Honoring St. Rita of Cascia: A New Statue Gifted To Our Shrine Chapel
CHICAGO — On Thursday, October 3, a new St. Rita of Cascia statue was blessed and dedicated on the North side of the St. Rita Shrine Chapel located on 77th Steet and South Western Avenue.
Generously donated by Dr. Gene and Sistie McEnery — parents of St. Rita High School Board of Director Chairperson Clare Napleton (HON) and grandparents of alumni Marty Napleton ’13, Frank Napleton ’18, Luke Napleton ’20 — the statue of the school’s and Chapel’s patroness now sits by the entry doors to the St. Rita Shrine Chapel.
“We were at the Shrine Chapel and my parents wanted to see the statue out on 77th Street when we realized that it wasn’t her there – it was St. Nicholas of Tolentine,” Napleton shared. “My parents are huge supporters of Catholic education and decided they wanted to contribute to this project and really made it happen.”
The statue, which was created with marble from Carrara, Italy, depicts St. Rita in her traditional Augustinian black habit while holding a crucifix and roses. The piece also shows a stigmata on her forehead, a wound that appeared on St. Rita later in life and remained until her death in 1457.
“A statue is a way to visualize the actual person St. Rita — by seeing this statue, we can enter into her extraordinary life story,” Rev. Tom McCarthy, O.S.A. ‘83 shared. “I can’t think of a more beautiful way of welcoming the tens of thousands of people who come to the Shrine to worship and praise God each year. She will be there to greet them wherever they are at in life — if they are attending our monthly Novenas, or celebrating sacraments like weddings and baptisms, or experiencing moments of incredible grief at funerals of members of the St. Rita family as well as fallen first responders of the Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Police Department. We are so grateful of the beautiful generosity of the McEnery’s.”
The Shrine Chapel, which is home to a first-class St. Rita relic, hosts biweekly all school masses where Ritamen also take part in the liturgy. The space is also open to students every Tuesday morning for weekly Eucharistic Adoration for those seeking sacred silence.
“The Shine Chapel plays an integral role in the world-class Augustinian education offered at St. Rita,” President Deacon John Donahue J.D., Ed.D. said. “The McEnery’s contribution of this statue serves as another present reminder of all that we do here in St. Rita’s name.”
The dedication ceremony was presided over by Bishop Daniel Turley, O.S.A., Rev. Tom McCarthy, O.S.A., and Deacon John Donahue, and attended by the McEnery and Napleton families, as well as Novena attendees and St. Rita students.
Prospective St. Rita families will have the chance to view the new statue at our Open House on Sunday, October 13 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. For more information, visit stritahs.com/admission-events/open-house
The general public can view the new statue at the Novena, which takes place the first Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM, in the Shrine Chapel. Confessions are available at 6:00 PM. For more information, visit stritashrinechicago.com.
