Maria Goretti was born on Oct. 16, 1890, in the central Italian village of Corinaldo. Her parents, Luigi and Assunta, were poor farmers.

The choir director, a fixture at St. Maria Goretti for nearly 40 years, was suddenly gone. Contemporary hymns were replaced by music rooted in medieval Europe. So much was changing.

Rachael Coassolo performs in St. Maria Goretti’s version of American Idol. Raquel Smith, left, Ed Kravitz, and Marge Koval perform ’He’s So Shy’ in American Idol at St. Maria Goretti Church.

Today, the Church recognizes her example of purity — and forgiveness. Goretti was born into poverty in 1890 in Corinaldo, Italy. When she was nine years old, her father died from malaria.

As I sat at St. Maria Goretti Church in Laflin on Thanksgiving morning, I thought about everything I had to do that day and for the impending weekend. Once Father Alex Roche began his homily ...

July 6 is the feast of St. Maria Goretti, an Italian girl who fought off an attempt at rape in 1902 and paid for it with her life. Pope Pius XII canonized her in 1950. I’ll admit that, every ...