JULY 6TH, FERIA

(Some places: Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr)

Month in honor of the Most Precious Blood of OLJC.

A beautiful, pious farm girl,16 October 1890 at Corinaldo, Ancona, Italy, Maria Goretti was one of six children of Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini. In 1896 the family moved to Ferriere di Conca. Soon after, Maria's father died of malaria, and the family was forced to move onto the Serenelli farm to survive. In 1902 at age twelve, Maria was attacked by 19-year-old farm-hand Alessandro Serenelli. He tried to rape the girl who fought, yelled that it was a sin, and that he would go to hell. He tried to choke her into submission, then stabbed her fourteen times. She survived in hospital for two days, forgave her attacker, asked God's forgiveness of him, and died on 6 July 1902 at the age of 12 at Nettuno, Lazio, Italy, holding a crucifix and medal of Our Lady; named as a martyr by the Church.

While in prison for his crime, Allessandro had a vision of Maria. He saw a garden where a young girl, dressed in white, gathered lilies. She smiled, came near him, and encouraged him to accept an armful of the lilies. As he took them, each lily transformed into a still white flame. Maria then disappeared. This vision of Maria led to Alessandro's conversion, and he later testified at her cause for beatification.

Maria Goretti was canonized on 24 June 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The ceremony was attended by 250,000 including her mother, the first time a parent has witnessed her child's canonization.