![]() She lived a regular life of prayer, contemplation, and spiritual reading, according to the Rule of Saint Augustine. A fresco depicting the scene of the peace embrace was placed on a wall of the Church of Saint Francis in Cascia, an enduring reminder of the power of good over evil and a testament to the widow whose forgiving spirit achieved the impossible.Īt the age of 36, Rita finally was accepted into the Augustinian convent. The two families exchanged a peaceful embrace and signed a written agreement, putting the vendetta to rest forever. The rival family, astounded by this overture of peace, also agreed. They were convinced by her courage and agreed. She went to her husband’s family and exhorted them to put aside their hostility and stubbornness. And so, inspired by her three patron saints (Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, and Saint John the Baptist), Rita set out to make peace between the families. There were members of the rival family in the convent her presence would be detrimental to community harmony. She returned and asked for entry again, but the sisters even more firmly refused, citing that although Rita had forgiven her husband’s killers, her family had not. However, Rita was not discouraged, convinced that she was called to the contemplative community. After eighteen years of marriage, Rita felt called to a second but familiar vocation: to religious life in the Augustinian convent.īut the sisters at Saint Mary Magdalene Monastery were hesitant and refused her request. Following these tragedies, Rita placed her trust in God, accepting them and relying on her deep faith to find her way. Within a year, however, both sons succumbed to a deadly illness leaving Rita not only a widow, but also childless. ![]() Tradition has it that she often pointed out to them the image of the crucified Christ and the fact that he forgave those who killed him. ![]() She faced a steep challenge, however, in convincing her sons to do the same. Rita, however, influenced by the peacemaking example of her parents, pledged to forgive her husband’s killers. The expectation of society at the time was that the boys should avenge the murder of their father to defend the family honor. Paolo was the victim of one such conflict, and he was murdered when their sons were still young. In the troubling political climate of the times, there was often open conflict between families. ![]()
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