Today is the feast of the great Italian wife, mother and nun, St. Rita of Cascia (Margherita). Patron saint of impossible cases. She, St. Anthony and St. Joseph, Jude and others are wonder workers who can undo the most impossible situations - especially when it come to reconcilling one to the Church and the Sacraments. If you are like me, life is a mess - and Rita can fix it. Saints like Rita show us that 'nothing is impossible for God.' Nothing. Then of course, when things get really messed up, we have recourse to Our Lady Undoer of Knots. I go to her everyday because every day I screw up. Yay! It's all good! Go out and make a mess! (I know a guy in Rome who says that!)
I pray to her every day too. Life is a mess.
ReplyDeleteI will ask her to help with mine as well ... messes that is.
ReplyDeleteThe French artist Yves Klein had a life-long devotion to St. Rita, making several pilgrimages. Towards the end of his short life, he made an ex-voto for her, and left it at the convent. It was on loan for the Yves Klein retrospective at the Hirshhorn in 2010. It is exquisite. Not only does it sum up his artistic career, but is also perfect as a work of religious art; you could feel his heart's devotion.
ReplyDeleteThis image is very close to the true colors of the pigments:
https://walkerart.org/magazine/yves-klein-and-the-patron-saint-of-lost-causes
This will give a sense of its size:
http://www.yvesklein.com/en/articles/view/16/the-ex-voto-to-st-rita-da-cascia
Thank you so much for these links - what a great story and lovely ex-voto. How wonderful the nuns treasure it!
DeleteE - I posted it on Facebook. Thanks again.
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