roses for santa rita

saint rita was deathly ill in the convent of casia having suffered an injury to her forehead on her journey to rome

a cousin came to visit her with the intentions to bid farewell and see if there was any way in which she could serve her for one last time.

rita asked that her cousin go back to her home in roccaporena and from her garden cut a rose and bring it back to her in casia.

Being the dead of winter the cousin thought rita must be delusional from the illness and returned back to her home town forgetting the request for the rose.

passing by rita's home, she was struck with a supernatural impulse and wandered into the garden. she went crazy with excitement, for sure enough, there in the garden was a snow-covered rose bush bearing a fresh, lush rose. she cuts the rose and brings to rita where it lasted a very long time giving off an intense rich perfume.

22 may, she died. people flocked to the convent to pay their respects. innumerable miracles took place through her intercession and devotion spread far and wide.

today the rose is thought to represent God's love for rita and rita's ability to intercede on behalf of lost causes or impossible cases and on 22 may people go into the streets and buy roses and take them to the church to say their prayers for the sick.