St. Maria Goretti is one of the youngest canonized saints in the Catholic Church, celebrated for her purity, forgiveness, and unwavering faith. Born into a poor farming family in 1890 in Corinaldo, Italy, Maria faced hardship early in life after her father’s death, which left her family in poverty. At age 11, she was attacked by a neighbor, 20-year-old Alessandro Serenelli, who attempted to assault her. Maria resisted, declaring it was a sin and that she would rather die than submit. In anger, Alessandro stabbed her multiple times. She was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries the next day. Before dying, Maria forgave her attacker, expressing hope for his repentance. Her act of forgiveness deeply impacted Alessandro. After serving his prison sentence and experiencing a profound conversion, he spent the remainder of his life as a lay brother in a Capuchin monastery. At the canonization ceremony, held by Pope Pius XII in St. Peter’s Square in 1950, Alessandro attended alongside Maria’s mother, Assunta Goretti, and her siblings. This event was historic because it marked the first time a mother witnessed the canonization of her own child, and it also symbolized the power of forgiveness and redemption.
Patron of:
Youth and young women, Victims of Sexual Assault, Purity and Forgiveness
Feast Day:
July 6″
Illustration by: Colton Rompala