PRAYER FOR A SPECIAL GRACE

July 6: St Maria Goretti

Patron of youth, young women, purity, and victims of rape

The prayer to St. Maria Goretti, model of forgiveness and Purity

Oh Saint Maria Goretti who, strengthened by God’s grace, did not hesitate even at the age of twelve to shed your blood and sacrifice life itself to defend your virginal purity, look graciously on the unhappy human race which has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation.

Teach us all, and especially youth,with what courage and promptitude we should flee for the love of Jesus anything that could offend Him or stain our souls with sin.

Obtain for us from our Lord victory in temptation, comfort in the sorrows of life, and the grace which we earnestly beg of thee (here insert intention), and may we one day enjoy with thee the imperishable glory of Heaven.

Amen.

St. Maria Goretti

St. Maria Goretti (October 16, 1890 – July 6, 1902) is an Italian virgin-martyr of the Catholic Church, and one of the youngest canonized saints.

She was born to a farming family. Her father died when she was nine, and they had to share a house with another family, the Serenellis. Maria took over household duties while her mother, brothers, and sister worked in the fields.

One afternoon, Alessandro, the Serenellis’ son, made sexual advances to her. When she refused to submit to him, he stabbed her fourteen times.

She was taken to the hospital but she died forgiving him. He was arrested, convicted, and jailed. During imprisonment he repented.

After 27 years he was released from prison, and visited her mother to beg forgiveness, which she granted. He later became a lay brother in a monastery, dying peacefully in 1970. She was beatified in 1947, and canonized in 1950.

Maria’s feast day, celebrated on July 6, was inserted in the General Roman Calendar when it was revised in 1969.

She is the patron saint of chastity, rape victims, girls, youth, teenage girls, poverty, purity and forgiveness.