The Life And Witness Of Saint Maria Goretti

St. Maria Goretti was only a child when she died a martyr’s death. Yet today, she inspires millions who find in her a perfect model of purity and holiness. Read here about her great holiness in the midst of tremendous suffering , how she died at the hands of a vicious murderer who tried to defile her purity, and how she visited this very same murderer years later in his jail cell to forgive him. Fr. Jeffrey Kirby examines the life of this little saint as he reflects on the Beatitudes and how she, along with her family, lived them each day. In a world where purity is corrupted in the darkness of the night and mercy is abandoned in the name of vengeance, let us turn to St. Maria Goretti and see her as the dawn of a new day, where the light of Christ shines on each of us and guides us into His Kingdom.

MARIA GORETTI was not yet 12 years old when she was faced with that momentous decision in July of 1902: Sin or death. Maria’s answer to her assailant was clear: “No! No! It is a sin! God does not want this!” Alessandro stabbed Maria 14 times, and little Maria became another virgin martyr in the line of St. Agnes and St. Cecilia. Here is the beautiful true story of Maria’s virtuous life that led to her heroic choice, of the Goretti family’s terrible poverty, Maria’s First Holy Communion, her great maturity in shouldering adult responsibilities, her forgiveness of her murderer, her lingering death, then finally her public elevation to sainthood in 1950—in the presence of her mother, her family and the largest crowd ever before seen at a canonization—over half a million people. A contemporary classic, this is truly a book for all—because people of any age will be inspired by St. Maria Goretti’s purity and love of God—which triumphed over her love for life and even over the anonymity of death.

We trace the Life of Saint Maria Goretti. We travel to Corinaldo, Italy, where St. Maria Goretti was born and lived her early years, and Nettuno, Italy, and the house where she died defending her virginity against her attacker. Discover artifacts of the life of the young Saint, including: her birthplace in Corinaldo, Italy the room in which she lived, her bed, her shrine in Corinaldo, photographs of her mother with her attacker who was at her Canonization, and was forgiven by her mother.

“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 pardon. She prayed for me, she interceded for her murderer.” — Alessandro Serenelli Many people are familiar with the story of Saint Maria Goretti and her grisly murder at the age of eleven. On her deathbed, she said of her killer, “I forgive him, and I want him to be with me in heaven.” But how did her incredible forgiveness affect her murderer? While it took years, Maria’s offer of mercy eventually transformed Alessandro’s life. Alessandro’s story has never been fully told — until now. Alessandro Serenelli: A Story of Forgiveness is a captivating story of mercy and forgiveness, both given and accepted. Learn about Alessandro’s difficult childhood, the murder of Maria, his prison sentence, his conversion as a result of Maria’s intercession, and the final years of his life with a Capuchin community. Through his life story, you’ll gain a new understanding of the nature of repentance and of God’s patience and unfailing love.

On July 5, 1902, Maria Goretti was brutally stabbed to death by Alessandro Serenelli. The 12-year-old virgin-martyr not only fought to maintain her purity, she forgave her killer and declared that she wanted him to be with her in Heaven. In what is the most extensive biography on the life of St. Maria Goretti in the English language, author Bret Thoman brings the story to life like never before. In addition to drawing on the most updated biographies in Italian, the author personally visited the three sites where the young saint lived: Corinaldo, the Roman countryside, and the farmhouse near Nettuno where she was attacked. The result is a fresh new biography combined with vivid descriptions of each place. The book also takes a deeper look at the life of Alessandro Serenelli, the other protagonist of the saga. It contains interviews with three Capuchin friars who lived with and knew Alessandro personally. With a foreword by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, himself a devotee of St. Maria Goretti, this book offers an unparalleled look at the lives, personalities, and milieu of Maria Goretti and Alessandro Serenelli. What emerges is a "Journey into Forgiveness and Redemption." Whether you will visit these sites in Italy or your pilgrimage will be from the comfort of your armchair at home, may the Holy Spirit guide you as you begin.