Maria Goretti

Biography

Maria Goretti (1890-1902) was an Italian girl who became a martyr for chastity at age eleven or twelve. Born in Corinaldo to a poor family, she moved to Ancona where she lived virtuously despite her impoverished circumstances. When a farmhand named Alessandro Serenelli attempted to sexually assault her, she physically resisted and cried out, refusing his advances with the words 'No! It is a sin!' Enraged, Serenelli stabbed her multiple times; she died from her wounds the following day after receiving last sacraments. Her steadfast virtue in the face of grave danger made her a powerful witness to the value of chastity. After her death, Serenelli eventually repented, became a lay brother in a Capuchin monastery, and reported that Maria appeared to him in visions. She was canonized in 1950 as the Church's youngest virgin martyr, becoming an advocate for the protection of children and a model of courage for young people facing moral pressure.