St. Maria Goretti - patron saint of young girls and purity‏

Dearest Ones,

Since St. Maria Goretti's Feast day is July 6, it is appropriate to recognize this remarkable young woman, who was martyred for her purity at the early age of twelve!Maria, one of seven children, was born to poor tenant farmers in 1902 in Italy. Her father died of malaria when she was only 9, leaving her mother to take care of the farm and seven children. Each night Maria prayed the rosary for her father's soul. At the age of 10, she was eager to receive Holy Communion for the first time. The day before she received Jesus, she went to each member of her family and asked their pardon if she had ever offended them. Maria offered to stay at home with the children while her mother and older brothers did the farm work.One day while at home with the children, a neighbor, Alessandro, 20, assaulted her, trying to force her to commit sin. She fought him off, telling him he would go to hell if he did so. He said he would kill her if she did not give in to his desires. With a long bladed knife he then stabbed her 14 times in the chest. Maria did not die immediately. She was taken to a hospital and lived 20 hours after the stabbing. Although in great pain, she remained conscious while doctors performed surgery, as it was believed that anesthesia would be bad for her condition. It was not appropriate at that time to give her something for the pain. Her greatest concern was for the soul of her killer, Alessandro, who was taken immediately into custody. As she gazed at a crucifix, she remembered how Jesus forgave those who crucified him. With great effort, she said, "For the love of Jesus, I forgive Alessandro. I want him to be with me in heaven." She died with forgiveness in her heart.Maria's heroic story of love and forgiveness would not be complete without the story of the conversion of Alessandro, her murderer. Immediately after his brutal assault on young 12-year old Maria, he was imprisoned and sentenced to thirty years of hard labor.He lost his appetite, grew nervous and became a howling maniac. After a few years, he was near the brink of despair. Then one night, Maria appeared to him in a dream in his cell. She smiled at Alessandro and was surrounded by 14 lilies, one for each stab wound. She handed them, one at a time, to Alessandro, and as he took each one, it transformed into a white flame.From that moment, peace invaded Alessandro's heart and he began to live a completely peaceful life. After serving his sentence, Alessandro went immediately to Maria's mother, Assunta, asking her pardon. At the Christmas Mass in the parish church, he got up and spoke to the congregation, acknowledging his sin and asking God's forgiveness and the parish community. For the rest of his life, he served the Lord as a brother in a Franciscan monastery.

Alessandro died in 1970, leaving the following testimony, as his spiritual legacy: "I'm nearly 80 years old and am about to depart. Looking back at my past, I can see that I chose a bad path in my youth. My bedroom walls were plastered with pornography.My behavior was influenced by mass-media and bad example, which the majority of young people are now following. When I was 20, I committed a crime of passion. That memory is horrible for me. Maria Goretti, now a Saint, was my good angel, who guided me and saved me. She even prayed for me, her murderer.Little Maria has been my light and with her help I behaved well in prison and lived as a brother of St. Francis for 24 years. Now I am serenely waiting to see my loved ones again in heaven and be next to my angel, Maria, and her mother Assunta.I hope this letter can teach others the happy lesson of avoiding evil and always following the right path. I feel one cannot live without religion, it is the only real comfort, the real strength, the only safe way in every circumstance, even the most painful ones in life." Sincerely, Alessandro

St. Maria Goretti is the patron saint of young girls, rape victims and purity. Thousands of miracles happen when people pray to this little saint. Her pure life is a tremendous example for us. Recently, I had a conversation with a young man, who said he could not forgive his father because he never told him he loved him in the 20 years that he knew him. I thought about Maria and said, "If a 12 year old girl, Maria Goretti, can forgive her murderer, certainly, you, who are much older, can forgive your father." We are very blessed to have this little saint as our friend interceding for us. What would we do without the saints to and guide us and intercede for us?

With love and prayers,
Sister Francelle