This young girl, often described as beautiful and pious, grew up in a family with 6 children. She lived on a farm, and one day was attacked by a 19-year-old farmhand. He stabbed her 14 times. She forgave him, and then died. Who this this girl (who is a saint), and who was the farmhand? Also, could anyone provide a link?

peasypod

St Maria Goretti. http://catholicism.about.com/cs/saints/a/mariagoretti.htm Aug 27 05, 4:22 PM

lanfranco

A secretary in the academic department where I earned my graduate degree attended a parochial school named for Maria Goretti. She said that she never quite got over the trauma of sitting her classroom, at the age of 10, and listening to Sister Whoever describing the attack on the school's namesake and telling the girls that, just in case they happened to attract the attention of a rapist, they should always be sure to forgive him. After all, they might have a chance to be canonized. Aug 27 05, 4:39 PM

JoshCaleb12

By the way, in the answer above, the farmhand is Alessandro Serenelli. When I first saw this question, my immediate thought was St. Winifred of Wales. She's the saint involved in the first of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael mysteries. http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintw06.htm When I looked her up on the web, though, I find the details don't quite match the question... I do, however toss the name into the ring because of the similarites. Aug 27 05, 10:05 PM