Morning, ladies. :-)
Today is the anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Maria Goretti. If you aren't familiar with her story, here it is in brief from EWTN:
Virgin martyr and miracle worker in death. She was stabbed to death on July 6 while resisting the advances of the son of her father's business partner. Maria was born in Corinaldo, Italy, the daughter of a farmer who moved the family to Ferriere di Conca, near Anzio. There Alessandro Serenelli, a youth who lived in the same house, tried to seduce the young Maria. When she refused him, Alexander stabbed her repeatedly. Arrested for the murder, he was imprisoned and experienced a vision of Maria. Her cause was opened because she was credited with some forty miracles after her death. She was canonized by Pope Pius XII (r. 1939-1958) in 1950, as a model of purity. Alessandro attended her canonization.
(Talk about the power of faith and good example playing a part in someone's repentance and conversion . . . )
EWTN is playing a film and a documentary about her life this week (info below.) I've seen the movie and thought it was a good dramatization . . . her death scene is very powerful. (She was eleven when she died, and obviously, it's a difficult thing to watch, even though she was "aged up" a bit for the film.)
Saint Maria Goretti, pray for us, to Jesus, our Redeemer!
Maria Goretti
Wed. July 6 at 1 PM ET, & Sat. July 9 at 8 PM ET
Saint Maria Goretti, one of the youngest saints in the history of the Church, gave up her life to protect her purity; this remarkable new film explores her life in the gritty detail of family poverty and harsh living conditions.
Fourteen Flowers of Pardon Fri. July 8 at 10 PM ET, & Sat. July 9 at 2 PM ET
A documentary look at the life of St. Maria Goretti, who gave up her life in order to preserve her purity.