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On February 12, 1953, a set of two stamps was placed on sale honoring the fiftieth anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Maria Goretti. Maria was born of poor parents at Cordinaldo, a little city near Ancona, Italy. She became a citizen of this world in the middle of the night of October 16, 1890, and baptized the following day, Maria Teressa Goretti. The first six years of her life were passed on the Goretti's "handkerchief size" farm where she grew in an atmosphere of simple, hardworking, religious people. This young lass was happy, good, and pious with a seriousness beyond her age. She never was disobedient even when her brothers prompted her to be. She was confirmed on October 4, 1896 at the hands of the Bishop of Senigallia. Shortly afterwards, her family moved to Colle Gianturco, where Maria passed the next three years of her life and where the reputation of the inhabitants was as bad as the soil was barren. Then came the move to Ferriere di Conca, the Mazzoleni estate in the Pontine marshlands. The Goretti family entered into a contract with Giovanni Serenelli and his son, Alessandro. The contract constituted a company living under the same roof and sharing the profits as well as the work. The Serenellis were an unpleasant pair that did not mind cheating the Goretti family of all they could. Maria's father was stricken with a combination of malaria, meningitis, and typhoid. In his overworked condition he could not muster enough strength to fight it. He begged his wife to return to Corinaldo with the family to enable his children to be brought up in a more favorable environment. After the passing of her father, Maria's mother could not see her way clear financially to make the move. She decided to stay and carry on her late husband's chores as well as her own. Nine year old Maria cheerfully started to perform some of the duties in the house to relieve her overworked mother. 
 Ornamental Corner Blocks Saint Maria Goretti Issue Scott 156-157 (1953) Young Alessandro was growing brutal and vicious. He had a hobby the collecting of lewd pictures from questionable newspapers, which he used to decorate his room. Then in January of 1902, he started to tire of his hobby and tried to use Maria to satisfy his emotionally unbalanced mind. He made many suggestions to her about which she knew nothing. She soon understood his vulgar remarks and each time he made advances, Maria would answer swift and final, "It is a sin. God does not want it. How could you even think of it." This abuse continued for seven months. On July 5, Alessandro left his work in the fields and entered the house. He went to his room where he called Maria. She went about her sewing and ignored his cries. In a furious rage he leaped upon her and dragged her to the kitchen where he threatened her with a dagger if she did not yield herself. She resisted him with all the strength she could muster. Maddened at her refusal, Alessandro struck her a number of times with the dagger. When she started to become unconscious he left her and started for his room. Maria dragged herself to the door and cried for help. Terrified, Alessandro ran back and stabbed her six times more. The cries had aroused the sleeping baby, who in turn cried, waking the boy's father who was asleep on the porch. He shouted wildly to the workers, who came running. They carried the mangled and mutilated body to the house and summoned surgeons from Nettuno. They summoned an ambulance to take her to the hospital where Maria underwent two hours of surgery without anesthetic. It was nearly nine o'clock when she was taken from the operating room to her bed, where she constantly repeated her forgiveness of Alessandro's acts. Maria hung on to a failing, painful life until three-thirty the following day, when she went to join her Maker. The recognition of Maria's martyrdom was decreed on May 21, 1945, and she was solemnly beatified on April 27, 1947. It was during the Holy Year of 1950, that Maria Teresa Goretti was given the supreme honors of being raised to the Sainthood of the Roman Catholic Church. Maria's mother was present on the memorable June 25, 1950, to witness the canonization of her daughter, who died to preserve her virginity. This was the first time in over four hundred years that a mother was present at the canonization of her child. Because of the great demand for tickets to the rites, Pope Pius XII set the proclamation for June 24th. |
| (National Philatelic Museum, Volume VII, Number 1, 1954, pages 61-107) We are grateful to the Cardinal Spellman Philatelic Museum for allowing the Vatican Philatelic Society to use the copyrighted text on our website. |
