ON ST. RITA,
WIDOW OF THE ORDER OF THE HERMITS OF S. AUGUSTINE, OF CASCIA IN UMBRIA.
MCCCCLVI.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.
On her cult, the writers of her life, and the year of her death.
Rita, Widow of the Order of the Hermits of S. Augustine, of Cascia in Umbria (B.)
BY THE AUTHOR D. P.
There flourished in the century of Christ XIV and XV B. Rita, or (that the name entire be expressed) Margarita, who when an adult for some time in matrimony had lived, her husband being dead a widow made, a most holy seized of living mode; and then among the nuns of the Order of the Hermits of S. Augustine taken, at Cascia holily having died, she lived and died at Cascia, or Cassium, (Cursula to the ancients to have been wish some) which is of Umbria a town quite frequented in the Spoleto diocese, from its metropolis XX about miles distant, from Norcia only seven: and there in her monastery the body entire is kept, and she with miracles shines. Was of the Spoleto diocese the Prelate once Maffeo Cardinal Barberini, who (attesting Ughelli in the Bishops of Spoleto) the nuns' monasteries, surer applied disciplines, so in a short while best instituted had, as if then first they began to flourish. He afterward created Pontiff Roman and Urban VIII called, the singular, which of B. Rita's deeds and miracles notice he had, by Urban VIII as Blessed to be venerated permitted in the year 1627, more easily to the Supplications of the Prioress and nuns of the monastery of B. Rita of the Order of S. Augustine of Cascia of the Spoleto diocese inclined, a license and faculty imparted, that of the said B. Rita in the whole diocese of Spoleto, and by all of each sex of the said Order Religious wherever existing, an Office and Mass as of the Common neither of a Virgin nor of a Martyr to be recited and celebrated freely and lawfully can and may, through also to new Supplications inclined, a license and faculty he imparted, that on the feast day of the same B. Rita a Mass by all Presbyters Secular, to all of the whole Order aforesaid and of the diocese of Spoleto churches flocking, to be celebrated freely similarly and lawfully can and may … through a Brief similarly Given at Rome on the day IV February MDCXXVIII.
[2] The Life first to have written seems John George de Amicis of Cascia, No ancient Life is extant, by Herrera indicated (who it in the year MDC at Viterbo to be printed cared for) and to another the same into verses about to translate material to have suggested. And both a little work, without the authors' name, nor added, in Latin or in Italian they wrote, praises Br. Augustine Cavallucci in his Preface, and much to them to have added to be seen he wishes. And indeed miracles several he added, already from that very in which the Blessed died year to public consigned monuments, just as we saw in a copy by our Fathers submitted at Siena, where in the year MDCX printed it had been. But although Cavallucci to that Life to be adorned through whole ten Chapters, before to the miracles he comes, much of paper and words spends; it appears however, both himself, and others him preceding, scarcely anything to have found anciently of things before her death written; and unless a certain old picture into six tablets divided, several in this century have been written, and to the very Nuns' tradition joined, some of the same memory had preserved, altogether about to be lacking to have been what they should write. Nor more to say could, Onuphrius Martini of Iliceto, and Jerome de Getthis a Roman by Herrera praised, as to Cavallucci later, but unknown to us; the same to think we can, of the Life which in Spanish published Alphonsus de Aragon & Borgia, of the Province Castilian a foster-son; and also of another which with himself now has P. Aloysius Torellus, by P. Donatus de Donatis of Lucca of public right made. That moreover of Cavallucci so little solid material has; that when, the omitted Compendia soon to be named, it I wished from the Italian Latin to make, in what part historical it was (for in moral episodes to tarry it was not fitting) at last one Chapter scarcely full I found.
[3] And this the cause was why in the very of the Beatification year, in which the Fathers Augustinian nearly everywhere of their new Blessed notice to divulge tried, published her life, most from the Italian of Cavallucci taken, professed all only her Compendium to give; although even that very which they gave of words a little more, less of substance had: because namely, the of Cavallucci superfluous things rejected, exceedingly little remained of material. The first of this kind Compendium, which to the chief us use for forming the Appendix was, at Rome from the typography of the Apostolic Chamber came forth in the year of the Beatification aforesaid; which in the year soon following augmented reprinted at Bologna was, by the work of Paul Frassinelli of the Order Augustinian and Convent of S. Mark offered to the Countess Justina Visconti Bilia, partly from Cavallucci aforenamed, partly from Andrew Gelsomini Bishop of Ascoli's Thesaurus of devotion heavenly to the Blessed Virgin, as also the French of Simpliciano, more prolixly deducing this argument. And these indeed in Italian expressly of B. Rita, that Jacobillus in the Saints of Umbria and others I pass over. Simpliciano