saint rita peacemaker winter 2014
DESCRIPTION
A quarterly publication for donors and friends of the National Shrine Saint Rita of CasciaTRANSCRIPT
THe PeACeMAkeR
Winter, 2014 Publication of the national Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia
Shrine Director:
Fr. Joseph Genito, O.S.A.
Development Director and Editor:
Deborah binder, M.ed.
Photographer:
Fr. Daniel Mclaughlin, O.S.A.
Design:
accent communications, inc.
Printer:
Gerald O’neill
Contact us for a free subscription
national Shrine of St. Rita
1166 So. broad St., Phila. PA 19146
215-546-8333
www.SaintRitaShrine.org
Shrine Hours of Operation:
Weekdays: 7:30 AM - 5:25 PM
Wednesday: 7:30 AM - 7:30 PM
Saturday: 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday: 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Masses:
Weekday: 8 AM, 12 PM
Wednesday: 8 AM, 12 PM, 7:00 PM
novena after all Masses on Wed.
Saturday: 8 AM, 12 noon, 5 PM
Sunday: 9 AM, 11 AM Masses
Confessions: Monday-Saturday
Eucharistic Adoration: Daily
SHRIne bOARD MeMbeRS:
Fr. Joseph Genito, O.S.A.Executive Director
Jay Agnes
edward Caruso
louis Cinquanto
Anthony DeCarlo
Fr. John Deegan, O.S.A.
Dina DellaDucata
bishop Michael Fitzgerald
Fr. Mickey Genovese, O.S.A.
Dominic liberi
Judge Timothy Rice
ISSUe THeMe:
“GOD’S HeAlInG JUSTICe”
St. Augustine, in his great work
on the Trinity, states that “true love
consists in loving the others either
because they are just or so that they
might become just.” Our theme
of “God’s healing justice” speaks
to the ways our ministry seeks
to promote justice by the practice
of loving others through service.
– Fr.JosephA.Genito,O.S.A.
Cover Photo: Wooden St. Rita Statue, located
St. Rita Church in Racine, Wisconsin.
2
TAble OF COnTenTS
letter, Fr. Joseph Genito, O.S.A. 3
Our 2014 Peace Award Recipient 4
“View”, Fr. M. Di Gregorio, O.S.A. 6
Article, Fr. J. Deegan, O.S.A. 9
Article, William J. Farnon 12
“Your Word to Us” 14
blessed Mariano de la Mata O.S.A. 18
Article, Fr. P. Morrisey, O.S.A. 20
Pictorial of School 24
Development, Deborah binder 26
Back Cover: Christ’s Head, Sketch by Fr. Gene
DelConte O.S.A., Artist, Friar of our Shrine
deAr FriendS,
In the course of our salvation history, the notion of
God’s healing justice is often accompanied by great
trials, and by situations that challenge the faith of
those enduring those trials. The traditional “happy
ending” occurs after individuals or groups have
dealt with circumstances that are often bleak, causing them to
wonder if God indeed hears their prayers for justice.
The season of Advent is one of
waiting, culminating with the arrival
of the Savior, but his presence was
not immediately felt, even after his
public ministry and a scandalous
death that almost crushed the spirit
of his followers. But by his resurrec-
tion he prevailed, and the wisdom
of sticking with him and his teach-
ings breathed life into his followers
so that they could carry on his
work. They were eventually justified
in their faith by his resurrection. Our
liturgical year therefore reflects the
journey of each individual and the
community of believers, the prom-
ise of salvation concluding with the
triumph of the resurrection.
We begin a new era of the Shrine
with this first step, an era of
enhancing the knowledge of God’s
healing justice through the offering
of programs, services and spiritual
development to all people of every
denomination or no denomination.
Our partnership with such groups
as P.O.W.E.R., whose executive
director, Rev. Dwayne Royster, has
been selected as the recipient of
this year’s Peace Award, is but one
of what we hope will be many mutu-
ally helpful alliances with like-minded
people dedicated to restoring right
relationships between human
beings. When justice prevails,
hearts are healed and spirits uplifted
because all is right with the world, a
condition for which we all long.
Continue to pray with us that the
good work we hope to accomplish
in the Cascia Center will be able to
begin as soon as possible and
continue to grow and flourish as it
becomes a beacon of hope and
justice for all.
wOrdSfromFATher JOe
3
Fr.JosephA.Genito,O.S.A.Shrine Director
4
Reverend dwayne Roysteris the bishop of Living Water Church
of the United Church of Christ (UCC)
located in North Philadelphia.
Bishop Royster has been an active
proponent of peace and justice
from the very beginning of his
ordained ministry and has in recent
years assumed the Executive
Directorship of P.O.W.E.R.
(Philadelphians Organized to
Witness, Empower and Rebuild), a
community organizing group aimed
at engaging people on the level of
their passions and interests to rally
their neighborhoods in support of
worthy causes.
