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Maria Goretti was an Italian peasant girl who was murdered (aged 11) while resisting a would be rapist. She died in hospital, forgiving her killer and hoping to meet him in Paradise. This happened in 1902. She was canonised as a saint of the Catholic Church in 1950.
Her killer Alessandro Serenelli repented in in prison, became a leading proponent of his victim's cult and died, aged 88, in the Franciscan convent where he lived and worked as a lay brother.
This is the only photograph that exists of Maria
And this is Alessandro in late middle age
I got on their track because we are currently being pummelled by a storm the French weather people have elected to call Goretti- and wanted to know what was behind the name.
Well, now I know. Initially inclined to be flippant, the more I read the more engaged I became. It's a sad, uplifting story- and if I said I ended my research with tears in my eyes I wouldn't be lying. Maria and (ultimately) Alessandro were simple, good people and I'm happy to have been introduced to them.
Meanwhile, asked to account for their choice of such an inappropriate name for their storm, the meteorologists gave a Gallic shrug and said, "Well, it works, doesn't it?" Gotta love the French. They know their culture is the highest on the planet and they don't have to explain themselves if they don't want to.
Her killer Alessandro Serenelli repented in in prison, became a leading proponent of his victim's cult and died, aged 88, in the Franciscan convent where he lived and worked as a lay brother.
This is the only photograph that exists of Maria
And this is Alessandro in late middle age
I got on their track because we are currently being pummelled by a storm the French weather people have elected to call Goretti- and wanted to know what was behind the name.
Well, now I know. Initially inclined to be flippant, the more I read the more engaged I became. It's a sad, uplifting story- and if I said I ended my research with tears in my eyes I wouldn't be lying. Maria and (ultimately) Alessandro were simple, good people and I'm happy to have been introduced to them.
Meanwhile, asked to account for their choice of such an inappropriate name for their storm, the meteorologists gave a Gallic shrug and said, "Well, it works, doesn't it?" Gotta love the French. They know their culture is the highest on the planet and they don't have to explain themselves if they don't want to.
