MEDIA ADVISORY—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Body of Saint Maria Goretti, youngest canonized saint, to visit Chicago in October

CHICAGO - On Monday, October 12th (Columbus Day), the body of St. Maria Goretti, the

youngest canonized saint of the Catholic Church, will be welcomed to Chicago for a national

tour of the United States. This will be the first time her remains travels to the USA and only the

second time they have left Italy.

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. John Cantius Church in Chicago’s River West neighborhood will be the first location in

Illinois and the only location within the city to host the remains of this immensely popular saint.

The glass-sided casket with her skeletal remains encased in wax will be on display for a full 24

hours—from 6 a.m. on Monday to 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

To be clear, St. Maria’s body is not incorrupt and none of the sacred remains are visible, only the

wax statue that houses them. The glass-sided casket is the same that was seen by her mother at

her canonization in St. Peter’s Square in Rome in 1950.

Capacity crowds are expected as thousands of individuals from churches, schools, youth groups,

and colleges from around Chicago and neighboring states will be making the trip to visit the

relics. Archbishop Blase Cupich has welcomed the relics and given the customary approval for

their veneration within the Archdiocese of Chicago. Other locations in the following days will be

churches in Northlake, Orland Park, and Plainfield.

Father Carlos Martins, a Custos Reliquiarum (ecclesiastically-appointed curator of relics) and

director of Treasures of the Church, has been appointed to lead this tour of the sacred remains of

St. Maria Goretti to the United States.

SAINT JOHN CANTIUS CHURCH

Fr. Martins, who has been a curator of relics for North America 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.

The day’s events in Chicago will feature a Solemn Mass at 7:30 p.m., offered in the presence of

the remains of St. Maria Goretti by Bishop Joseph N. Perry, auxiliary bishop of Chicago. The

Mass will be offered in Latin, in the “extraordinary form”—the same form of the Mass that the

young Maria Goretti and her family would have attended in Italy. The choir and orchestra of St.

John Cantius Church will complement the ceremonies with sacred music. Some relatives of St.

Maria Goretti are anticipated to be in attendance.

The tour of the major relics of St. Maria Goretti comes on the heels of a declaration by Pope

Francis of an Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy set to begin December 8th. This visit of the

major relics of St. Maria Goretti is part of the effort of the Vatican’s “Congregation of the

Causes of Saints” and the apostolate “Treasures of the Church” to prepare the United States for

this year-long celebration in the life of the Church.

Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, made the

following statement after the announcement of the tour of the relics of St. Maria Goretti: “I am

delighted that the Church in the United States will have the opportunity to celebrate the Holy

Year of Mercy through the inspiring story of the life and death of St. Maria Goretti! May the

opportunity to reverence her relics demonstrate the power of Divine Mercy and forgiveness

awaiting every one of us who takes the message of Jesus seriously to heart.”

Cardinal Raymond Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and former Prefect of

the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, notes that “Many who attend [such]

expositions experience a renewal of faith and are deeply moved by their encounters with these

treasures of the Church.”

More information can be found on the official website: www.MariaGoretti.com. High

resolution photos for media use are available by emailing goretti@cantius.org.

CONTACT:

Fr. Joshua Caswell, SJC

St. John Cantius Church

www.cantius.org

goretti@cantius.org

312-243-7373

Fr. Carlos Martins, CC

Treasures of the Church

www.TreasuresoftheChurch.com

cmartinscc@gmail.com

416-729-7692

713-410-7692