Among those causes which Bishop
Royster is directing are living wages
for city employees, justice for the
school system, and a compassion-
ate and just means of addressing
immigration issues.
It is estimated that 28% of
Philadelphians live at or below the
poverty level, making it the poorest
of the nation’s ten largest cities.
Bishop Royster has stated, “Without
a strong, fair living wage standard,
our city is subsidizing large corpora-
tions and having to pay more in the
end to provide safety net services
to workers who are paid too little to
be self-sufficient.”
Another important issue facing
Philadelphia is the cut-back in
school funding, resulting in the
loss of many auxiliary services
2014 Saint Rita Peace AwardAwARded to
Reverend DwayneRoyster
Christ with the Multitudes Preaching, Anthony Visco, St. Rita Shrine Artist
nATiOnAL Shrine OF ST. riTA
7Th AnnUAL PeACe BAnQUeT
necessary to keep the schools safe
and running efficiently. Bishop
Royster has joined with other
community leaders to demand
justice for the city’s children in
public schools.
P.O.W.E.R. to stand up against voter
suppression and the Pennsylvania
voter ID law, launching the “Let My
People vote” Campaign to stand up
for the rights of almost 800,000
Pennsylvanians who have been
disenfranchised by this law.
A more significant issue for South
Philadelphians, however, is that of
immigration reform and the fair
treatment of the many immigrant
groups who have settled in this part
of the city. Bishop Royster is in the
forefront, leading P.O.W.E.R. in its
COme And meeTreverend dwAyne rOSTerand hear more about his ministry
during an evening of great food and
fellowship with others concerned
about peace and justice in our city!
Friday, may 2, 2014
Call the Shrine for Tickets at
215-546-8333
quest to help those who are most
vulnerable, the poor and powerless
immigrants looking to avoid the
fragmentation of families through
deportation.
Bishop Dwayne Royster has proven
himself an effective advocate for
justice for the poor and a profoundly
authentic proponent of fostering
the principles of love and care for
the poor, the hallmark of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, by his self-
less and tireless dedication. Saint
Rita’s is proud to recognize his
accomplishments and equally dedi-
cated to continuing our partnership
with him and P.O.W.E.R., of which
we are one of the founding and
contributing members, by awarding
him the Peace Award for 2014.
...AN ACTIvE proponentOf peace AND justice
Dwayne is “Committed to the four biblical principles of redemption,
restoration, renewal and refreshment!” 5
Rev. Dwayne
mAny PeOPLe
are familiar with
the great tragedy
that touched the
life of young Saint
Rita, when her
husband was
slain and her
sons swore revenge for their father’sdeath. Many have been inspired byher generous response to this doubleheartbreak, and so have found guid-ance, hope, and courage in facing
hardships of their own. forgiveness,and the recommendation of forgive-ness, were her firm resolve in this
time of difficulty. for Rita, it seems,it could not have been otherwise!
This does not mean to say that shewas not free to decide differently,
and it surely does not suggest thatforgiveness was an easy choice forher. But it was the right choice, theobvious choice, not because it wasthe popular one — quite the contrary— as the very different decision of
her sons suggest. It was, however,the proposal of the Gospel, — “forgive,and you shall be forgiven (Lk 6, 37)…offer no resistance to injury …turnthe other cheek (Mt 5, 38-39) …notseven times but seventy times
seven times (Mt 18, 22).”
The heALinGthat COmeS
FrOm TrUTh
VIeW FROM MY HeAR T bY FR. MICHAel DI GReGORIO O.S.A .
Rita had been raised by parents who
believed this teaching, and who
practiced their belief in very concrete
terms, not only in the privacy of their
home, but in the very public arena
of social life, as they served as
agents of reconciliation among their
neighbors. As a result, Rita did not
grow up hearing the Gospel as
a command to be observed; she
witnessed it as a way of life to be
embraced. If violence and vengeance
were then, as now, recurring, unhappy,
features of civil society, 15th Century
Roccaporena was fortunate to have,
at least, some clear examples
offered by devout Christians showing
how to deal with such realities in a
positive way.
This part of the story should not be
forgotten.
There are teachings in the Gospel
which can surprise or even trouble
us because they seem to contradict
what we judge to be common sense,
or appear to be far beyond human
capabilities. To follow the teachings
of Jesus conveyed in the Gospels
that we reflect upon Sunday after
6
Sunday, indeed day after day, is
never an exercise in simple obedi-
ence to what we profess. It is,
rather, the expression of a convic-
tion that Jesus holds the words of
life, that in following his truth, his
wisdom, we become truly free.
