One

of the youngest canonized saints, St. Maria Goretti was only 11 years old at the time of
her death. Martyred for her desire to preserve her purity, St. Maria Goretti is an extraordinary
example for young women, particularly in an age in which chastity and modesty is challenged
and even mocked. As the patron saint of teenage girls and modern youth, St. Maria Goretti is
an example of what it means to give oneself completely to Jesus, without fearing what the
world may say or do.
Born on October 16, 1890 to an Italian farming family and
given the name Maria Teresa Goretti, St. Maria Goretti was
the third of seven children. Her parents, Luigi and Assunta,
struggled with poverty, and when St. Maria Goretti was six
years old, her family sold their farm and moved to work for
another farming family. They took up residence in a home
which they shared with another family, which included a
man, Giovanni Serenelli, and his son, Alessandro.
When St. Maria Goretti was nine, her father became sick
with malaria and died. Her mother, brothers, and sisters
worked in the fields, doing what they could to provide for the
family financially. St. Maria Goretti took care of the home,
cooking, cleaning, sewing, and tending to her infant sister.
Though the family worked very hard, they were also quite
close and devoted to God.
On July 5, 1902, St. Maria Goretti was sitting outside on the stairs of her home, tending to her
baby sister and sewing one of Alessandros shirts. Her family, along with Alessandro, were out
tending the fields. Alessandro returned back to the house, knowing she was alone, and
ordered her to do as he said. He threatened her, saying if she did not, he would kill her. As
Alessandro attempted to rape her, St. Maria Goretti told him not to, that it was a mortal sin
and he would go to hell. She fought against him, but Alessandro was a 19 year old farmhand,
and was much stronger than she. She screamed to him that it was a sin, and that God did not
want it, but Alessandro refused to listen. He began to choke St. Maria Goretti, and when she
said she would rather die than submit to him, he stabbed her eleven times in the throat and
chest (damaging her heart and lungs). St. Maria Goretti, badly wounded, attempted to reach
for the door, but Alessandro stabbed her three more times before she could.
St. Maria Gorettis baby sister, Teresa, had been sleeping; however, with all of St. Maria
Gorettis screaming, the baby woke up and began
crying. When no one quieted her, St. Maria Gorettis
mother and Alessandros father came in from the
fields to investigate. They found St. Maria Goretti
bleeding and rushed her to the nearest hospital,
where she underwent surgery without anesthesia.
The doctors attempted to save her; however, it could
not be done. During the surgery, St. Maria Goretti
woke up and told the doctors to leave her that way,
allowing for Gods will to be done. She died in the
hospital 24 hours later, after having expressed
forgiveness for her murderer. At the time of her death

she was staring at a picture of the Virgin Mary and holding a crucifix to her heart.
Alessandro was arrested shortly after the attack took place. In a deposition to the police, St.
Maria Gorettis mother revealed that Alessandro had sexually harassed Maria, even
attempting to rape her twice before, but that she had not told because he had threatened
death. Alessandro was to be sentenced to life in prison; however, since he was a minor in the
eyes of the law, his sentence was commuted to 30 years imprisonment. Alessandro admitted
to attempting to rape St. Maria Goretti several times before, and that he had decided to kill
her because she would not comply. He remained unrepentant and uncommunicative for three
years. At that time, he was visited by the local bishop. After this visit, Alessandro wrote a note
to the bishop, thanking him for his prayers and telling him of a dream hed had, in which he
saw Maria giving him lilies which immediately burned up in his hands.
When Alessandro was released from prison, he visited St. Maria Gorettis mother, who was
still living. He begged her for her forgiveness. St. Maria Gorettis mother, Assunta, told him
that she did forgive him - that if her daughter was able to forgive him from her deathbed, how
was she to do any less? Assunta and Alessandro went to Mass together the following day,
receiving Holy Communion side by side. It is said that Alessandro prayed to St. Maria Goretti
every day, calling her my little saint. Later in his life, he joined the Capuchin Franciscans as
a laybrother, working
as a receptionist and gardener. He died in 1970, at age 87.
St. Maria Goretti was canonized in 1950. Present at her canonization were her mother and
four remaining siblings. Assunta was the first mother to attend the canonization of her child in
church history. Also present that day was Alessandro. St. Maria Gorettis body is kept at the
Basilica of Nostra Signora delle Grazie e Santa Maria Goretti in a city south of Rome. Her
remains are kept inside of a statue that lies beneath the altar, which some have believed to be
her actual body, leading to the thought that her body lies incorrupt (however, this is not the
case). The feast day of St. Maria Goretti is July 6, which is the day she entered into eternal
life in heaven.

