Maria Goretti comes to the United States

By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Sep 30, 2015

The relics of St. Maria Goretti are on tour in the United States. They have already been shown in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and they are currently being displayed in and around New York City.

St. Maria Goretti is the patroness of purity. But as the tour website (mariagoretti.com) points out, it was the saint’s incomparable ability to forgive which ultimately converted Alessandro Serenelli, the twenty-year-old man who murdered her in 1902, when at age 11 she resisted his attempt at rape.

While tour dates are subject to change, appearances in the following states are currently scheduled in the period between October and November, in this order: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma. An extended tour of the Western states is being actively considered for 2016.

The reliquary consists of a glass-sided casket housing a wax statue which contains nearly all of Maria Goretti’s skeletal remains. Over the years, many healings have been reported as occurring in the presence of these relics. The tour website does an excellent job of explaining the nature of relics and their veneration.