Justice is sometimes defined simply
as the quality of being right or cor-
rect. God’s justice instructs us pre-
cisely in how to live correctly, how to
walk the path that is truthful, accu-
rate, consistent with our identity,
purpose and life goals. Rita firmly
believed this, and acted accordingly
in a moment of great crisis, when
the complexity of life’s events
required a decision that would be
shaped not by passion or impulse,
but by fidelity to her deepest convic-
tions. We, who are able to look back
upon the long term consequences
of Rita’s choice, know the rightness
of it. Though the path may not have
been easy, it was lifegiving, bringing
peace to Rita, an end to the hostility
that had kept families divided, and
an example to men and women
ever after.
If only we can be similarly guided,
in the complex circumstances of
our lives and our world, to act upon
the wisdom of Christ’s message
with a conviction like that of Rita,
that is born of faith and trust, and
confirmed by the experience of men
and women who have done so
before us and reaped the rewards
that followed. In dark, difficult,
moments we especially need light.
Unfortunately, in the darkness we
may too easily or quickly be distracted
by a passing spark or flashing glim-
mer, rather than the full bright beam
that Jesus reveals. To follow a dim-
mer light might lead us to greater
difficulty, while following the Light
who is Christ will bring us healing.
–Fr.Michael
Fr. Michael DiGregorio O.S.A. was
Director of our shrine from 1992 to
2007. He created the “Peacemaker”
magazine as a nationwide communica-
tion between the Shrine & devotees of
St. Rita. Fr. Michael completed his
6-year term as Vicar General to the
Augustinian Order in Rome, Italy this
Fall, and returned to the U.S.
“...GOD'S justice INSTRUCTS US PRECISELy
IN hOW TO LIvE correctly..."7
9
GOd’S healing JUSTiCeBy Fr. JACk deeGAn, O.S.A.
“The alien living with you must be treated as one of
your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you
were aliens in egypt.” (Leviticus 19:34)
The plight of the immigrant has always been a difficult
one as we see from the above quote from Leviticus. The
crisis of immigration is a reality in our own country. Deep
divisions among people of good faith have been brought
to light as we try to change a policy that has caused
much sorrow and, in some instances, destroyed the family
unit. how can we bring God’s healing justice to bear on
this issue?
Pope francis, in one of his daily homilies, said this:
“…Today amid so much darkness, we need to see the
light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope
to others.”
In my work for justice and peace, I and many volunteers
for ADROP (Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the
Poor) have tried to address the needs of the marginalized.
One need identified was primary health care for those
who could not afford health insurance. Many of our
clients are undocumented persons who have lived in
Philadelphia for several years and have been contributing
members of their community and good and loving parents.
But they live in fear of deportation. One such client who
volunteered as an interpreter for our health clinic, was
notified one morning that her husband had been picked
up at a day labor site, shipped to Texas and would be
deported within several days. She also told me that she
“...SEEk TO PROMOTE A COMPASSIONATE societyWhERE ALL hAvE A place AT ThE table Of PLENTy.”
10
had just been diagnosed with
breast cancer. Consider her plight:
the bread winner for the family is to
be deported, the mother has cancer
and the children were in danger of
being left without parents. Where is
the healing justice in this family’s
journey? This is just one of the
many stories that could be told of
the crisis in our immigration system.
I wonder what St. Rita, and, indeed
what Jesus would do in this situa-
tion. more to the point, i wonder
what we as the Body of Christ,
should be doing to bring healing
and reconciliation to the many who
have been victims of laws that are
no longer just and right in the sight
of God.
The United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops has called for a
Comprehensive Immigration law
that would be fair, just, protects the
unity of the family and provides a
path to citizenship. Most of us are
descendants of those who came to
the United States looking for a better
life for themselves and for their
children. Today, we seem to have
forgotten our origins. We see immi-
grants as a threat to our way of life
and our financial security. Some
would send the 11 million undocu-
mented back to their country of
origin even though they are our
neighbor and a productive member
of our community.
Should not the Christian seek to
promote a compassionate society
where all have a place at the table
of plenty? Are there not unjust
structures that keep our friends
and neighbors in the darkness of
fear as they try to do what is
required of them to become citizens?
how do we respect the integrity
of creation, especially human
creation, if we do not honor the
dignity of all of God’s creation?
St. Rita always sought to bring out
the best in people. She wanted to
enter into dialogue with those who
would solve their disagreements
through violence. She longed for
reconciliation between warring
factions and families and prayed
constantly that her sons would
not resort to violence to avenge
the murder of their father.
what lessons can we learn from
rita as we strive to welcome the
alien amongst us into our commu-
nity? One lesson which we all can
learn is to not rush to judgment
and put all undocumented persons
in one basket. each journey is dif-
ferent and personal. The undocu-
mented want what you and I want:
to be respected and given the dignity
due to all of God’s creation. They
seek the unity of their family as St.
