St. Maria Goretti

On July 5, 1902, eleven-year-old Maria Goretti was stabbed after resisting the assault of 20-year-old Alessandro Serenelli. As she lay dying, she forgave him and expressed her desire that he one day be with her in Heaven. Her words transformed tragedy into one of the most powerful testimonies of forgiveness in modern Christian history.

In St. Maria Goretti: A Journey into Forgiveness and Redemption, Bret Thoman presents a deeply researched and carefully reconstructed account of Maria’s life, death, and enduring legacy. Drawing from updated Italian sources and original archival material, he offers an English-language biography that goes beyond devotional summaries to illuminate the historical, cultural, and spiritual world in which she lived.

This book also examines the life of Alessandro, whose crime altered both their destinies. Rather than reducing him to a caricature of evil, Thoman explores his troubled upbringing, family instability, and eventual conversion. Through visits to the key locations in their story — including the villages of their birth and the Capuchin friary where Alessandro spent his final decades — and interviews with friars who personally knew him, the author brings rare insight into the mystery of repentance and grace.

With a foreword by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, a devoted admirer of Maria Goretti, this work presents a balanced and comprehensive portrait of martyrdom, justice, forgiveness, and redemption.

Whether you are newly discovering St. Maria Goretti or seeking a deeper understanding of her witness, this biography invites you to contemplate the transforming power of mercy.