St Henry High School - Trojan Yearbook (Charleston, MO)

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SAINT MARY GORETTI On October 16, 1890 in the little Italian village of Corinaldo, M ry Gor- retti was born. Her parents were poor share croppers with a fervent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Less than twenth-four hours after her birth, the ugly stain of original sin was cleansed from the soul of Mary through Baptism. At an early age she developed an advanced sense of purity, kindness and re- sponsibility. Due to extreme poverty, the Goretti family moved to a tenant farm when Mary was six. The long hours and extremely hard work caused the death of her father in 1900. Alexander Serenelli, a tenant laborer, has his quarters in the Goretti home. Mary's beauty appealed to the young man, whose early life had been spent in corrupt conditions. He made impure advances but was scornfully rejected. On July 5, 1902, determined in his sinful ways, A1- exander commanded Mary to sin or die. Bravely, Mary defied him and was stab- bed fourteen times. When found, the dying virgin was rushed to a nearby hos- pital. A painful operation failed to counteract the severity of the many wounds. Surrounded by her mother and friends, Mary forgave her m rderer and went to her eternal reward in the glory of heaven. During the trial, Alexander tried in vain to demoralize the little mar- tyr, but to no avail. He was sentenced tc thirty years of hard labor. ' One evening, while sitting in his cell, Mary appeared to Alexander, again forgave him, and asked him to repent and to pray hard for heaven. Alexander was ins spired by Mary's words and began a new life. When released after twentyefour years, Alexander journeyed to Corinaldo, obtained the forgiveness of Assunta, Mary's mother, and soon after attached himself to a monastery as a laborer where he still lives in prayer and repentance. Through the testimonies of the anew' Alexander and the acknowledgment of various miracles connected with the young martyr, Mary Goretti was beatified on April 27, 1947. Then on June 24, 1949, before the third largest crowd ev- er to gather in Peter's Square, Pope Pius XII canonized the virgin martyr, Saint Mary Goretti. In 1947, when Mother Cabrini was canonized, every leading newspaper in America proclaimed the event in bold-type headlines. Yet, the canonization of Mary Goretti was met with small third or fourth page articles by these same newspapers. Can it be that our country has become so depraved that purity is no longer considered an admirable characteristic? Has Am rica become so mate- rialistic that such bravery in the face of death an be scoffed at as 'old- fashioned ? How can a nation, while praying for peace, practice or invite im- morality and yet expect a successful outcome? we have chosen Saint Mary Goretti as our class Patron for we feel that, since she has lived in our own times, she knows cur problems first hand. May she help us live as she lived that, some day, we may enjoy Heaven with her. ' Charles Doolittle '51

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