Rita did as she struggled to recon-
cile the warring factions among her
family and relatives. And through
prayer and patience she counseled
her sons and others not to seek
revenge but to seek peace through
dialogue and respectful listening.
Another lesson from Rita is to for-
give those who have injured us in
any way. Rita imitated the compas-
sionate and forgiving Christ as she
worked endlessly to bring the heal-
ing touch of God to the people who
GOD’S HeAlInG JUSTICe, (COn’T)
would stand in her way of following
her call to enter religious life. Gently
and with persistence, she made her
case to become a sister and by her
actions and example won over
those who, at first, thought her
unworthy of admittance to religious
life. Rita was, in a certain sense, an
alien in the foreign land of religious
life. But, through her calming pres-
ence, she brought love to the convent
and the sisters learned to love her
as they loved themselves.
In our day, too many have become
wanderers through life, their worlds
upset by war, violence, hatred, prej-
udice of all types, and laws that no
longer reflect the healing justice of
God. we need to pray for the heal-
ing justice of God that it might
spring up in our day and wash
away our sins of injustice towards
those who are voiceless and
marginalized.
… true love,consists in lovingthe other either
because they are justor so that they mightbecome just.
– Saint auguStine
“
“As Pope francis said in a daily ser-
mon:” Please let us be protectors…
to protect creation, to protect every
man and woman, to look upon
them with tenderness and love is to
open the horizon of hope. It is to let
a shaft of light break through the
heavy clouds… Let us protect Christ
in our lives, so that we can protect
others, and protect creation.”
Fr. Jack Deegan
O.S.A. was
ordained in 1961.
He was President
of Merrimack
College, after
several positions
at the high school
and college level.
He founded the Augustinians Defenders
of the Rights of the Poor in 2003.
11
in 1980, the first contingent of Gregory and Martha Nguyen's family
arrived in Phila. It consisted of a brother of Gregory, the brother's wife and two
children, and four nephews. These eight were part of the “boat people” who
fled their country in 1979 in small boats. They were thankful to have been
rescued on the high seas by an American warship. Some other
vietnamese refugees were not so fortunate. Either their small
boats capsized, or pirates from nearby Cambodia
attacked them, or they were simply lost at sea.
The sponsorship of Gregory’s family by my wife
Christa and me could not have been accom-
plished without the help of a generous
ecumenical endeavor on the part of Catholic
Social Services, which arranged their travel
from a refugee camp in Malaysia, and
Lutheran Child and family Services, which
accommodated them for several months
before my wife and I were able to find a
house for them. Then, a group of fellow
parishioners assembled to clean, paint,
and completely furnish it.
After the 1975 defeat by the National
Liberation front or viet Cong, which for years
had received supplies from the Soviet Union,
hundreds of prisoners were sentenced to hard labor
in NLf prisons. Gregory, having been a lieutenant colonel
in the Army of South vietnam, was one such prisoner. his
sentence was ten years. Since the NLf had seized all his property, their
kindly pastor took pity on Gregory's wife and 11 children (the youngest was
five months old at the time of his father's arrest), and invited them to live in
the basement of the church.
In 1990 Gregory, his wife, and one daughter were permitted to come to the
United States as political refugees, under vietnam’s Orderly Departure
Program. By 2001, almost all the family had arrived in Phila., and have done
God’s healing Justice
12
Greg NguyenFRom St. RitA ShRine
By dr. wiLLiAm J. FArnOn
FoR the FAmily oF
quite well. Some of them have earned higher degrees. for instance, one of his
sons is a graduate of MIT; another has earned a master's degree in electrical
engineering from the University of Penn, and another is an engineer who
works in the U.S. Patent Office.
What the family accomplished was not done without hard work, however. The
outstanding scholastic records of those in middle school and high school
were earned by many hours of studying to become proficient in reading and
speaking English. family members who were old enough to be gainfully
employed would arise early in the morning to meet trucks that would take
them to farms in N.J. where they spent the day doing things like harvesting
crops by hand.
As time went on, a few of the young men were able to find entry-level jobs
at the Smithkline and french Pharmaceutical Company in Phila. This work
consisted of mopping floors, emptying office waste baskets into larger
containers, and taking these to the general pick-up area.
however, other employees who were doing the same kind
of work resented the vietnamese as intruders.
Nevertheless, they quietly persevered, and eventu-
ally found better jobs within the Company.
Prejudice of another kind manifested itself in
the immediate neighborhood of the Catholic
parish where the vietnamese first lived.
These parishioners belonged almost exclu-
sively to the same ethnic group, and many
of them looked down on anyone who was
so different from themselves as these
Asians were. None of them welcomed the
vietnamese to their neighborhood, nor did
they give them a friendly greeting or a smile
as they passed on the street. When my wife
and I learned that our vietnamese friends were
being regarded with suspicion, we were struck by
a salutary thought, and thought it worth pursuing.
