Casa Italia | Italian Cultural Center - 3800 Division Street Stone Park, IL 60165

Come Visit the Relics of St. Maria Goretti at St. John Vianney Church

October 13, 2015

Click Here to View the Relics of St. Maria Goretti Coming to Visit St. John Vianney Flyer

Maria Gorretti - coming to St. John Vianney

 

The Patroness of Mercy to begin an extended tour of the United States

From September to November, the sacred remains of St. Maria Goretti will be touring the United States for the first time! This is only the second time she has left Italy. On Tuesday, October 13th, St. John Vianney Parish in Northlake will host the remains from 9am until 6am (October 14th) with a solemn Mass in her honor at 7pm on October 13th.

The 11-year-old Maria Goretti died July 6, 1902, after being stabbed 14 times in an attempted rape. Her last words on her deathbed were of mercy towards her 20-year-old attacker: “I forgive Alessandro Serenelli … and I want him with me in heaven forever.” The unrepentant Serenelli famously reported receiving an apparition of his victim within his prison cell, some 6 years into his 30-year sentence. That occasion began his dramatic transformation from a violent and ruthless brute to that of a gentle and renewed soul intent on spreading devotion to God and his saintly victim. In his words, “Maria’s forgiveness saved me.”

St. Maria’s remains are inside a glass-sided casket. Inside the casket is a wax statue which contain her skeletal remains. To be clear, St. Maria’s body is not incorrupt, and none of the sacred remains are visible. Nevertheless, the skeleton is complete, save for small amounts of bone that have been placed in reliquaries, and her right arm which was donated by her mother to the Church of St. Nicholas (now known as the Sanctuary of St. Maria Goretti) in her birth town of Corinaldo.It was with her right arm that Maria defended her purity and prevented Alessandro Serenelli from raping her.

The schedule for the expositions that are open to the general public can be found on the official tour website at www.MariaGoretti.com, along with times and locations of all the sites. Admission is free.

Fr. Carlos Martins, the director of the tour, who has been ministering with relics for almost 20 years, remarks that “God never disappoints”, but always “shows up” at an exposition. “There are healings at each one. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, have been reported to me. Spectacular ones. Attendees have reported cancer, heart disease, tumors, osteoporosis, physical deformities, etc., disappear immediately and completely.” Though a great number of miracles have been physical, he admits that the most spectacular is the healing of faith where a new and deeper relationship with God and His saints are formed in the faithful.

Come join us for this special event on October 13th at St. John Vianney Parish, 46 N. Wolf Road, Northalke, Ill. The church is open all day and night!

 

The Patroness of Mercy to begin an extended tour of the United States

 

The sacred remains of St. Maria Goretti will be touring the United States for the first time! This is only the second time she has left Italy. On Tuesday, October 13th, St. John Vianney Parish (46 N. Wolf Rd.) in Northlake will host the major relics of Saint Marie Goretti from 9am until 6am (October 14th) with a solemn Mass in her honor at 7pm on October 13th. Admission is FREE, The church will be open all day and night for your convenience.

St. Maria’s remains are inside a glass-sided casket. Inside the casket is a wax statue which contain her skeletal remains. To be clear, St. Maria’s body is not incorrupt, and none of the sacred remains are visible. Nevertheless, the skeleton is complete, save for small amounts of bone that have been placed in reliquaries.