Maria Goretti Saint

Maria Goretti (October 16, 1890 – July 6, 1902) is an Italian virgin-martyr of the Roman Catholic Church, and she is one of the youngest canonized saints.She was born on the eastern side of Italy to a farming family, but increased poverty forced the family to move to the western side of the country when she was only six. Her father died when she was nine, and the family had to share a house with another family, the Serenellis. She took over household duties from her mother, while her mother and the rest of her family worked in the fields. One afternoon, Alessandro, the son of the Serenelli family, made sexual advances to her, but when she refused to submit to him because that would be a mortal sin, he stabbed her fourteen times. She was taken to the hospital, but she died after forgiving him. He was promptly arrested, convicted and jailed. After three years he repented, and when eventually released from prison, he visited her mother begging forgiveness, which she readily granted. He later became a lay brother in a monastery, eventually dying peacefully in 1970. She was beatified in 1947, and canonized in 1950. Her mother attended both ceremonies.

Personal facts

Birth date	October 16, 1890
Birth place	Marche , Kingdom of Italy , Corinaldo , Province of Ancona
Date of death	July 06, 1902
Place of death	Lazio , Kingdom of Italy , Nettuno , Province of Rome
Title	Virgin and Martyr

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Saint

beatified by	Pope Pius XII
beatified date	April 27, 1947
beatified place	Rome
canonized by	Pope Pius XII
canonized date	June 24, 1950
canonized place	Rome
major shrine	Lazio Nettuno Province of Rome
venerated in	Catholic Church