As a result, two of the nuns from the parish accompa-
nied us on a visit to some of the neighbors. These folks
received us graciously and listened with amazement to the story
of what this vietnamese family had experienced. As word began traveling
throughout the neighborhood, smiles and friendly greetings began to multiply.
from the initial arrival of eight relatives in february 1980, Gregory and
Martha’s family now extends to more than sixty members. We thank God for
their presence among us. If the average American family would have the disci-
pline, the love of learning, and the religious fervor of this immigrant family, our
cities would all deserve the subtitle “The City of Brotherly and Sisterly Love”.
13
i’m PrAyinG dAiLy for St. Rita’s intercession in what seems at times like
an impossible situation. Two people who love and respect one another very
much, who share in each other’s brilliance and dedication to create a beau-
tiful art center for the mediter ranean between Alexandria, egypt and rome,
italy that will serve to promote and support young artists in this region who
so desperately need it and build lasting collaborations for understanding,
dialogue, and peace through artistic wor kshops, exhibits and events. It is a
great challenge though, to find the right institutional investors and to receive
the support we will need to do this. Many obstacles stand in the way, but we
are completely and deeply devoted to this endeavor. I hope we are both also
as devoted to each other as well. Love in work and life between cultures,
religions, different careers and with such distance require great understand-
ing and faith. i ask that you will keep us, Ammar and Angela, in your prayers
as we also both pray, each in our own way, for wisdom to know the way and
my FAmiLy wAS ABLe TO viSiT The Shrine. It was so
beautiful and a real hidden treasure to be sure! Our family
found such peace while there. my two sons know how to
behave, however i was just in awe of their reverence at the
Shrine, they too could feel it’s power and grace! At 6 and 4
there are times when being quiet is all they can stand, and
they were not only quiet but inquisitive and excited about all
we learned, in a respectful and loving way. We even were
able to spend some time in Eucharistic Adoration! Oh, how
lovely that was to have it there as part of our devotions!
i have been blessed to already have shared about St. rita
and your beautiful shrine to two of my friends, who neither
knew of St. rita or of her Shrine. i hope they too will be able
to visit someday! My sons both wrote small requests on little
cards and placed them in the basket there by the pillow and
her relic. They did it with such love and devotion, unprompted and unaided.
I know she will look down on them as she did on her own two boys! My
oldest made me cry when he told me he asked “only for a job for daddy
and nothing for me even.” St. Rita and the Shrine will be on my lips to anyone
who will listen. When we are able I also will hopefully be able to send off
some money for the Shrine. I hope it will be there for my sons and their family!
Thank you again, and God bless you! words cannot express what finding the
shrine and its loving staff have done for me and for my family. Finding St.
rita was a wonderful moment, finding the shrine was heaven sent!
yOUr wOrd TO US
–Nicole Harada email, PA
14
how we can grow in love and support of one another in such a huge under-
taking, in life and work. At times it seems and feels impossible, but i know
no challenges are too great for God. But we need not only generosity of
intellect to succeed in this mess, but a generosity of love and support for one
another, which due to injury and sadness one of us does not possess. If we
are to keep one another going in this endeavor and the endeavor of life, with
our encouragement and love, despite the very great challenges, we need to
both open our hearts to Divine love and to receiving love from one another.
in The FALL
“PeACemAker” in
“yOUr wOrd TO US,”
Janice Russoniello,
mother of nine from
Lancaster, PA, wrote
about a prayer book she
had created for her “Little
Society of St. Rita.’ The
beautiful book is now in
print and the royalties and
copyright have been
assigned to the St. Rita Shrine through the assistance of fr. Michael Di
Gregorio O.S.A., our past Rector. you can contact us through our website at
www.SaintRitaShrine.org for information to obtain a copy. Maybe you, too, will
have a calling to begin a “Little Society of St. Rita” in your own town. If you
start one, please contact us! - Deborah M. Binder
St. Rita Shrine Development Director
deAr ST. riTA, PATrOneSS OF The imPOSSiBLe. Source CREATOR said
you would help me. Please help me see the Sacred holy Christ light conscious-
ness within this vessel....this Spirit "hungering" for absolute Oneness, merging
with the CREATOR who Birthed it so that I can remember the True holy Sacred
Purpose of this Earth Adventure. In some ways I have caused unintentional
pain, suffering, hurt & disappointment to those I should have protected, cared
for, nourished and supported. I am just a Child; Children make mistakes. I fell
and I may not be worthy to be One with the Sacred Divine. Please St. rita help
to intercede on my behalf, that i may fully accept the rose and even its thorns
since ALL iS One. i am nothing without the CreATOr. i am just a drop in the
ocean of existence. Please St. rita....you appeared on this path i am on for a
purpose. I may not know that purpose but it is the TRUTh…the TRUTh of your
–Angelaemail, Cairo, Egypt
15
Sacred holy Divine Infinite Nature….that even as you “Sleep”…you still share
your Merciful Gracious healing Gifts to All who call upon you; and so it is that I
humbly call upon your Divine Sacred Intervention to help me and my family to
heal, to become United again, to Prosper and be a living embodiment of the
Compassion, Unconditional Love, kindness that you do still share with us
all....Always and forever..... Thank you Infinitely St. Rita, May we Always be
Purified, Sanctified—by your holy Sacred Memory...
