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Saint Maria Goretti
October 16, 1890 – July 6, 1902
Saint Maria Goretti was a young Italian Catholic martyr who demonstrated extraordinary purity, courage, and forgiveness in the face of grave suffering. At only eleven years old, she remained steadfast in her faith and forgave her attacker before her death, becoming a beloved example of chastity, mercy, and holiness.
Feast Day
July 6
Where From
Corinaldo, Marche, Italy
Vocation
Young Catholic laywoman and virgin martyr
Patron of
Youth, purity, chastity, and victims of sexual assault
About Saint Maria Goretti
Saint Maria Goretti was born in 1890 in Corinaldo, Italy, into a poor but deeply Catholic farming family. After her father’s death, Maria helped her mother care for her younger siblings and manage the household. Although she received little formal education, she possessed a remarkable love for prayer, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Catholic faith. She faithfully carried out her daily responsibilities and received her First Holy Communion with profound devotion. In July 1902, at just eleven years old, Maria courageously resisted an attempted sexual assault and was brutally wounded by her attacker.
Despite her terrible suffering, Saint Maria Goretti demonstrated extraordinary Christian forgiveness. Before dying on July 6, 1902, she forgave her attacker and expressed her desire that he might one day reach Heaven. Her example later contributed to his repentance and conversion. Maria was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950 before an enormous gathering of the faithful. Her life reminds Catholic families of the dignity of every soul, the importance of purity, and the transforming power of forgiveness and God’s mercy.