Her family, along with Alessandro, were out tending the fields. Alessandro returned back to the house, knowing she was alone, and ordered her to do as he said. He threatened her, saying if she did not, he would kill her. As Alessandro attempted to rape her, St. Maria Goretti told him not to, that it was a mortal sin and he would go to hell.
She fought against him, but Alessandro was a 19 year old farmhand, and was much stronger than she. She screamed to him that it was a sin, and that God did not want it, but Alessandro refused to listen. He began to choke St. Maria Goretti, and when she said she would rather die than submit to him, he stabbed her eleven times in the throat and chest damaging her heart and lungs. Maria Goretti, badly wounded, attempted to reach for the door, but Alessandro stabbed her three more times before she could.
When no one quieted her, St. They found St. Maria Goretti bleeding and rushed her to the nearest hospital, where she underwent surgery without anesthesia. The doctors attempted to save her; however, it could not be done. During the surgery, St. She died in the hospital 24 hours later, after having expressed forgiveness for her murderer.
At the time of her death she was staring at a picture of the Virgin Mary and holding a crucifix to her heart. Alessandro was arrested shortly after the attack took place. In a deposition to the police, St. Alessandro was to be sentenced to life in prison; however, since he was a minor in the eyes of the law, his sentence was commuted to 30 years imprisonment.
Alessandro admitted to attempting to rape St. Maria Goretti several times before, and that he had decided to kill her because she would not comply.
He remained unrepentant and uncommunicative for three years. At that time, he was visited by the local bishop. When Alessandro was released from prison, he visited St. He begged her for her forgiveness. Assunta and Alessandro went to Mass together the following day, receiving Holy Communion side by side. It is said that Alessandro prayed to St. He died in , at age Maria Goretti was canonized in Present at her canonization were her mother and four remaining siblings.
Assunta was the first mother to attend the canonization of her child in church history. Also present that day was Alessandro. Her remains are kept inside of a statue that lies beneath the altar, which some have believed to be her actual body, leading to the thought that her body lies incorrupt however, this is not the case. The feast day of St. Maria Goretti is July 6, which is the day she entered into eternal life in heaven.
Because of St. In addition, St. Maria was there and gave him lilies, which immediately burned in his hands. When he woke, he was a changed man. He repented his crime and living a reformed life. When he was released years-later, he went directly to Maria's mother and begged her forgiveness, which she gave, saying, "If my daughter can forgive him, who am I to withhold forgiveness? Three years later, on June 24, , Maria was declared a saint and Alessandro was present in the St. Peter's crowd to celebrate her canonization.
He later became a laybrother of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, where he lived in a monastery and worked as its receptionist and gardener until his death.
Saint Maria is called a martyr because she fought against Alessandro's attempts at sexual sin; however, the most important aspects of her story are how she forgave her attacker - her concern for her enemy extending even beyond death - and the miracle her forgiveness produced in his life. Though several claim her body is incorrupt, she has been proven to be corrupt. Her body is kept in a statue which lies beneath the altar and has been mistaken to be all of her remains.
Images of Saint Maria often represent her with wavy hair dressed in either white or farm clothes and is often depicted holding lilies. Copyright Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.
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Toggle navigation. Search Catholic Online. Continue reading about St. Maria Giuseppe Rossello St. Maria Goretti Fun Facts. Serenelli kept most of the profits from the farming, leaving the Goretti family quite poor and frequently hungry. Through all the difficulties, Maria did her best. When neighbors or kindly merchants would give Maria a treat, she would take it home to share with her brothers and sisters. Cheerful and intelligent, Maria was also beautiful, with chestnut hair complementing her delicate features.
On Maria's frequent trips into the nearby village to sell eggs and chickens and to buy supplies for her family, she would visit the shrine of Our Lady of Graces. Her family being too poor to pay for Masses in her father's memory, every night Maria would recite the five Mysteries of the Rosary for the repose of her father's soul. In June of , year-old Alessandro Serenelli began ordering year-old Maria to perform various difficult chores, none of which could be completed to his satisfaction, and she was often reduced to tears.
Alessandro also began making advances on Maria. She rebuffed them all, but, unfortunately, said nothing to her mother, for fear of causing trouble. On July 5, , Alessandro ordered Maria to mend one of his shirts. As Maria sat mending, caring for her little sister Theresa, Alessandro burst in and motioned Maria into a bedroom.
As usual, she refused, but this time, he grabbed her, pulled her into the bedroom, and closed the door.
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