July 6: Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr
The Child who Promised Heaven to Her Killer
A martyr of the faith at only 12 years of age, Maria Goretti chose to die rather than give in to the sexual advances of a violent young man, her neighbor. Faced with his repeated attempts, she always firmly refused, wanting to remain pure. Eventually, blinded by passion, the young man fatally attacked her. But before dying, Maria forgave him and said she wished to have him with her in Heaven.
Maria was born in Corinaldo, in the Marche region of Italy, on October 16, 1890. Due to poverty, in 1897 her family moved to Ferriere di Conca, a small village in the province of Latina, south of Rome, in search of work.
The Goretti family shared a farmhouse with another family, the Serenellis: a father and son, the latter named Alessandro. While the Serenellis worked in the fields and Maria’s mother, Assunta, cared for the younger children, Maria helped at home: she sold eggs in nearby Nettuno, prepared meals for the laborers, and mended clothing.
She was nearly 10 years old when her father died of malaria, which was then common in the area. Affectionately called “Marietta,” she helped her mother with housework and cared for her little siblings, supported by her deep faith. The family prayed the rosary every evening and Maria received her First Communion at just eight years old — well before the then customary age of twelve. When the village church was closed during summer, she would walk several kilometers to attend Mass at the church in Campomorto.
Alessandro, who was 20 when Maria was 12, tried several times to assault her. She always resisted him, telling him not to offend God. He even threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Despite her suffering, Maria chose to remain silent so as not to worsen the already strained relations between the two families. In her pain, she turned to the Virgin Mary, from whom she drew strength and comfort.
On July 5, 1902, after yet another refusal — and after Maria told him, “No, no, God does not want it. If you do this, you will go to hell” — Alessandro attacked her with an awl, inflicting fatal wounds.
Maria was taken to the hospital in Nettuno, where she died the following day. Before dying, she told her mother: “For the love of Jesus, I forgive him, and I want him to be with me in Paradise.” Alessandro was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison, of which he served 27. In 1910, he underwent a conversion, and in 1928, once released, he asked Maria’s mother, Assunta, for forgiveness — which she granted, welcoming him as a son.
Pope Pius XII beatified Maria on April 27, 1947, and canonized her on June 24, 1950, in a ceremony attended by her mother Assunta.
The remains of little Saint Maria Goretti now rest in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces in Nettuno, south of Rome.