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In Cascia, Italy where the body of Saint Rita is entombed,
the stone foundation of the present Sanctuary was laid on the
20th of June 1937 by the Cardinal Henry Gasparry. This Church
was consecrated on the 18th of May 1947 and elevated to Basilica
by Pius XII on the 1st of August 1955. The External Basilica is
covered with white travertine of Tivoli. On the upper part of
the front, above the cross supported by six angels, A.D. MCMXLIII
(1943) is sculptured in Latin letters. This is the year the construction
was achieved. At the sides, 10 episodes in the life of Saint Rita
are scupltered.1. Rita with the bees: 2. Rita teaches her children
to pray: 3. Death of Rita's husband: 4. Rita's admittance into
the monastery: 5.Trial of obedience; 6.Rita as nun gives bread
to the poor; 7. Rita receives the stigma; 8.The pilgrimage to
Rome; 9. The roses and the figs in wintertime: 10. Death of Rita
Entrance to the Church of Blessed Rita is not always because
the Sisters of Saint Rita pray there. This is where the mortal
remains of Saint Rita were venerated from 1577 to 1947. It was
so severely damaged by the earthquake of 1703 that the body of
Rita the Saint was kept in a wooden hut, in the garden of the
monastery, for four years. Today, only the portal and some altars
remain from the Church of Blessed Rita. The portal, visible from
the outside, bears the inscription: In pious devotion to Blessed
Rita of the Order of Augustinian Hermits Erected A.D. 1577.
Among the many prodigies by which God manifested the sanctity
of His holy servant Saint. Rita, there is none more worthy of
admiration than the swarm of bees, commonly called 'Saint Rita's
Bees'. They first appeared when Saint Rita entered the convent
and now live in a retired place in the convent wall. They leave
the convent every Holy Week and return after the Festival of St.
Rita. They are the constant companions of the nuns while they
are kneading the dough to make the little breads of Saint Rita.
A large sanctuary to Saint Rita was built in the early 20th century
in Cascia. The sanctuary and the house where she was born are
among the most active pilgrimage sites of Umbria, Italy.
In the United States, the city of Philadelphia, origin
of Saint Rita's Shrine is intimately tied both to the story
of Italian immigration to the United States and to popular religious
devotion at the beginning of the 20th Century.
In 1907 the Augustinian Friars from Villanova, one of the suburbs
of Philadelphia, chose St Rita as the patron of their new parish.
The friars established Novenas to Saint Rita, 13 times each Sunday
and Wednesday to accommodate the thousands of people who came
to seek favors or to give thanks.
The magnificent upper church was completed in 1915 and has continued
to operate both as a parish church and the center of devotion
to the Saint of the Impossible in the United States.
Recently, St. Rita has been referred to as the Patron Saint
of Baseball because of several references made to her in the
Walt Disney movie 'The Rookie'. The character of Dennis Quaid
was considered a lost cause at playing professional baseball.
Religious medals with an image of Saint Rita on one side and a
batter on the other have been printed supporting this connection.
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