St. Maria Goretti
Patron Saint of Victims of Rape
St. Maria Goretti was born in 1890 in Italy and is recognized by the Church as a virgin martyr. She was from a humble farming family, but when she was nine years old, her father passed away, leaving her family in financial hardship. To ease some of their suffering, the family began sharing a home with the Serenelli family. While Maria’s mother labored on the farm, Maria took care of household duties. One afternoon, while Maria was home alone, Anthony Serenelli, one of the Serenelli sons, made advances toward Maria. When Maria refused him, he stabbed her fourteen times. As Maria was dying, she looked at Anthony and forgave him for murdering her. She was only 11 when she was killed. When she was canonized in 1950, she became one of the youngest saints.