St. Maria Goretti
She was born in Corinaldo, Ancona, Italy, on October 16, 1890 to Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini. She was the third out of the six children. Her sisters were named Teresa and Ersilia; her brothers were Angelo, Sandrino, and Mariano. At the age of 6, her family bacame so poor that they were forced to give up their farm. They moved to Ferrier di Conca, near Anzio, and her father worked for other farmers. Later, her father died of malaria when she was 6.
After her father’s death, her mother had to struggle to feed her children. She spent a difficult childhood assisting her mother in domestic duties. Soon, she and her family moved to Le Ferriere, where they lived in a building, they shared with another family which included Giovanni Serenelli and his son, Alessandro. The family was able to survive by working for Giovanni Serenelli and his teenager son Alessandro. Her brothers, mother, and sister worked in the fields while Maria cooked, sewed, watched after her baby sister, and kept the house clean.
Since her family was too poor to pay for Masses in her father's memory, every night Maria would recite the Rosary for her father's soul. She was often at prayer. It was a hard life, but the family was very close. They shared a deep love for God and the faith. The words of her mother Assunta were fixed in her soul. "You must never commit sin, at any cost."
In 1902, 20-year-old Alessandro Serenelli began ordering 11-year-old Maria to perform difficult chores, none of which could be completed to his satisfaction. Alessandro also began making advances on Maria. She refused, he grabbed her, and demanded that she submit to him, but she told him that it would be a sin. Alessandro first choked Maria, but she insisted she would rather die than submit to him. On July 5, 1902, in a fit of anger, Alessandro stabbed Maria 11 times to death, with Maria preferring to die rather than committing mortal sin. The injured Maria tried to reach for the door, but Alessandro stopped her by stabbing her three more times before running away.
She survived for 20 hours in the hospital, undergoing surgery without anesthesia. As she lay dying, when the parish priest of Nettuno brought her Holy Viaticum and asked whether she forgave Alessandro, she replied, "Yes, I forgive him and want him to be in Paradise with me some day." She died on July 6 at eleven years.
Since Alessandro was a minor, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was unrepentant for 3 years until Monsignor Giovanni Blandini visits him in jail. He wrote to the bishop about his dream. In it, Maria gave him 14 lilies in return of the 14 stabs which burned immediately at his hands. After his release, Alessandro goes to Maria’s mother and asks her for forgiveness. She forgives him saying her daughter had already forgiven Alessandro on her deathbed.
Pope Pius 12th canonized Maria on June 24, 1950. A large mass of people of over 200 thousand attended. Maria’s mother and Alessandro also attended.
She is the patron saint of Modern Youth, Chastity, Victims of crime, Teenage girls, Poverty, Purity, Forgiveness and Children of Mary. She was a child of Mary because even at her deathbed, she died looking at the picture of Mary. Her feast day is July 6.
One miracle was Alessandro’s repentance and his dream of Maria. The numerous other miracles attributed to Maria are the healings of the sick. Also, her incorrupt body has been placed in the Church of Our Lady of Mercy in Nettuno, Italy.
St. Maria Goretti is usually depicted with 14 lilies, farmer clothing and sometimes a knife.
I find it quite intriguing that St. Maria Goretti did not know how to read or write, but she knew good from bad and to forgive. I hope she guides my life along the right path.