When Maria’s father died of malaria, her mother had to struggle to feed her children. Maria’s family worked in the fields while she cooked, sewed, cleaned and watched over her youngest sister. Though the family’s circumstances were extremely difficult, they were very close and loved God.

On July 5, 1902, when she was 12 years old, Maria was at home while a neighbor boy, Alessandro, worked in the barnyard. He had approached her, grabbed her and attempted to rape her. She screamed out that it was a mortal sin and as she resisted, Alessandro began to choke her as she said she would rather die than submit. Upon hearing her words, he pulled out a knife and stabbed her 14 times.

Maria’s family returned home and found her bleeding on the floor and took her to the closest hospital where she underwent surgery without anesthesia.

Unfortunately, her wounds were beyond the surgeon’s ability to help and halfway through the surgery, the man asked her, “Maria, think of me in Paradise.”

The next day, Maria forgave Alessandro and said she wanted to see him in Heaven with her. She died that day while looking upon an image of the Virgin Mary and holding a cross to her chest.

Alessandro was sentenced to 30 years and remained unrepentant for his actions. He had a dream that Maria was with him in a garden and gave him lilies which immediately burned in his hands. When he woke, he was a changed man. He repented his crime and sought to live a reformed life. After being released 27 years later, he went directly to Maria’s mother and begged forgiveness, which she gave, saying, “If my daughter can forgive him, who am I to withhold forgiveness?”

Alessandro later became a laybrother of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, where he lived in a monastery and worked until his death. He had attended the beatification ceremony of Maria on June 24, 1950.

Saint Maria is called a martyr because she fought against attempts at sexual sin, however the most important aspects of her story are how she forgave her attacker.

She was canonized by Pope Pius XII, becoming the youngest Saint officially recognized by name.

She is the patron saint of purity, rape victims, young women, and the youth.

Her feast day is July 6.

For God’s Glory.