St. Maria Goretti Research Paper

St. Maria Goretti was born in Corinaldo, Italy on October 19, 1890. While being born into poor family her father moved their family when she was six in hopes of escaping poverty. After Maria’s father died of malaria, Maria’s mother struggled to feed her and her siblings. Both Maria’s mother and her siblings worked in the field while Maria was left at home to do house chores and watch her younger sister Teresa. Since her family her family was extremely poor they were very close to God.
On July 5, 1902 Maria was sewing a shirt for her 18-year old brother/neighbor (It’s unclear what their relation was) Alessandro’s shirt on the porch, Alessandro was throwing beans in the barnyard. As Maria was fixated on sewing the shirt Alessandro surprised her by grabbing her from the porch and attempted to rape her. Maria reacted and told Alessandro that it was a mortal sin and that he would go to hell, as Alessandro insisted Maria kept screaming that it was a sin and that God doesn’t want it. Maria’s words began to anger Alessandro so he …show more content…
Alessandro remained unrepentant until he had a dream where he was in a garden where he met Maria and gave him lilies that immediately burned his hands. After he woke up from his dream Alessandro was a changed man and after he was released from his sentence he begged Maria’s mother for forgiveness, her mother forgave him since her daughter was able to forgive him.
Maria was beatified by Pope Pius XII in a ceremony at Saint Peter’s Basilica on April 27, 1947. Three years later after the ceremony Maria was declared a saint and Alessandro participated the in the St. Peter’s crowd in celebration of Maria’s canonization. Saint Maria was declared a martyr since she fought against in Alessandro’s sexual attempts to