St. Rita of Cascia
Novena · 9 days
St. Rita of Cascia (1381–1457) was a wife, mother, widow, and finally an Augustinian nun in the Italian region of Umbria. Her life held nearly every kind of sorrow: a difficult marriage to a harsh husband, his violent death, the loss of her two sons, and years of waiting before she could enter the convent she had long desired. Through it all she remained faithful, forgiving those who wronged her family and answering bitterness with peace. Because no grief seemed to defeat her trust in God, the faithful turn to her in situations that feel hopeless — broken families, illness, wounded marriages, and causes the world calls impossible.
A novena is a prayer spread across nine days, a practice rooted in the disciples who prayed together while awaiting the Holy Spirit. It is not a magic formula or a bargain with heaven; it is a path of trust and perseverance, a way of staying close to God day after day while St. Rita prays alongside us. God alone gives every grace. As you begin, come simply and honestly, asking St. Rita to carry your needs before the Lord, and trust that he hears.
Day 1 · Beginning in Trust
St. Rita's whole life rested on trust in God, even when she could not see the road ahead. As you begin these nine days, you do not need perfect faith or the right words — only a willing heart. Like Rita, set down your need before the Lord and choose to believe that he is good, that he listens, and that he will not abandon you.
St. Rita of Cascia, on this first day I come to you with my heart open. You knew uncertainty and waiting, yet you never stopped trusting God. Pray with me now, that I may begin this novena in genuine faith.
Father, you are the source of every grace, and I place my trust in you. Quiet my fears and steady my heart as I begin. Help me believe that you are near, even when I cannot feel it.
Through St. Rita's intercession, draw me closer to you each day, and teach me to rest in your faithful love.
In the silence of your heart, bring your intention before God.
Amen.
St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us.
Day 2 · Surrender of Our Burdens
Rita carried heavy burdens — a troubled home, fear for those she loved — yet she learned to hand them to God rather than be crushed by them. Surrender is not giving up; it is entrusting what we cannot control to the One who can. Today, name the weight you have been carrying alone, and ask Rita to help you place it gently in God's hands.
St. Rita of Cascia, you knew what it is to carry more than the heart can bear. Pray for me, that I may have the courage to surrender my burdens instead of clinging to them in fear.
Lord, you invite the weary to come to you and find rest. I lay before you the cares that exhaust me, trusting that you hold them more securely than I ever could.
With St. Rita beside me, help me to let go, to breathe, and to live as one whose burdens are shared with you.
In the silence of your heart, bring your intention before God.
Amen.
St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us.
Day 3 · Patience in Waiting
For many years Rita longed to enter religious life, yet door after door stayed closed. She did not force her way; she waited and prayed until God's time arrived. Waiting can feel like wasted time, but in God's hands it becomes ground where trust grows deep. Whatever you are waiting for today, ask Rita to teach you her patient, hopeful endurance.
St. Rita of Cascia, you waited long years for the desire of your heart, never letting disappointment turn into despair. Pray for me in my own season of waiting.
Father, your timing is wiser than mine. When I grow restless or discouraged, remind me that you are at work even in the silence, and that nothing entrusted to you is ever lost.
Through Rita's example, give me a patient heart that keeps hoping and keeps praying until your will unfolds.
In the silence of your heart, bring your intention before God.
Amen.
St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us.
Day 4 · The Grace of Forgiveness
When Rita's husband was killed, she chose forgiveness over revenge, and even prayed that her sons would not be consumed by hatred. Forgiveness does not pretend a wound never happened; it releases the offender to God and frees our own hearts. Is there someone you need to forgive today? Ask Rita to help you take even a small step toward peace.
St. Rita of Cascia, you answered violence with mercy and refused to let bitterness rule your heart. Pray for me, that I may find the grace to forgive those who have hurt me.
Lord, you forgive me again and again; teach me to extend that same mercy to others. Heal the resentment I carry, and soften whatever has grown hard within me.
With St. Rita's help, let me lay down every grudge and walk in the freedom of your peace.
In the silence of your heart, bring your intention before God.
Amen.
St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us.
Day 5 · Comfort in Sorrow
Rita buried her husband and then both of her sons. Few have known grief so deep. Yet she did not turn away from God in her sorrow; she drew nearer to him and found comfort. If you are grieving today — a loss, a disappointment, a dream that died — you are not alone. Ask Rita to sit with you in your sorrow and lead you gently toward consolation.
