Home parish: Good Shepherd Parish, Evansville
Education: House of Formation, Evansville; Class of 2033
Saint: Maria Goretti
St. Maria Goretti: Beacon of hope
By Sam Naas, Special to The Message
Editor’s note: This year, Diocesan seminarians focused their annual seminarian profiles on a saint or someone on the road to sainthood who gives them hope in honor of the Jubilee Year of Hope.
St. Maria Goretti was born in 1890 to a poor farming family in Italy. When she was nine years old, her father died of malaria. Her mother then had to step up to work in the fields, and Maria began to care for her younger siblings. When she was 11 years old, her 18-year-old neighbor, Alessandro Serenelli, attempted to sexually assault her. She resisted, saying, “No, God does not wish it, it is a sin. You would go to Hell for it!” Alessandro eventually stabbed young Maria 14 times. She was taken to a hospital, but her injuries were too severe. She died July 6, 1902.
St. Maria Goretti’s life provides hope for my life by showing me how possible holiness is. Maria was only 11 when she died. Her life, especially towards the end, shows me how attainable heaven is. It is also a reminder for me to reject sin and remain close to Jesus. Her hope for heaven helps me to strive for heaven.
St. Maria Goretti’s story serves as a beacon of hope for our lives through her witness. On her deathbed, she chose to forgive Alessandro, her attacker. She imitated Christ on the cross when he said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). St. Maria gives me hope in God’s goodness. Her forgiveness also inspired her attacker to convert to Catholicism, and he even became a Capuchin brother. Her willingness to forgive the person who killed her serves as a reminder that in the worst situations, we are still called to find hope in those situations. Maria wanted to see Alessandro in heaven with her. May we share the same hope to see our enemies in heaven that St. Maria Goretti had for Alessandro. St. Maria Goretti, Pray for us!