The youngest of our Passionist Saints was, like St. Gemma, actually not a vowed member of the Congregation. St. Maria Goretti is widely known and loved for her willingness to suffer martyrdom rather than surrender her virginity, but fewer people know that this 11-year-old girl was catechized and spiritually nurtured by the Passionist Fathers. Grounded in the knowledge that God loved us enough to die for us, Maria was able to die for Him at an amazingly young age. Her sacrifice, like that of Christ, bore abundant fruit — most notably, the complete conversion of her murderer. In this Formation and Catechesis bulletin, Fr. Giovanni Alberti, CP, shares some of the deeper meaning behind Maria Goretti’s well-known story. Click the image below to read his reflections!