Heres the life of St. MAria Goretti, posted with kind permission of
the editor of the Australian Catholic Magazine "Morning Star".

Hope you like it.

    Put up with anything to prevent sin St. Maria Goretti



    Maria was born on October 16th 1890 to Luigi and Assunta Goretti,
    the  eldest  daughter  in the family of seven. She was a cheerful
    girl, always imitating her parents.  She had but one disire,  but
    one wish: to receive our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

    The date was finally set for little Maria to receive our Lord  on
    the feast of Corpus Christi. For Maria, time seemed like an eter-
    nity as she  slowly  neared  the  great  day.   When  it  finally
    arrived, Fr. Jerome( the priest who was to celebrate the Mass and
    give the children their First Holy Communion) delivered a  sermon
    on	the  immense love of Jesus Christ for them and the great love
    we should have in return for Him. He then warmly  urged  them  to
    die rather than commit a mortal sin.

    Maria humbly approached the Altar of God and  received  the  Holy
    Eucharist.	Her  only  sadness  was  the  thought of her father's
    absence, who died some time beforehand. As for the	rest  of  the
    day,  Maria remained under the spell of the divine visit; that is
    until

				   -4-







    her thoughts changed to when she could go next to Holy Communion.
    Thus ended the happiest day of Maria's life.

    Over the next twelve months, Maria had changed  from  a  giggling
    little girl into a quiet young lady with responsibilities. As her
    mother went out into the fields in place of  her  husband,	Maria
    took  on the ironing, cooking, washing and other motherly duties.
    She was doing this not only for her own family, but also for  the
    Serenellis, a father and son who lived with the Goretti's, owning
    a share in the farm. Although Maria was poorer than all the other
    children, she by far surpassed them in virtue. In all thi ngs she
    did the Holy Will of God.

    During the month of June,  Alessandro  Serenelli(the  son)	twice
    made advances upon Maria when he chanced to be alone with her. On
    both occasions Maria managed to  struggle  free  of  Alessandro's
    strong  grip, but on the second, he threatened to kill her if she
    even uttered a word to her mother. From this day on, Maria	lived
    in terror, fearing lest Alessandro attack again.


    On July 5th 1902, Alessandro left work in the fields  to  "get  a
    handkerchief,"  as	he  claimed. He went to the storeroom beneath
    the house where Maria, who was outside on the  landing  with  the
    baby,  could  hear him fumbling about in with tools. She wondered
    what he was doing. It was later learned that he was sharpening  a
    91/2"  blade. He went to the house and called for Maria. She told
    him she wouldn't go to him unless she knew why she was needed. He
    stormed out to the landing and dragged her up to her room. Mar ia
    instantly realized what he was up to. "No, No, No! Do  not	touch
    me!  It  is a sin, you will go to Hell!" At this point Alessandro
    held the knife over Maria's chest, who was now on the floor.

    "Will you or will you not?" Maria gathered all her energy.	"No I
    will  not,	Alessandro,  no!"   She had chosen her martyrdom over
    sin, God over Satan.  Overcome with rage, Alessandro plunged  the
    knife  into   Maria's  breast fourteen times.  Finally he came to
    his senses and thought Maria was dead.  Frantically he threw  the
    knife behind a closet and locked himself in his room.  The crying
    of the baby Teresa	on  the  landing  brought  the	attention  to
    Assunta  and the father of Alessandro. As the baby was unattended
    and was in danger of falling off, they ran to the house  to  find
    Maria,  who,  covered in blood, was dragging herself to the door.
    When asked what happened she said Alessandro  stabbed  her.   "He
    wanted to make me do wrong and I would not."

    The ambulance arrived, then the police who took Alessandro	away.
    As	the  ambulance	carried  Maria to the hospital, a large crowd
    followed on foot.  The doctors at the  hospital held no hope  for
    poor  little Maria.  The same Fr. Jerome who gave Maria her First
    Communion

				   -5-







    came to administer the last rites and to give her Holy  Viaticum.
    He asked Maria if she would forgive her murderer.  "Yes.  For the
    love of Jesus I forgive him.  I wish for him to one day  join  me
    in	Paradise.   May  God forgive him, for I alread y have." Maria
    died at about three o'clock.

    Alessandro was tried  and  found  guilty  of  Maria's  death  but
    because  of  his  age  he  was  sentenced to only thirty years in
    prison.  After eight  years of being a violent prisoner and show-
    ing  no regret for his crime, he saw in a dream, in the  midst of
    a field of flowers, Maria holding out a bunch of white lilies  to
    him.  Soon later he wrote to the local bishop, begging God's par-
    don for the grave sin he had committed.  He later gave  testimony
    in	Maria's  beatification in 1947.  Less than three years later,
    on Ju ne 24th 1950, Maria was canonised.  Assunta Goretti was the
    first mother ever to be present at her daughter's canonisation.

    May St. Maria Goretti help	us  to	be  pure  and  grant  us  the
    strength to die rather than commit a mortal sin.

    Saint Maria Goretti, pray for us.


    by Brendan Arthur
