The Sisters of Saint Rita are a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
religious institute
A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrat ...
. They were founded in 1911 by Father Hugolinus Dach, an
Augustinian priest in
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg ...
, Germany.
Originally developed as a lay group to care for families, in 1917 the Sisters took the habit, and started to say the daily Marian office. There were seven
sisters
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
at peak and currently there are three.
In 1936, they were aggregated to the Augustinian order and given the rule of St. Augustine. In 1935, four sisters had been sent as missioners to Bolivia. When their mission was completed, they could not return home due to the imminent outbreak of World War II. They went instead to work at the Augustinians'
Our Lady of Good Counsel Novitiate in
New Hamburg, New York.
["Sisters of St. Rita celebrate 100 years", ''Catholic Herald'', Archdiocese of Milwaukee, April 20, 2011]
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In 1942, they were invited to come work for the priests at St. Rita's Parish in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1971, the sisters opened St. Monica's Senior Citizen Home.St. Monica's Senior Living
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References
Augustinian nuns
Augustinian orders
Catholic female orders and societies
Christian organizations established in 1911
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