YOUR WORD TO US, (COn’T)
–Muhumuza K. email, Uganda
i PrAyed a nine day novena to St. Rita, beginning on her feast day in 2013,
for an “impossible situation” regarding an abusive relationship involving my
daughter and grandson. A very familiar story for St. rita and my “impossible
dream” was for the intercession of rita to help this abuser become a holy
person and do what is in the best interest of my grandson, (his child) or that
he be removed from this family for their safety. I prayed a St. Rita chaplet and
her prayer, lit a candle, and built a small shrine in my home with her statue.
The morning following the ninth day (just a few hours in--about 3am) this man
was arrested and jailed for domestic assault in the first degree as he had
beaten, poured gasoline and attempted to light a fire on his current girlfriend
(not my daughter). Since then, he has been removed from this family completely.
i continue to pray to St. rita that perhaps jail may be part of her plan to make
him a good and holy person that will do what is in the best interest of his
child. Until then, I feel the removal was necessary for the safety of all con-
cerned and I am ever grateful for this favor granted--which I have made known
to many. I also pray for the patience to deal with this man (as St. Rita had with
her husband) upon his potential re-entry into my family.
–D. Barnes email, Jefferson City, Missouri
16
memorializingA loved one iS healingwe offer several ways at the shrine to memorialize
a loved one, living or deceased. There are many thoughtful
reasons devotees of St. Rita have memorializing a loved
one, as in time of illness, loss, marriage, anniversary,
birthday and favor received. All memorials are in lower
crypt area.
Name is engraved in granite.
$1000
Name is engraved in pink
marble. $5000 (above photo)
Name is placed around a
candle to remain lit for
a year. $150
AnnuAl CAndle
memoRiAl
BRASS PlAte
enGRAvinGName is added to a brass
plate. $250
enGRAvinG
in GRAnite
SAinT riTA OF CASCiA dominates the hill of Santa Cruz of Rio Grande do
Norte, in the easternmost part of Brazil. Blocks of cement 56 meters high
were used that were just one meter less than the height of the Statue of
Liberty. It took almost 10 years to plan and mount it, piece by piece, on high
ground that was leveled specifically for this purpose. The project cost was
approximately $3.6 million. The statue has been called a ‘beacon,’ and even
better, ‘a pole of attraction that will make the light of faith shrine.’
Excerpts from “The Bees to the Roses,” Sergio Casagrand, Oct./Nov. 2010
hiGheST CAThOLiC reLiGiOUS STATUe in The wOrd!
St. Rita statue
in Brazil
GOd’S healing JUSTiCein BrAziL
ThrOUGh
BLeSSed mAriAnO de LA mATA, O.S.A., An AUGUSTiniAn
BLeSSed mAriAnO de LA mATA
O.S.A. was born into a simple
Christian family and was ordained in
1930. After two years ministering in
Spain, he left for Brazil where he
would spend 52 years exercising his
Apostolate in the field of education
and especially in the daily care of
the poor, the elderly, and children,
and a frequent visitor of the sick.
As a “saint of the ordinary,” father
Mariano reminds us that the path
to holiness is essentially simple: it
consists in living the Gospel message
in a spirit of faith, freedom and gen-
erosity, loving God and neighbor as
Jesus instructed us. Mariano is a
modern saint, a saint who lived
surrounded by the challenges of our
contemporary world, but with the
timeless truth and wisdom of the
two great commandments. father
was distinguished as “a messenger
of charity.” he possessed a strong
character, but was at the same time
a generous and sensitive individual,
friendly and approachable by all.
Blessed Mariano was a man of deep
prayer, greatly devoted to the Blessed
virgin, thoroughly committed to his
priestly vocation, and fervent in his
love for the Eucharist. Mariano was
diagnosed with cancer in early 1983.
he underwent surgery to remove a
malignant tumor, but the cancer
continued to spread. he was consci-
entious with his students, the faithful
of the association of “Workshops of
Saint Rita of Charity”. he founded
over 200 such workshops in Brazil
which employ people to make afford-
able clothing for the poor. he was
merciful toward his penitents, pure of
heart, and a lover of peace in his
Augustinian Community and in his
family, overcoming difficulties
through prayer and sacrifice, con-
stantly having recourse to the virgin
Mary under the title of Our Lady of
Consolation up until the moment he
departed this life. he died on April
5, 1983, and was beatified on
November 5, 2006 in the Cathedral
of Sao Paolo. his body rests beside
the altar of his beloved virgin of
Consolation in the Church of Saint
Augustine in Sao Paolo.