St. Rita of Cascia, you knew tears that seemed to have no end, yet you let God meet you in your grief. Pray for me in my own sorrow, that I may not face it alone.
Father of compassion, you are close to the brokenhearted. Gather up my pain and hold it tenderly. Where I cannot find words, let my silence be a prayer you understand.
Through Rita's intercession, comfort me, and in your time turn my mourning into quiet hope.
In the silence of your heart, bring your intention before God.
Amen.
St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us.
Day 6 · Hope for Impossible Causes
St. Rita is honored as patron of desperate and impossible causes — not because she works wonders by her own power, but because she trusted a God for whom nothing is impossible. When everything tells you to give up, her witness whispers that grace can reach even here. Bring your most hopeless situation to God today, and let Rita pray with you.
St. Rita of Cascia, patron of causes the world calls impossible, you never measured God's power by human limits. Pray for me in the situation that feels beyond all hope.
Lord, with you nothing is impossible. I do not ask you to bend to my will, but I dare to bring you what seems unreachable, trusting that your love and wisdom exceed my understanding.
Through St. Rita's prayers, renew my hope, and open my eyes to the ways your grace is already at work.
In the silence of your heart, bring your intention before God.
Amen.
St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us.
Day 7 · Peace in the Home
Rita was a peacemaker in a home marked by tension and a region torn by feuds. She believed that peace begins with one heart willing to forgive and to love. Our families are rarely perfect, but they can be places where grace takes root. Today, ask Rita to bring her gentle peace into your home and into every relationship that needs healing.
St. Rita of Cascia, peacemaker in a wounded household, you softened hardened hearts through patience and prayer. Pray for my family and for the relationships I hold dear.
Lord, you are the giver of true peace. Mend what is broken among us, calm what is anxious, and teach us to bear with one another in love. Let our home be a place where your tenderness is felt.
With St. Rita's help, make me an instrument of your peace among those I love.
In the silence of your heart, bring your intention before God.
Amen.
St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us.
Day 8 · Faithful Perseverance
After entering the convent, Rita spent forty years in faithful, hidden prayer and service, persevering quietly to the very end. Holiness is rarely dramatic; it is built from small daily choices to keep going. As your novena nears its close, ask Rita for the gift of perseverance — to keep praying, keep trusting, and keep showing up, whether or not you see results yet.
St. Rita of Cascia, you persevered in faith through long, quiet years, never wavering in your love for God. Pray for me, that I may not grow weary in doing good.
Father, you are faithful even when I falter. Strengthen me to keep going — in prayer, in love, in trust — especially on the days when my heart feels tired.
Through Rita's steadfast example, help me to remain faithful to the end, confident that you complete the good work you begin.
In the silence of your heart, bring your intention before God.
Amen.
St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us.
Day 9 · Entrusting All to God
On this final day, Rita's whole life speaks one message: God can be trusted with everything. She handed him her marriage, her grief, her longings, and at last her very self. Now, having walked these nine days, place all your intentions in God's hands. He has heard every prayer, and with St. Rita interceding for you, you can rest in his faithful, unfailing love.
St. Rita of Cascia, faithful through every sorrow and joy, I thank God for your companionship across these nine days. Pray for me as I entrust everything to the Lord.
Father, you have heard each prayer of this novena. I place into your hands all that I have asked, all that I have not known how to say, and all that I am. Your will is my peace.
With St. Rita beside me, let me leave this novena trusting completely in you, the source of every grace, now and always.
In the silence of your heart, bring your intention before God.
Amen.
St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us.
Closing Prayer
Father of all mercy, we thank you for the gift of St. Rita of Cascia and for the friendship she has offered us across these nine days. Through her life of trust, forgiveness, patience, and unshakable hope, you have shown us how grace can shine even through deep suffering. We praise you, for you alone are the source of every blessing, and you have heard the prayers we have lifted to you.
Grant us now perseverance in faith, that we may keep believing when the way is unclear; in hope, that we may keep trusting in your goodness; and in love, that we may forgive, serve, and bear one another's burdens as Rita did. Let the desire to draw near to you, kindled in these days, never grow cold.
Into your hands we entrust every intention we have carried through this novena — the spoken and the unspoken, the possible and the seemingly impossible. We surrender them to your wisdom and your love, confident that you will answer in the way that is best. With St. Rita praying alongside us, we place ourselves wholly in your care, today and forever. Amen.
