LOLSaints

Sometimes you just wonder...

...what the artist was thinking! In this depiction of Saint Rita, you'll notice a little thorn in her forehead. I think the artist was trying to show that she was in awe of the Cross (what she's looking at, outside of the frame of this picture), but it looks more like she's stuck in a trance.

Rita was a very faithful woman; she was married to a man through an arranged marriage for some 20 years, during which she endured a lot of hardships because of the rowdiness and sinfulness of her husband. After her husband and both children died, she decided to give her life to God as a sister.

During one moment of prayer before the Crucifix, Rita was praying that she could share in Christ's suffering on the Cross. Jesus granted her prayer when a thorn on his forehead was transferred into her own forehead. This caused great pain throughout the saint's life. She died in 1457, and is the patroness of impossible causes (and rightly so!). More about Rita on Catholic Online.