St. Maria Goretti was born in 1890 in Corinaldo, Italy, into a poor farming family. After her father died of malaria, Maria helped care for her siblings while her mother worked in the fields. Despite her young age, Maria was deeply devout, known for her kindness, modesty, and strong faith. At just 11 years old, she was attacked by a teenage neighbor, Alessandro Serenelli, who tried to assault her. Maria resisted, crying out that it was a sin and pleading with him to stop. He stabbed her repeatedly. As she lay dying, she forgave him and prayed for his soul. Alessandro later repented in prison, experienced a profound conversion, and spent his life in penance. Maria was canonized in 1950 and is honored as a martyr of purity and mercy.
Practical Lessons
- Teach and Model Respect Early: Maria knew right from wrong and stood firm in her beliefs, even as a child. Teach children (and remind yourself) to speak up when boundaries are crossed, and to protect both their dignity and others’.
- Forgive, Even When It’s Hard: Maria forgave her attacker from her deathbed. In daily life, this means choosing to forgive others who hurt us—family, coworkers, or friends—so we don’t carry anger or bitterness that poisons the heart.
- Live Purity in the Digital Age: In a world saturated with inappropriate content, Maria’s example encourages us to guard our eyes, hearts, and minds—whether that means unfollowing harmful media, setting boundaries online, or supporting others in making better choices.
Prayer
St. Maria Goretti, courageous and pure, you bore witness to Christ by choosing love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. Pray for us, that we may have the strength to stand for what is right, the grace to forgive those who hurt us, and the purity to live with integrity in a world that often encourages the opposite. May we imitate your love for God above all things. Amen.
Quote
“I want Alessandro to be with me in heaven.” — St. Maria Goretti
A Letter from Allesandro
When Allesandro was released from prison, he went to live in the Capuchin convent of Macerata. He left the following testimony , dated May 5, 1961, which bears witness to the importance of avoiding pornography and the negative impact of much of the media, so prevalent in our times:
I’m nearly 80 years old. I’m about to depart.
Looking back at my past, I can see that in my early youth, I chose a bad path which led me to ruin myself.
My behavior was influenced by print, mass-media and bad examples which are followed by the majority of young people without even thinking. And I did the same. I was not worried.
There were a lot of generous and devoted people who surrounded me, but I paid no attention to them because a violent force blinded me and pushed me toward a wrong way of life.
When I was 20 years-old, I committed a crime of passion. Now, that memory represents something horrible for me. Maria Goretti, now a Saint, was my good Angel, sent to me through Providence to guide and save me. I still have impressed upon my heart her words of rebuke and of pardon. She prayed for me, she interceded for her murderer. Thirty years of prison followed.
If I had been of age, I would have spent all my life in prison. I accepted to be condemned because it was my own fault.
Little Maria was really my light, my protectress; with her help, I behaved well during the 27 years of prison and tried to live honestly when I was again accepted among the members of society. The Brothers of St. Francis, Capuchins from Marche, welcomed me with angelic charity into their monastery as a brother, not as a servant. I’ve been living with their community for 24 years, and now I am serenely waiting to witness the vision of God, to hug my loved ones again, and to be next to my Guardian Angel and her dear mother, Assunta.
I hope this letter that I wrote can teach others the happy lesson of avoiding evil and of always following the right path, like little children. I feel that religion with its precepts is not something we can live without, but rather it is the real comfort, the real strength in life and the only safe way in every circumstance, even the most painful ones of life.
Signature,
Alessandro Serenelli
Other Saints We Remember Today
St. Godleva (1070), Martyr
Image by GIUSEPPE BROVELLI-SOFFREDINI via Wikimedia Commons
