After the large number of virgin martyrs of the distant time of persecution against Christians, which in addition to rejecting the worship of idols, refused the offers and above all the sexual desires of their torturers, such as s. Lucia, s. Agate, s. Cecilia, s. Agnese, etc. There was a long time when the Church did not appear sensational figures of martyrs for purity.
But in our time the Church has placed on the altars exemplary figures of young women and adolescents, and in defense of the virtue of purity, now so ignored, lost their lives in a violent manner, thus becoming martyrs.
This is the case of the Blessed Pierina Morosini († 1957) of Fiobbio (Bergamo); the Blessed Carolina Kozka († 1914) in Poland; the Blessed Antonia Mesina († 1935) Orgosolo (Nuoro); the Servant of God Concetta Lombardo († 1948) of Staletti (Catanzaro), etc., before them there was a twelve year old Maria Goretti, the subject of this card, beatified in 1947 and canonised in 1950 by Pope Pius XII during that year Holy.
Perhaps in our day to talk about the defense of extreme purity, does a little 'smile, given the prevailing laxity, the licentiousness of morals, free sex among many young people; but until a few years ago it was a good purity and virtue, to which especially all the girls kept as natural gift to be defended and preserved for a more complete love and blessed by the sacrament of marriage, or as a gift to offer to God a consecrated life.
With the official recognition of the Church of this form of martyrdom, what until then could be considered, in the language of today, such as rape ended tragically for the resistance of the victim, took on a new light of martyrdom, since the staff spirituality of the victim, the concept of defense of purity as God's gift, the rebel consciously to death; s like to recall here. Domenico Savio which in its pure adolescence, said: "Death rather than sin."
In this light should be seen the earthly life of Maria Goretti, born in Corinaldo (Ancona) October 16, 1890 and baptized the same day, was later cresimata, according to the custom of the times in small age, October 4, 1896 when Bishop Giulio Boschi, came on a pastoral visit in the village.
In 1897, her parents Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini who had over the eldest daughter Mary, four other children, being agricultural laborers and stentando in daily living with his large family, they decided to find work elsewhere; while many villagers tried the adventure of emigration to the Americas, they chose to move in the Pontine Marshes in Lazio, that being infested by malaria, very few chose to move there.
They came first in the estate of Senator Scelsi in Paliano, as sharecroppers along with another family already resident the Serenelli, of pure and Marche, composed only of father and son, being the mother long dead.
Then the relations with the owner broke down, and Serenelli and Goretti had to leave Paliano and fortunately found, always as sharecroppers, another place in the estate of Count Lorenzo Mazzoleni to Ferriere di Conca in the Pontine Marshes; area before rehabilitation started in 1925 and completed only in 1939, it served as a natural breakwater between the northern part and the immense marsh south; it was certainly not a healthy place, because summer was invaded by mosquitoes and malaria; quinine only effective drug, was primarily used for therapeutic purposes, but it was not for the purpose quote.
While parents were using the backbreaking work in the fields, Maria took care of the household chores, keeping order in the farmhouse and minding younger siblings . After a few years, May 6, 1900, his father did not return home, died of malaria on the edge of the marsh, Maria was then 10 years; He began to comfort the mother was alone with his family and a job to do beyond his strength; although the crop was good this year the family was in debt with the Count Mazzoleni rights sharecropping, of up to 15 liras.
The owner after inviting her mother to leave that job and home, because it was impossible maintain the employment relationship tied to a demanding market and to secure a good harvest; but behind the desperate request that Assunta to stay, because with five children had nowhere to go, the count agreed to remain as long as you would associate with Serenelli, who lived in the same farmhouse and other cultivated land.
The solution seemed ideal, the father and Serenelli son cultivated fields and Assunta took care of the children and the two houses, in addition to the work on the threshing floor; while Maria was dedicated to the sale of eggs and doves in distant Neptune, to transport water that was not at home as it is today, to prepare breakfast for the workers in the fields, the mending of clothes.
He had not been able to go to school , who already attended sporadically; It was defined by the people of the neighborhood "an angel of my child"; reciting the rosary, he was very religious as indeed the whole family.
He had insisted to make her First Communion in less than eleven years instead of twelve as they used then; with great sacrifices could attend catechism, and so in May of 1902 was able to receive Holy Communion.