“…OvERCOMING DIffICULTIES ThROUGh prayer AND sacrifice”
19
20
I was with my two little brothers at the bus stop on
17th and Girard.
Across the street came a gang of f ive from a discipli-
nary school…trying to start problems.
A f ire burning out of control in their minds, they
crossed the street, and approached my little brothers
and me with a gun.
When they came, one of the guys told the guy with
the gun to shoot me in front of my brothers.
There was fear in my two little brothers’ eyes, like the
fear of a deer who stumbled onto the highway at
night.
As he was about to pull out the gun, I heard,
“ Don’ t do it in front of his little brothers. ” Another
said, “ We will get you next time.”
As they left, it seemed like I was hit hard, like a
boxer suffering from a potent punch.
After it happened, a sigh of relief went past my mind.
I felt enraged but also providentia l.
God let my brothers and me survive the incident,
but God also showed us how it really is in the City
of Philadelphia.
-author, young boy, Philadelphia
21
GOd’S healing JUSTiCe
By Fr. PAUL mOrriSSey O.S.A.
heLLO FriendS OF ST. riTA.
Those words across the page,
recently came to us from a boy in
Philadelphia. he was just walking
home from school with his brothers
when he was threatened. The graffiti
of the baby with a gun is from a
schoolyard wall. These situations
remind us that Rita’s desire for
peace is even more necessary
today, especially in our cities. young
people are being drawn into these
wars in our streets. Children often
grow up without a father and with-
out a stable family, perhaps with no
regular meals, even threatened
when they simply walk down the
street. Imagine the mothers of
these young kids. They kiss them
goodbye in the morning as they
head out to school. Then they must
pray constantly for God and his
angels to watch over them until
they return home--if they do. We
at the Cascia Center in South
Philadelphia join you as you hold up
these children and families to St.
Rita, the Patron of the Impossible.
Are these young people with the
guns simply bad? Did they all just
decide to commit a crime for kicks?
Some may have, but most are prod-
ucts of their upbringing. They are
born into families that are poor.
Poor in what ways? first, many
don’t have the “Daily Bread” that
we all pray to the father to give us
each day. Second, many kids are
born into homes that are emotionally
and spiritually poor. They don’t
receive the love that is actually
needed to raise a child and teach
them moral guidelines. They may
also be poor in terms of being
“traumatized” at a young age by
violence—their brothers may have
been killed, their fathers or mothers
may be in jail. Imagine yourself in
such a family. They grow up with
what psychologists call PTSD
22
(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). It is the condition
similar to many of our soldiers when they come home
from fighting in Afghanistan.
The soldiers and the young city kids from these “poor”
homes are very likely to “act out” when they get angry or
stressed instead of being able to restrain themselves.
They have “short fuses.” We must treat them and their
families for this trauma, not just lock them up. These bro-
ken families—like St. rita’s family once was—are hurt
and must be healed. Otherwise, we will just have to keep
building more and more jails. Remember the words from
above: We will get you next time.
These broken families—including the families of the shooting
victims as well—are the ones for whom we must pray.
Otherwise we will just keep burying the young bodies.
finally, all of us are affected by this violence. Ripple
effects swirl out from each violent act and tend to magnify
the pain, the disruption, the anger, the lack of safety, the
very fabric of our neighborhoods. Remember when you
used to have your whole neighborhood watching out for
you? Lots of eyes on the streets kept a system of care and
respect enforced in a human way, a neighborhood way.
Even if it sometimes meant a neighbor called your mother
and reported that you were acting wild, at least a check
on “wild” behavior was ingrained in us then. Now, people
are afraid to “snitch” on each other. Now, gangs enforce
the behavior rules. We can’t give in to this. We must get to
know each other, and realize like St. Rita did, that revenge
solves nothing. fear only produces more fear, but love
also magnifies itself. Trust enkindles others’ trust.
FR. PAUl MORRISSeY O.S.A., (COn’T)
A vOICE OR hAND ThAT fOSTERS forgivenessIS �od’s �pirit AT WORk.
23
A voice or hand that fosters forgive-
ness is God’s Spirit at work. May this
Spirit increase in us. This is our way
in South Philly at St. Rita’s Shrine.
“The Lord hears the cry of the poor,”
we sing in the liturgy. yes, but he
needs our hands to show his care.
Imagine, God needs your love joined
together with his band of disciples.
Nothing can conquer us when we do.
you and all poor people who are
stuck in a cycle of violence are in our
hearts as we sing, “The Lord hears
the cry of the poor. Blessed be the
Lord.” May God bless you and all of
your loved ones this season, and
through St. Rita may he heal these
wounds in our beloved city.
