RITA
64
RITES
went to Saintc-Mdnohould to escape the infection, he
died of it and was buried there. Dodd in error
ascribes his death to loS6, in which mistake he has
been followed bv the writer in the "Dictionary of
National Biography" and others. After his death the
book on the schisin was published by Leather Persons,
and subseqvient editions included two tracts attributed
to Rishton, the one a diary of an anonymous priest in
the Tower (15S0-5), which was probably the work of
Father John Hart, S.J.; the other a list of martyrs
with later additions by Persons. Recent luiblicat ion of
the "Tower Bills" makes it certain that Rishton did
not write the diary, and his only other known works
are a tract on the difference between Catholicism and
Protestantism (Douai, 1575) and "Profession of his
faith made manifest and confirmed by twenty-one
reasons".
Pitts, De illufiribus Angliee scriptorihus (Paris, 1619); Dodd, Church History (Brussels vere Wolverhampton, 1737-42), II, 74, a verv inaccurate account; a Wood, Athen(e Oxonicnxes, ed. Bus.s\London, 1813-20); Kinsella and Deane, The Rise and Progress of the English Reformation (Dublin, 1827), a translation of Sander: Lewis, Rise and Growth of the Anglican Schism (Lon- don, 1877), the best translation of Sander, the editor accepts the diary in the Tower as being by Rishton; Knox, First and Second Dowiy Diaries (London, 1878); Foley, Records Eng. Prov. S.J., VI (London, 18S0); Foster, Alumni Oionienses (Oxford, 1891); GiLLOw, Bihl. Diet. Eng. Cath.; Simpson, Edmund Campion, re- vised ed. (London, 1896-1907); Cooper in Diet. Nat. Biog.; Persons, Memoirs in Calholic Record Society, II, IV (London, 1906); Tower BilU, ed. Pollen in Catholic Record Society, III (London. 1906).
Edwin Burton.
Rita of Cascia, Saikt, b. at Rocca Porena in the Diocese of Spoleto, 13SG; d. at the Augustinian con- vent of Cascia, 1456. Feast, 22 May. Represented as holding roses, or roses and figs, and sometimes with a wound in her forehead. According to the "Life" (.\cta SS., May, V, 224) written at the time of her beatification by the Angustinian, Jacob Carelicci, from two older biographies, she was the daughter of parents advanced in years and distinguished for charity which merited them the surname of "Peace- makers of Je.siLS Christ". Rita's great desire was to become a nun, but, in obedience to the will of her parents, she, at the age of twelve, married a man extremely rruel and ill-tempered. P"or eighteen years she was a niftdel wife and mother. When her husband was murdered she tried in vain to dissuade her twin iK)ns from attempting to take revenge; she appealed to Heaven to prevent such a crime on their part, and the}' were taken away by death, reconciled to God. She applied for admission to the August inian convent at Cascia, but, being a widow, was refused. By con- tinued entreaties, and, as is related, by Divine inter- vention, she gained admission, received the habit of the order and in due time her profession. As a reli- f^ouH she was an example for all, excelled in mortifica- tions, and was widely known for the effieaey of Ikt pravers. Urban VIII, in 1G37, perrnittetl her Mass and OfTice. On account of the many miracles re- jKjrted to have been wrought at her intercc^ssion, she n'ceived in Spain the title of La Srinta de los impon- aiffiles. She was solemnly canonized 24 May, 1900.
MrnKengrr of the Sarred Henri (1902), 200; Dunbar, Diet, of Saintly llV;m^n dyfindon, I90.">); .Staiiler, llriliiim-leTicon; Aria K. Sedi-. X.XXII, m.i: Acta SS., March, V, 221-31; Cardi, Vita della b. Rita da Cascia (Foligno, 180.5; rev. cd., Uoiiii-, 1900).
Francis Mer.shman.
Rites. — I. Name and Definition. — Rilus'm classi- cal Lai in means, primarily, the ff)rm and manner of any religious observance, 8f> Livy, I, 7: "Sacra diis aliis albano ritu, grjeeo HeretiJi nt ab Evandro instituta erant (Romulus j facit"; then, in general, any custom or usage. In EngliKh the word "rite" ordinarily means the ceremonies, prayers, and functions of any religiouH bwly, whether pagan, Jewish, Moslem, or Christian. Hut here we must distinguish two uses of the word. We speak of any om: such religious
function as a rite — the rite of the blessing of palms,
the coronation rite, etc. In a slightly different sense
we call the whole complex of the services of any
Church or group of Churches a rite — thus we speak
of the Roman Rite, Byzantine Rite, and various
Eastern rites. In the latter sense the word is often
considered equivalent to liturgy (q. v.), which,
however, in the older and more proper use of the
word is the Eucharistic Service, or Mass; hence for
a whole series of religious functions "rite" is pref-
erable.
A Christian rite, in this sense, comprises the manner of performing all services for the worship of God and the sanctification of men. This includes therefore: (1) the administration of sacraments, among which the service of the Holy Eucharist, as being also the Sacrifice, is the most important element of all; (2) the series of psalms, lessons, prayers, etc., divided into separate unities, called "hours", to make up together the Divine Office; (3) all other religious and ecclesiastical functions, called sacramentals. This general term includes blessings of persons (such as a coronation, the blessing of an abbot, various cere- monies performed for catechumens, the reconcilia- tion of public penitents, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, etc.), blessings of things (the consecration of a church, altar, chalice, etc.), and a number of devotions and ceremonies, e. g. processions and the taking of vows. Sacraments, the Divine Office, and sacramentals (in a wide sense) make up the rite of any Christian religious body. In the case of Protestants these three elements must be modified to suit their theological opinions.
II. Difference of Rite. — The Catholic Church has never maintained a principle of uniformity in rite. Just as there are different local laws in various parts of the Church, whereas certain fundamental laws are obeyed by all, so Catholics in different places have their own local or national rites; they say prayers and perform ceremonies that have evolved to suit people of the various countries, and are only dif- ferent expressions of the same fundamental truths. The essential elements of the functions are obviously the same everj^where, and are observed by all Catho- lic rites in obedience to the command of Christ and the Apostles, thus: in every rite baptism is adminis- tered with water and the invocation of the Holy Trinity; the Holy Eucharist is celebrated with bread and wine, over which the words of institution are said; pen.ance involves the confession of .sins. In the ain])lificati()n of these essential elements, in the ac- comi)anying prayers and practical or symbolic cere- monies, various customs have produced the changes which make the difTerent rites. If any rite did not contain one of the essenti.al notes of the service it would be invalid in that point, if its prayers or cere- monies expressed false doctrine it would be heretical. Such rites would not be tolerated in the Catholic Church. But, supposing uniformity in essentials and in faith, the authority of the Church has never insisted on uniformity of rite; Rome has never re- sented the fact that other people have their own expressions of th(> same truths. The Roman Rite is the most venerable, the mo.st archaic, and immeas- urably the most important of all, but our fellow- Catholics in the East have the same right to their traditional liturgies as we have to ours. Nor can we doubt that otlier rites too have many beautiful prayers and ceremonies, which add to the richness of Catholic liturgical inheritance. To lo.se these would be a misfortune second onlv to the loss of the Roman Rite. Leo XIII in his I^ncyelieal, "Prtrclara" (20 June, W.)\), expressr-d tlie tradition.al attitude of the papacy when he wrote of his rc-verence for the vener- able rites of the Ivistern Churches and assured the schismatics, whom he, invited to reunion, that there was no jealousy of these things at Rome; that for
