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St. Maria Goretti Is the Youngest Canonized Saint in the Catholic Church

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St. Maria Goretti Is the Youngest Canonized Saint in the Catholic Church Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart , 89 Ridge Street, Newark To Kick Off National Tour Of the Relics of St. Maria Goretti On Monday, Sept. 21, the Cathedral Basilica - Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Newark - will be the first stop on a national tour of the Major Relics of St. Maria Goretti - the Little Saint of Great Mercy. The tour, designed as an introduction to the observance of a world-wide Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy, will run from Sept. 21-Nov. 13 and visit locations in 16 states across the country. It is the first time that the relics have traveled to the US and only the second time they have been taken on pilgrimage outside Italy. The full schedule is: 9am-7pm Veneration; 7pm Celebration of Mass; 8-11pm Veneration. Presentations on the life and virtues of St. Maria Goretti, are also planned for the day. The Most Reverend John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark, said: “We are profoundly honored and blessed that the people of this Archdiocese, and indeed, all people in the State of New Jersey, have an opportunity to honor and draw near to this remarkable saint whose greatest virtue was her unyielding forgiveness. Forgiveness and mercy are at the core of Christian belief — what we believe and teach every day.” St. Maria Goretti is the youngest canonized saint in the Catholic Church. She died tragically on July 6, 1902, at the age of eleven. When Maria was 9 her father died tragically. It fell to her at that time to raise her five siblings while her mother worked the fields to produce the crops with which would both pay the rent and feed themselves. This was a terrible time of trial and suffering for the whole family. For Maria it was especially difficult. Aside from having the responsibility of caring for her family, she had to also cook and clean for her two next door neighbors, Giovanni Serenelli and his son Alessandro, who assisted Maria’s mother with the farm tasks. During this time Alessandro began to develop an impure liking for Maria. The big 20 year-old would say rude and crude things to her. At a certain point he began to make direct sexual advances towards her, demanding her virginity and threatening her with violence for non-compliance. After many months Alessandro forced himself upon Maria in an attempt to rape her. Though she prevent him, Alessandro brutally stabbed her numerous times. Maria died the next day in the midst of horrendous infection brought on by her wounds. Her last words were, “I forgive Alessandro Serenelli … and I want him with me in heaven forever.” During his prison sentence Maria appeared to Alessandro and forgave him. That act of mercy and forgiveness, that act of love, filled Alessandro with contrition for his crime. It was also a turning point for him where grace entered his heart. From that point on he lived a converted life of holiness, eventually becoming a Franciscan lay brother. On June 24, 1050, Pope Pius XII declared Maria Goretti a Saint of the Catholic Church. More than 50,000 people attended her Canonization which was the first Canonization to take place in St. Peter’s Square because the crowd was too large for St. Peter’s Basilica. .
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