Maria Goretti, VM (AC)

Born at Corinaldo, near Ancona, Italy, October 16, 1890; died near Nettuno, Italy, July 6, 1902; beatified 1947 by
Pope Pius XII; canonized in 1950; feast day formerly July 5.
Maria was the daughter of a farm laborer, Luigi Goretti, and his wife, Assunta Carlini. She showed marked signs
of youthful holiness. There were five other children. The family moved in 1896 to Ferriere di Conca, near Nettuno
and Anzio in the Roman Campagna. Soon after, Luigi died of malaria. His wife struggled to support the family,
receiving much help and encouragement from Maria. She was well known to her neighbors for her cheerful
unselfishness and religious disposition.

In 1902, as Maria sat on the front step mending a shirt, an 18-year-old neighbor, Alexander Serenelli, the son of
her father's partner, who lived in the same house with the Gorettis, beckoned Maria into a bedroom, but she
refused to go. He grabbed her and pulled her in. She struggled and tried to scream, but he choked her. She cried
that she would rather be killed than submit. Alexander began to pull her clothes off and struck her with a dagger.
She cried out that she was being killed, and he repeatedly stabbed her in the back and ran away.

She was taken to the hospital, but it was clear she would not live. In her last hours she forgave her murderer,
whom it was revealed she had feared for a long time but did not want to cause trouble by naming. She died within
a day of the attack.

(Another version of the story says that Alexander attacked her when they were working together in the fields.)

Alexander was sentenced to 30 years of penal servitude and for eight years was unrepentant. One night he had a
dream in which Maria gathered flowers and offered them to him, and he experienced a change of heart. He served
27 years, and his first act as a free man was to beg forgiveness from Maria's mother. On Christmas Day 1937,
Alexander and Maria's widowed mother received Communion side-by-side. He has been cited as an example by
those who advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.

In 1947, Maria was declared blessed by Pope Pius XII, who appeared on the balcony of Saint Peter's with Maria's
mother and three of her sisters and brothers. In 1950, she was canonized for her purity in front of the largest crowd
ever gathered for a canonization. Alexander was still alive. At the time of her canonization, some 30-40 miracles
were recorded as a result of her intercession (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, White).

Maria Goretti is the patron saint of teenagers, particularly girls, and of the Children of Mary (White).

For Priests
Almighty God, look upon the face of Him who is the eternal High Priest, and have compassion
on Thy priests in today's world. Remember that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir
up in them the grace of their vocation. Keep them close to Thee lest the enemy prevail against
them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime
vocation.

O Jesus, I pray for Thy faithful and fervent priests, for the unfaithful and tepid ones; for those
laboring at home and abroad in distant mission fields; for those who are tempted; for those
who are lonely and desolate; for those who are in purgatory.

But, above all, I recommend to Thee the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me;
the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests who instructed me or helped me by their
encouragement. I pray devoutly for all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, in
particular for . . . O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy heart and bless them abundantly in time
and in eternity. Amen.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us a number of holy priests. Amen

What, then, can we do to alleviate this critical shortage of priests? What can we do
to restore the faith of priests who have grown weak or who have already abandoned
their sacred post?
Above all, we must pray. Jesus assured Peter, foreseeing his trial, "I have prayed for you,
that your faith might not fail!" (Lk 22,32). And so, the Holy Father encourages us to
powerful acts of trust: "In the face of a crisis of priestly vocations the first answer which
the Church gives lies in a total act of faith in the Holy Ghost. We are deeply convinced
that this trusting abandonment will not disappoint if we remain faithful to the graces we
have received. The Church, therefore, must never cease to pray to the Lord of the harvest
that He send laborers into His harvest (cf. Mt 9,38)." For "it is possible", he explained on
the World Day for Vocations last year, "to generate new vocations in the spirit only when
the Christian community lives in an attitude of total fidelity to the Lord."
From the foregoing it is clear that the vocation crisis is also integrally linked to the family
crisis and a world view that is opposed to life. There the Holy Father notes, "Jesus
Himself has shown us by his own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most
effective weapons against the forces of evil (cf. Mt 4,1 -1 1). As he taught his disciples,
some demons cannot be driven out except in this way (cf Mk 9,29). Let us therefore
discover anew the humility and courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will
break down the walls of lies and deceit.... May this same power turn the hearts [of our
brothers and sisters] to resolutions and goals inspired by the civilization of life and love."
But not even this is enough. We must do more than merely fasting and praying in these
trying times, in order to strengthen priests in their vocation and merit more from God: we
need to cultivate a spirit of sacrifice and expiation. By His sufferings on the Cross, Christ
redeemed us; by uniting our sufferings to His we will contribute to the well-being of the
Church and to the sanctity of priests.
Finally, at this point and time in history, we all have a serious obligation to "increase our
apostolic zeal to pass on to others the light and joy of the faith." For, "we cannot be
content when we consider the millions of our brothers and sisters, who like us have been
redeemed by the blood of Christ, but who live in ignorance of the love of God." The are
ignorant of Christ and the Scriptures mainly because there is a lack of holy priests.
The Holy Father takes heart from the increase of vocations and foresees the dawning of a
new missionary age, which will become a radiant day bearing an abundant harvest if' -
and this is an important "if' - all Christians "respond with generosity and holiness to the
calls and challenges of our time."
Let us therefore offer, as the Holy Father begs us, "Unceasing prayers for priests ....
on our knees."
Fr. Matthew Hincks, ORC

Almighty and Eternal Father, We thank you for the priests of yesterday.
May they be rewarded for their service to Thee and Thy Church.

We ask Thee to bless Thy priests of today.

Strengthen them in their ministry and sanctify them in their call.

And as we move toward tomorrow,

send more generous and loving men
to serve Thy Church in the Society of St. Pius X.
Free them from fear. Open their hearts. Draw them to Thy call.
May they respond generously, serve faithfully,

and come to their fulfillment in Thee.

We ask this through Christ or Lord.

Amen.

Lord, let me know clearly the work which Thou art calling me to do in life.

Grant me the peace and generosity

I need to answer Thy call
and courage and love and lasting dedication
to do Thy will.
Amen.

The Priest
He is another Christ -- respect him;
He is God's representative -- trust him;
He is your benefactor -- be thankful to him.

At the Altar
He offers your prayer to God -- do not forget him;
He prays for you and yours -- ask God's mercy for him.

In the Confessional
He is the physician of your soul -- show him its wounds;
He directs you towards God -- follow his admonitions;
He is judging -- abide by his decisions.

In His Daily Life

He is human -- do not hastily condemn him;
He is human -- a word of kindness will cheer him;
If you must tell his faults -- tell them to God,
that He may give him light and strength to correct them.
He has a great responsibility -- ask God to guide him in life
and be merciful to him in death.

Lord Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father and Mary Immaculate, You came to save
the world by becoming flesh and dying for our sins. No greater gift has ever been
given.
May Your example, and that of our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, of selfless
giving inspire parents to encourage their children to follow Your call to God's
service and to rejoice when one of their children is called to the priesthood or the
religious life.
Bless us all with the grace and courage to follow You. Amen.
January, 2002

Lord, our God, You guide Your people by the ministry of priests. Keep them
faithful in obedient service to You that by their life and ministry they may bring
You glory in Christ.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with
You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.