Parish priest Rev. Fr. Jason Laguerta will celebrate two feast masses on Thursday, July 6, at the St. Maria Goretti Parish in Paco, Manila, in solemn commemoration of the feast of St. Maria Goretti.
St. Maria Goretti (Catholic Tradition)
The fiesta masses will be held at 7 a.m. and at 12:15 p.m. The praying of the holy rosary will be held thirty minutes before each mass.
The 14 Flowers of Pardon and novena masses were held from June 23 to July 6.
In Nettuno, Italy, which is near her birthplace, devotees traditionally visit her major shrine, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces and St. Maria Goretti, where she was buried.
Born on Oct. 16, 1890 in Italy, St. Maria was known for her deep faith, hatred for sin, forgiving heart, and intense love for God. She was religious from youth and was hailed a martyr for her defense of the virtue of purity.
St. Maria died on July 6, 1902 after she was stabbed by her neighbor, Alessandro Serenelli, who tried to rape her. While in jail, the unrepentant Alessandro had a vision of St. Maria offering him flowers that eventually paved the way for his repentance and conversion. Alessandro later became a priest.
When Pope Pius XII canonized St. Maria on June 24, 1950, one of the youngest to be canonized in the Roman Catholic Church. her mother and Alessandro were in attendance, a rare event in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.
St. Maria Goretti is revered as the patron saint of the modern youth.