Maria Goretti
| Saint Maria Goretti | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Virgin and Martyr | |
| Born |
October 16, 1890 Corinaldo, Province of Ancona, Marche, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | July 6, 1902 (aged 11) Nettuno, Province of Rome, Lazio, Kingdom of Italy |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | April 27, 1947, Rome by Pope Pius XII |
| Canonized | June 24, 1950, Rome by Pope Pius XII |
| Major shrine | Nettuno, Province of Rome, Lazio, Italy |
| Feast | July 6 |
| Attributes | Fourteen lilies; farmer's clothing; (occasionally) a knife |
| Patronage | Victims of rape, Crime victims, teenage girls, modern youth, Children of Mary |
St. Maria Goretti (October 16, 1890 – July 6, 1902) is an Italian virgin-martyr of the Catholic Church, and one of the youngest canonized saints. She was born to a farming family. Her father died when she was nine, and they had to share a house with another family, the Serenellis. Maria took over household duties while her mother, brothers, and sister worked in the fields.
One afternoon, Alessandro, the Serenellis' son, made sexual advances to her. When she refused to submit to him, he stabbed her fourteen times. She was taken to the hospital but she died forgiving him. He was arrested, convicted, and jailed. During imprisonment he repented. After 27 years he was released from prison, and visited her mother to beg forgiveness, which she granted. He later became a lay brother in a monastery, dying peacefully in 1970. She was beatified in 1947, and canonized in 1950.
Maria Teresa Goretti was born on October 16, 1890 in Corinaldo, in the Province of Ancona, then in the Kingdom of Italy, to Luigi Goretti and Assunta née Carlini, the third of seven children: Antonio (who died in infancy), Angelo, Maria, Mariano (Marino), Alessandro (Sandrino), Ersilia, and Teresa.
By the time Maria was six, her family had become so poor that they were forced to give up their farm, move, and work for other farmers. In 1896, they moved to Colle Gianturco, near Paliano and Frosinone, about fifty miles outside Rome; and then in 1899 to Le Ferriere, near modern Latina and Nettuno in Lazio, where they lived in a building, "La Cascina Antica," they shared with another family which included Giovanni Serenelli and his son, Alessandro. Soon, her father became very sick with malaria, and died when she was just nine. While her mother and siblings worked in the fields, she would cook, sew, watch Teresa, and keep the house clean. It was a hard life, but they were very close.
...
Wikipedia