LIFE OF MARIA GORETTI

BORN : October 16, 1890
Maria Goretti is born in Corinaldo, Italy to Luigi Goretti and Assunta
Carlini
October 17, 1890
Maria is baptized in the church of San Francesco in Corinaldo.
October 4, 1896
Maria is confirmed by Mons.Guilio Boschi, Bishop of Senigalia

June 16, 1901

Maria received her First Communion in the church of Conca, today
called Borgo Montello.
July 5, 1902
Maria is mortally wounded at 15:30 by her neighbor Allesandro
Serenelli, who attacked her with intent to sexually abuse her. He was
20 years old.
July 6, 1902
Maria dies at the age of 11 years, 9 months, 21 days after forgiving
Allesandro.
May 31, 1935
Commencement of the informative process at Albano.

April 27, 1947

Maria is beatified by the Roman Catholic Church.
June 24, 1950
Maria Goretti is declared Saint at St. Peter's Square by Pope Pius
XII,becoming the youngest officially recognized Roman Cathic Saint
ever.

Beatification and canonization

A statue of Maria in peasant garb holding lilies and a knife

Maria's major relics on display at St. Joseph Cathedral (Columbus, Ohio)

Maria was beatified on April 27, 1947. In attendance at the ceremony were
both Assunta and Pope Pius XII. On the evening of the ceremony in Saint
Peter's Basilica, the Pope walked over to and greeted Assunta. She later
reported, "When I saw the Pope coming, I prayed, 'Madonna, please help
me', and I felt faint. He put his hand on my head and said, "Blessed mother,
happy mother, mother of a Blessed!" Afterwards, both could be seen with
eyes wet with tears.
Three years later, on June 24, 1950, Pius XII canonized Maria as a saint, the
"Saint Agnes of the 20th century."[1] Assunta was again present at the
ceremony, along with her four remaining sons and daughters. Alessandro
was also present
Owing to the huge crowd present, the ceremonies associated with the
canonization were held outside Saint Peter's Basilica, in the Piazza San
Pietro. Pius XII spoke, not as before in Latin, but in Italian. "We order and
declare, that the blessed Maria Goretti can be venerated as a Saint and we
introduce her into the Canon of Saints". Some 500,000 people, among them
a majority of youth, had come from around the world. Pius asked them:
"Young people, pleasure of the eyes of Jesus, are you determined to resist
any attack on your chastity with the help of grace of God?" A resounding
"yes" was the answer.
Maria's three brothers would claim that she intervened miraculously in their
lives. Angelo heard her voice telling him to emigrate to America. Alessandro
was reportedly miraculously given a sum of money to finance his own
emigration to join Angelo. Sandrino died in the United States in 1917, and
Angelo died in Italy when he returned there in 1964. Mariano said he heard
her voice telling him to stay in his trench when the rest of his unit charged
the Germans in World War I. He, the only survivor of that charge, lived until
1975 and had a large family
Maria's body is kept in the crypt of the Basilica of Nostra Signora delle
Grazie e Santa Maria Goretti in Nettuno, south ofRome. It has been often
reported that it is incorrupt but this is not the case. It is kept inside a statue
which is lying down beneath the altar, which has been mistakenly believed
by some to be its entirety

Feast day
Maria's feast day, celebrated on July 6, was inserted in
the General Roman Calendar when it was revised in
1969. She is the patron saint of chastity, rape victims,

girls, youth, teenage girls, poverty, purity and

forgiveness.