St. Maria Goretti

St. Maria Goretti was born in 1890 in Italy. In 1902, when St. Maria was 12, she was attacked by a farm-hand named Alessandra Serenelli. He tried to rape the young girl, but she fought him and yelled that it was a sin. Serenelli choked and stabbed her. St. Maria survived the attack for two days, long enough to forgive Serenelli and ask God to forgive him. She then died holding a medal of Our Lady and a crucifix. She is considered a martyr. While in prison, Serenelli had a vision of St. Maria. He converted to Christianity and testified at the cause for her beatification. The young girl was canonized in 1950 in front of about 250,000 people, including her mother. St. Maria Goretti is patron saint of girls and rape victims.