St. Maria Goretti: Martyr of Purity and Forgiveness
Quick answer
St. Maria Goretti (1890–1902) was the daughter of poor farm workers near Nettuno, Italy. At eleven she resisted an attempted assault by a young neighbor, Alessandro Serenelli, who stabbed her. Before she died the next day, she forgave him. Years later in prison he repented, and he was present at her canonization in 1950. Her feast is July 6.
Key takeaways
- Her family were poor sharecroppers in the marshes south of Rome, and her father died when she was nine.
- She cared for her younger siblings while her mother worked in the fields.
- She forgave her attacker before she died and said she wanted him with her in heaven.
- Alessandro Serenelli later became a Capuchin lay helper and lived a life of penance.
The story of St. Maria Goretti is painful to read. But at its heart is one of the most powerful acts of forgiveness in the lives of the saints, and a conversion that only grace could bring about.
A Poor Family
Maria Goretti was born on October 16, 1890, in Corinaldo, in central Italy. Her family was very poor, and they moved to the marshy farmland near Nettuno, south of Rome, to work the land for a landowner. They shared a building with another family, the Serenellis. When Maria was nine, her father died of malaria. Her mother, Assunta, worked in the fields while Maria kept house and cared for her younger brothers and sisters.
Maria loved the Lord and longed for her First Communion, which she received in 1901.
July 5, 1902
Alessandro Serenelli, who was about twenty, had been pressuring Maria. On July 5, 1902, while she was alone in the house, he tried to force her. She resisted and told him it was a sin and that he would go to hell. In a rage he stabbed her many times.
She was taken to the hospital at Nettuno. Before she died the next day, she was asked whether she forgave him. She said that she did, for the love of Jesus, and that she wanted him to be with her in heaven. She died on July 6, holding a crucifix and a medal of Our Lady. She was eleven.
A Conversion in Prison
Alessandro was sentenced to thirty years in prison. For years he was unrepentant. Then, he later said, Maria appeared to him in a dream, gathering lilies and offering them to him. He was changed. When he was released, he went to Assunta Goretti and asked her forgiveness. She gave it, and on Christmas Day they received Holy Communion together.
He spent the rest of his life working for the Capuchin friars, and died in 1970.
Canonization
Pope Pius XII canonized Maria Goretti on June 24, 1950, before an enormous crowd in St. Peter’s Square. Her mother was there.
The Church does not honor Maria because of what was done to her. Victims of abuse bear no guilt. She is honored because she loved God, refused to consent to sin, and with her last strength forgave.
A Prayer for the Grace to Forgive (Original Prayer)
St. Maria Goretti, you forgave the one who hurt you. Pray for all who have been wounded by others, that they may find healing and peace. And help me forgive those who have hurt me, for the love of Jesus. Amen.
Continue Reading
Read about chastity, St. Agnes, or St. John Bosco, a friend of the young.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of St. Maria Goretti?
July 6, the day she died in 1902.
What is St. Maria Goretti the patron saint of?
Young people, especially girls, victims of assault, and those who need the grace to forgive.
Did her mother attend her canonization?
Yes. Assunta Goretti was present when Pope Pius XII canonized her daughter in 1950, the first mother known to attend her child's canonization.
Sources
- Pope Pius XII, Homily at the Canonization of St. Maria Goretti (June 24, 1950)
- Testimony of Alessandro Serenelli (1961)
- Roman Missal, Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, July 6
