National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia
Reconciliation and difficult causes
Understand sacred places, explore living traditions, and learn how to engage respectfully with Pilgrim Map.
Access has not been verified. Check current local guidance before planning a visit.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Read the sources
The National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia on South Broad Street, Philadelphia; eastern facade.. Image source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Visit essentials
A quick read before you go
- Access
- The shrine stands at Broad and Ellsworth Streets in Philadelphia.
- Etiquette
- Follow the custodians’ instructions and give worshippers space.
Overview
The National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia on South Broad Street welcomes people carrying painful conflicts, strained relationships and causes they find difficult to resolve. Reconciliation is central to the shrine’s interpretation of Rita’s life.
Why this place is sacred
This sanctuary draws on Saint Rita’s example as a peacemaker and reconciler, alongside her association with impossible causes. It is distinct from her tomb shrine in Italy.
Experience and orientation
The upper church and lower shrine provide different settings for worship, prayer and recollection. The institution continues as a shrine even though the former territorial parish closed in 2016.
Context and lineage
The shrine tells how Rita’s husband was killed amid a family feud and how she sought to end the cycle of revenge. Her work for peace between hostile families forms the background to her later entry into an Augustinian convent. Philadelphia’s devotion took root in a church serving Italian immigrants: the community acquired its site in 1907 and completed the church in 1915.
Restoration in the 1990s and a lower shrine opened in 2000 prepared the way for national-shrine recognition in 2003.
Traditions and practice
Pilgrims come for prayer and retreat, and entrust petitions to Rita’s intercession. The shrine places written intentions below her relic and remembers them during Mass.
Catholic
ActiveThe institution’s devotion centers on Saint Rita of Cascia.
Perspectives and open questions
The accounts explain why devotees come. Belief in an answered prayer is part of lived religion; it does not establish that visiting causes a particular outcome.
Plan your visit
Access and arrival
The shrine stands at Broad and Ellsworth Streets in Philadelphia. Use its current Mass and pilgrimage pages to plan a visit. A submitted group request is not a confirmed booking; wait for staff to confirm the arrangements.
Respectful visit
Ask before photographing people at prayer and follow signs in worship areas.
Ask attendants where offerings belong; leave other visitors’ devotional objects undisturbed.
Location
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Pilgrim reflections
A portrait of encounter, not a score
Pilgrims describe what they felt, how present they could become, and whether the place would shape a journey. There are no stars and no ranking of traditions.
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Nearby sacred places
Explore other sacred places in the region. Proximity does not establish access or travel time; check each place’s guidance.
Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
1.6 km away
National Shrine of St. John Neumann
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
4.2 km away
National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa, Pennsylvania
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States
47.1 km away
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham
Robbinsville, New Jersey, United States
61.2 km away
References
Sources consulted for this page. Source categories describe the publication, not a guarantee that every claim is verified. Traditional accounts and outside interpretations may differ.
- 01National Shrine of Saint Rita: mission — National Shrine of Saint Rita of CasciaofficialSupports the specific devotional goal and visitor practice described in the guide.
- 02Saint Rita Shrine: prayer intentions — National Shrine of Saint Rita of CasciaofficialSupports the specific devotional goal and visitor practice described in the guide.
- 03History & Heritage — National Shrine of Saint Rita of CasciaofficialPhiladelphia foundation, restoration and shrine status.
- 04Rita Understands — National Shrine of Saint Rita of CasciaofficialSaint’s life interpreted through reconciliation and difficult causes.
- 05Pilgrimages & Retreats — National Shrine of Saint Rita of CasciaofficialGroup bookings, worship and relic-veneration arrangements.
- 06Sanctuaire Sainte-Rita-de-Cascia de Philadelphie — Wikipedia contributorsSource contextBuilding coordinate checked against Broad and Ellsworth; conflicting Wikidata position not used.
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