Fr. Paul Morrissey
O.S.A. Adeodatus
Ministry is to foster
an awareness of
Christ in the lives
of those on both
sides of the prison
walls. If you would
like to get involved
to bring restorative justice to our cities,
call Fr. Paul at 215-925-3566 or visit
www.rightsofthepoor.org
St. Thomas of Villanova
by Anthony Visco,
Shrine Artist
Constructionnew ThinGS Are COminG….
OF The CASCiA CenTer
Following in this tradition of the Church, the Cascia
Center is about to be erected after many years of delay and trial.
But our faith in the good that will come from this Center will pay
off as we begin to minister to the people of God in diverse ways
through spirituality and ministry, inspired by the beliefs of Rita of
Cascia, a woman who herself endured great trials and obstacles
before her faith was rewarded. Why should we expect our journey
to be any different? We have endured many twists and turns in
this odyssey known as the campaign for the Cascia Center,
challenging our faith, and now we stand on the threshold of its
completion. heralding to the neighborhood
and to the greater community that new
things are coming.
–Fr.JosephA.Genito,O.S.A.
26
deAr FriendS OF ST. riTA,
Greetings and prayers for a peace and grace filled new
year to you and your loved ones! in reflecting upon our
issue’s theme of “God’s healing Justice” i was struck
by the ending lines of Fr. michael’s “view from my
heart,” when he wrote, “…in the darkness we may too
easily or quickly be distracted by a passing spark or
flashing glimmer, rather than the full bright beam that
Jesus reveals.”
THe CASCIA CenTeR PROJeCT
deveLOPmenTof OUrdeveLOPmenTS
DeborahBinderDevelopment Director
215-546-8333 ext. 12
www.SaintRitaShrine.org
Much of my development work
involves communicating with devo-
tees of St. Rita about her interces-
sion during their days of darkness
that have already occurred, or what
is being sought presently in a current
time of distress. It is always humbling
to hear of what God asks his faithful
followers to carry, to contemplate, to
endure, and to fully place in his holy
hands. “Jesus , I do Trust in you!”
God’s healing justice can be ever-
present to those who persevere,
wait, pray, sacrifice, fast and offer
charity in dark times. Trusting fully in
him is what he asks, and in
response we must try to listen, to be
open and to wait for ‘the full bright
beam that Jesus reveals.’
As fr. Joe stated in his letter, “by his
resurrection he prevailed, and the
wisdom of sticking with him and
his teachings breathed life into his
followers so that they could carry on
his work. They were eventually justi-
fied in their faith by his resurrection.”
We here at the Shrine have been
working to our best to bring the
Cascia Center to fruition, and from
the fruits of our prayers and labor to
date, we are beginning to see more
of the beam that Jesus is revealing
which presents added hope for us
with the expansion of our ministry
dream through the Center. Pray with
us and consider a gift to assist us in
becoming a ‘full bright beam’ where
Jesus can reveal himself even more
to others through the ministry of the
national Shrine of St. rita and it’s
Cascia Center.
CASCIACENTER
The
Healing Broken Lives
To Donate:
wwwSaintRitaShrine.org for PayPal
215-546-8333 for MC/Visa/Discover
or to mail use envelope enclosed
$280,000 Pledges
Promised
$300,000 Donated Services& Materials
$500,000 Still Needed
$1,400,000 Monies Collected
community outreach
spirituality & social center
education & ministries for peacemaking
Thank YOU for your continued support!The Augustinians, Employees & Volunteers of the Shrine
construction?Will YOU help us reach
our goal of $500,000 to take
us to
for
you
r sa
cri
fice
an
d m
ay y
ou
ha
ve
a b
lesse
d L
en
ten
Se
aso
n!
yO
Um
Ay
dO
nA
Te
By
US
inG
Th
ee
nv
eL
OP
e
en
CL
OS
ed
, v
iSiT
US
AT
ww
w.S
Ain
Tr
iTAS
hr
ine.O
rG
FO
rP
AyP
AL,
em
AiL
US
AT
riT
AS
hr
ine@
AO
L.C
Om
, O
rC
AL
LU
S
FO
rm
C/
viS
A/
diS
CO
ve
rA
T2
15
-54
6-8
33
3.
Ret
urn
serv
ice
requ
este
d
NO
N-P
RO
FIT
U
.S. P
OST
AG
EPA
IDLA
NSD
ALE
, PA
PER
MIT
NO
. 491
National Shrine
Saint Rita ofCascia
1166
Sou
th B
road
Str
eet
Phila
delp
hia,
PA
191
46
thank
youArtist, Fr. Gene DelConte O.S.A.
Th
e F
ria
rs,
em
plo
ye
es &
vo
lun
tee
rs o
f th
e S
hri
ne
.