St Rita of Cascia stamp issue launched to coincide with 125th anniversary

Cover features an old painting of the saint, a statue by artist Wistin Camilleri

This year marks the 125th anniversary since Pope Leo XIII declared Rita of Cascia a saint during the Great Jubilee Year of 1900. To celebrate this, numerous commemorations took place worldwide in her honour.

The Augustinian community of Victoria organised a programme of  celebrations, including an agreement with MaltaPost to issue personalised stamps featuring the statue of St Rita by Gozitan artist Agostino “Wistin” Camilleri. Gozo Philatelic Society vice president Anthony Grech also designed a cover to be postmarked on this special date.

The cover features an old painting of St Rita, together with a photograph of St Augustine’s church and convent in the eponymous square.

Festivities were even more outstanding due to the fact that for the first time, an Augustinian pope has been elected. St Rita was also an Augustinian nun, revered for her devotion to God and her life of prayer and service. 

She was known for her intercession on behalf of others, particularly in desperate situations, and is often referred to as the “Saint of the Impossible”.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.