Heroic and angelic Saint Maria Goretti, we kneel before you to honor your persevering fortitude and to beg your gracious aid. Teach us a deep love for the precepts of our Holy Church. Help us to see in them the very voic of our Father in Heaven. May we preserve without stain our white baptismal robe of innocence.
May we who have lost this innocence kneel humbly in Holy Penance; and with the absolution of a priest may the torrent of Christ's precious blood flow into our souls and give us new courage to carry the burning light of God's love through the dangerous highways of this life until Christ our King shall call us to the courts of heaven.
Patron Of:
Against Poverty, Children, Girls, Loss of Parents, Martyrs, Rape Victims, Teenagers
Profile Beautiful, pious farm girl, one of six children of Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini. In 1896 the family moved to Ferriere di Conca. Soon after, Maria's father died of malaria, and the family was forced to move onto the Serenelli farm to survive.
In 1902 at age twelve, Maria was attacked by 19-year-old farm-hand Alessandro Serenelli. He tried to rape the girl who fought, yelled that it was a sin, and that he would go to hell. He tried to choke her into submission, then stabbed her fourteen times. She survived in hospital for two days, forgave her attacker, asked God's forgiveness of him, and died holding a crucifix and medal of Our Lady. Counted as a martyr.
While in prison for his crime, Allessandro had a vision of Maria. He saw a garden where a young girl, dressed in white, gathered lilies. She smiled, came near him, and encouraged him to accept an armful of the lilies. As he took them, each lily transformed into a still white flame. Maria then disappeared. This vision of Maria led to Alessandro's conversion, and he later testified at her cause for beatification. Born 16 October 1890 at Corinaldo, Ancona, Italy Died choked and stabbed to death during a rape attempt on 6 July 1902 at the age of 12