St. Maria Goretti (1890–1902) was an eleven-year-old Italian farm girl who died defending her purity, and who forgave her attacker from her deathbed. Years later the young man who killed her repented, became a changed man and was present in St. Peter’s Square when she was canonized in 1950. She is a patron of young people, of purity and of forgiveness, and a companion for survivors of sexual violence. Below are prayers to St. Maria Goretti for purity, for the grace to forgive, for teenagers and for those who have suffered abuse, Scripture and her story.
A prayer to St. Maria Goretti
Written for this page:
St. Maria Goretti, you loved Jesus with the simple heart of a child,
and you chose death rather than sin.
As you were dying, you forgave the one who hurt you.
Pray for me, that I may keep my heart pure,
forgive those who wrong me
and trust God’s mercy for every sinner.
Obtain for me the grace I ask: (name your intention). Amen.
A prayer for purity
St. Maria Goretti, help me to see my body and the bodies of others
as temples of the Holy Spirit.
Strengthen me against temptation,
guard my eyes, my thoughts and my words,
and give me the courage to say no to what is wrong. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
A prayer for the grace to forgive
Maria’s last words were of forgiveness: she said that she forgave Alessandro and wanted him with her in heaven.
St. Maria Goretti, you forgave the one who killed you.
Help me to forgive (name), who has hurt me.
I cannot do it alone; ask Jesus to heal my heart,
to free me from bitterness,
and to bring the one who hurt me to repentance. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you:
That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.
A prayer for young people
St. Maria Goretti, patron of youth,
watch over our children and teenagers, especially (name).
Protect them from everyone who would harm them,
help them to grow in faith, purity and courage,
and give them friends who lead them to God. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer for survivors of abuse
St. Maria Goretti is close to all who have suffered sexual violence. What happened to them was never their fault.
St. Maria Goretti, you know the terror of an attack.
Stay close to (name) and to all who have suffered abuse or violence.
Ask Jesus to heal their wounds, to restore their peace and dignity,
to surround them with people who believe and protect them,
and to bring justice and healing. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. If you or someone you know is in danger or has been abused, contact local emergency services or a crisis line, and speak to someone you trust.
The life of St. Maria Goretti
Maria Goretti was born on October 16, 1890, in Corinaldo, near Ancona, in Italy, to a poor farming family. Seeking work, the family moved to the Pontine Marshes south of Rome, where they shared a house and farm with another family, the Serenellis. When Maria was nine, her father died of malaria, and she cared for her younger brothers and sisters while her mother worked in the fields. She was a prayerful girl who longed to receive Holy Communion, which she did shortly before her death.
Alessandro Serenelli, a young man of twenty who lived with them, began to make advances to Maria, and she refused him. On July 5, 1902, he found her alone and tried to force himself on her. She resisted, telling him it was a sin and that God did not want it, and he stabbed her many times. She was taken to the hospital at Nettuno, where she forgave him, received the last sacraments and died the next day, July 6, 1902, at the age of eleven.
Alessandro was sentenced to thirty years in prison. He remained unrepentant until he dreamed that Maria came to him in a garden, offering him lilies. He changed his life, and after his release he asked Maria’s mother, Assunta, for forgiveness; she forgave him, and they received Holy Communion together. He spent the rest of his life working at a Capuchin friary. Pope Pius XII canonized Maria on June 24, 1950, before an immense crowd; her mother was present, and so, according to accounts, was Alessandro.
Feast day and patronage
- Feast day: July 6. A novena can run from June 27 to July 5.
- Patron of: young people and teenage girls, purity, forgiveness, and victims and survivors of sexual violence.
- Symbols: lilies and the martyr’s palm.
Frequently asked questions
When is St. Maria Goretti’s feast day?
July 6, the day she died in 1902.
What is St. Maria Goretti the patron saint of?
Young people, purity and forgiveness, and survivors of sexual violence.
Did St. Maria Goretti’s attacker repent?
Yes. Alessandro Serenelli repented in prison, asked her mother’s forgiveness and lived the rest of his life as a lay helper with the Capuchin friars.
How old was St. Maria Goretti when she died?
Eleven years old.
More prayers
- St. Aloysius Gonzaga
- Catholic prayer for purity
- St. Agatha prayer
- St. Lucy prayer
- Catholic prayer for children
- Act of contrition
- Prayers to popular saints
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Matthew 5:8; Matthew 5:44–45, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayers were written for this page.