Roses of a Saint

Today, her cult is rapidly developing, centred on the Church of St Catherine. St Rita is the patroness of impossible and hopeless causes and her cult has been promoted especially vigorously by the Augustinian orders. She became an Augustine nun as a mature woman, widow, and mother. Perhaps it is her biography, in which stories of a normal, but also difficult, family life are fused with typical hagiographical elements such as stigmata, miracles (including roses blooming in winter), and mystical experiences that attracts so many among the faithful? Every month, rose sellers throng the streets around the church. Worshippers lay flowers at the foot of St Rita’s statue, which was designed by the pre-war architect Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz. After the service, bouquets of roses are taken home and given to friends who are experiencing hardship in their lives. In June 2017, after the monthly celebrations, someone adorned a parking meter close to the church with roses and images of St Rita.

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