Grace, I, a suppliant, come to thee, Blessed Rita, bright Saint of the Impossible! Hearken thou to my petitions. Amen.

When to pray the St. Rita novena

Before her feast. The Church keeps St. Rita's memorial on May 22, the day she died in 1457. To end the day before the feast, pray the novena from May 13 to May 21. The National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia in Philadelphia keeps its solemn novena on those days and takes prayer intentions all year. See the feast day calendar.

On nine Thursdays. The 1914 booklet allows the novena "either on nine consecutive days, or on nine consecutive Thursdays." It also asks you to begin again if a day is missed, and to make the novena at her shrine if possible, "though it may be made privately at home."

The Fifteen Thursdays. In Cascia the faithful prepare for the feast with the Quindici giovedì, the fifteen Thursdays before May 22. The monastery's own booklet explains that they recall "the fifteen years in which the saint bore on her forehead" the wound of the thorn.

At any time. A novena for a private need, a marriage, a child, an illness or a debt, can begin on any day.

The blessing of roses on May 22

Tradition holds that a few months before her death, when Rita was too ill to leave her bed, she asked a cousin to bring her a rose from the garden of her old home at Roccaporena. It was January, and the cousin went only to please her, but found one rose in bloom. The story is traditional, and it is the reason roses are blessed on her feast. The 1914 booklet prints the blessing used in Augustinian churches. Part of it asks God to "bless these roses which out of devotion and veneration to blessed Rita we present Thee today," and that "all infirmities, to which they may be applied, whether of those who with devotion preserve them in their homes or other places, or who carry them about with them may be healed."

A blessed rose is a sacramental. Like holy water or a medal, it has no power of its own; whatever good it does comes from God, through the prayer of the Church and the faith of the one who keeps it. Many people bring a rose to Mass on May 22 to close their novena and carry it home to someone who is sick.

Related prayers and pages

• St. Rita of Cascia: her life, the thorn and the rose, her miracles, symbols in art, and the prayers used by the Philadelphia shrine.
• The patron saints of lost and impossible causes, with St. Rita and St. Jude.
• St. Augustine and St. Nicholas of Tolentino, two of the three saints who, the old lives say, brought her into the convent at Cascia, with St. John the Baptist.
• The St. Jude novena and other novenas on our novenas page.

St. Rita, Advocate of the Impossible, pray for us.