Until then, his was a life of hardship, hard work, sacrifice, few Masses which assisted in the church of the neighboring Conca, today Borgo Montello, but he closed from June to September, when the accounts Mazzoleni were leaving to escape the malaria and mosquitoes that proliferated in the heat.Then sacrificing hours of sleep, he went to Mass at Campomorto several km away.
Meanwhile, the relationship between the father and Serenelli Assunta Goretti were showing their cracks, as he did being a widower soon understand that if you wanted to eat her and her family, she had to submit its demands not just honest.
Because Assunta was not willing to give in, the Serenelli began to control everything, even the eggs in the henhouse and pass foods sparingly. Mary meanwhile come to twelve years, was beginning to develop physically, becoming good-looking, but his mind was simple and pure and had not had time to dream for the future, all taken to help in the work, support and encourage Mom, look after their little brothers.
Serenelli's son, Alexander, had meanwhile reached 18 years of robust physique was the pride of his father, not only because he knew to work hard in the fields, but is rare in those days among the peasants, He could read and write; when he went to town, always returned with some disreputable magazine, which brought in house, he provoked the protests of the Assumption, but justified it by saying that his father had to practice reading.
Alessandro Maria now looking through different eyes for a few years before and was beginning to try to have approaches that were not good, insidiandola several times, always rejected by the girl; one day he openly sinful and the rejection of the proposals of Maria, fearing that they speak at home, he threatened her with death if she did.
Maria not to aggravate the already strained relations between the two families, was silent, being amazed by the situation He did not understand, because he had always regarded as a brother Alessandro. July 5, 1902 Serenelli and Goretti were intent on sbaccellatura of dried beans and Maria sitting on the landing watching the threshing floor, mended a shirt of the young Alexander.
At some point, this one left the job and started with a pretext to home ; arrived on the landing invited Maria to come in, but she did not move, then took her by the arm and with some force dragged her into the kitchen which was the first room where one entered.
The story is the same Alessandro Serenelli, done the Ecclesiastical Court; Maria Goretti understood his intentions and began to tell him: "No, no, God does not want, if you do this you go to hell." Again rejected, the young man went on a rampage and took a punch he had with him, he began to hit her;Maria rebuked him and wriggled and he now blind in his fury, he began to hit her violently on her stomach and she still said: "What do Alessandro? So you go to hell ... ", when he saw the bloodstains on his clothes, left her, but knew I hurt her mortally.
The girl shouts barely heard from others, they rush to his mother, who found her in a pool blood, was transported to the hospital Orsenico Neptune, where as a result of the copious blood loss and you became peritonitis caused by 14 wounds Awl, doctors were unable to save her.
Still alive and conscious, forgave his murderess, saying all'affranta mother who assisted her: "For the love of Jesus for forgiveness; I want to be with me in Paradise "; was entered on his deathbed the Daughters of Mary, he received the last sacraments and died peacefully the next day, July 6, 1902.
Alexander arrested and sentenced to prison, already in 1910 had repented and had dreamed of "Marietta", as it was called in Paradise which collected flowers and gave them to him with his unmistakable smile.
When he came out of prison in 1928, he went to ask her mother Assunta in forgiveness and in a sign of reconciliation
approached both to Communion on Christmas Eve of that year.
The May 31, 1935 in the Diocese of Albano opened the first process for his beatification, which took place as mentioned, April 27, 1947 by Pope Pius XII, the pope canonized June 24, 1950, in front of a huge crowd, after He congratulated the mother, who ill and sitting in a wheelchair, witnessed the ceremony from a window of the Vatican.
His body of novel modern martyr, rests in the chapel dedicated to her, in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace in Neptune, guarded by Passionist Father and the destination of countless pilgrims from all over the Catholic world; his feast is celebrated on July 6.
Author: Antonio Borrelli
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St. Anthony lived in solitude for about twenty years. "His was a perfectly purified soul. No pain could annoy him, no pleasure bind him. In him was neither laughter nor sadness. The sight of the crowd did not trouble him, and the warm greetings of so many men did not move him. In a word, he was thoroughly immune to the vanities of the world, like a man unswervingly governed by reason, established in inner peace and harmony."