A man named Alessandro Serenelli attempted to seduce the young Maria, but she rejected his advances saying: "No, God does not want it. If you do this, you will go to hell for it." Enraged by her refusal to submit to his sinful desires, he stabbed her repeatedly and left her for dead. As she was dying of her wounds, St. Maria expressed heroic virtue by forgiving her murderer, desiring that he may repent and enter heaven.

The story does not end with Maria's death. In prison Alessandro remained unrepentant for years, but something amazing happened. After being visited by the bishop, during the night Maria appeared to him in a dream and offered him burning lilies, expressing her forgiveness to him. From that point forward Alessandro was a changed man. He repented of his sin and became a model prisoner. After his release he visited Assunta, Maria's mother, and begged her for forgiveness for his evil actions. Assunta, imitating her saintly daughter, forgave him, saying: "If Maria forgives you, and God forgives you, how can I not also forgive you?" Alessandro and Assunta were able to receive communion together the next day.

Alessandro Serenelli's conversion was not short-lived. For the rest of his life he worked as a gardener and porter with the Franciscan Capuchin friars as a lay brother. Alessandro developed a strong devotion to St. Maria, praying to her often. During a time of sickness near the end of his life, he wrote a letter aimed at helping others learn the lesson of "avoiding evil and of always following the right path…" He spoke out against the evil promoted by the mass media which entices young people to sin. He described religion as "not something we can live without" and expressed the strength offered to us through the Faith. He gave the following touching testimony to the indescribable power of saintly intercession and the grace of repentance which God offers to us all:

Maria Goretti, now a Saint, was my good Angel, sent to me by Providence to guide and save me. I still have impressed upon my heart her words of rebuke and pardon. She prayed for me, she interceded for her murderer... Little Maria was really my light, my protectress... I am serenely waiting to witness the vision of God, to hug my loved ones again, and to be next to my Guardian Angel and her dear mother, Assunta. I hope this letter that I have written can teach others the happy lesson of avoiding evil and of always following the right path, like little children.

"Religion with its precepts is not something we can live without, but rather it is the real comfort, the real strength in life and the only safe way in every circumstance, even the most painful ones of life."
— Alessandro Serenelli

If you are Catholic you cannot be a Laxist.

Laura Horn, Trent Horn's wife, has been diagnosed with brain cancer. We need to pray for them both.

Pinesap was fired from his job following his Jubilee appearance. I am thankful for his content which I have seen help many people. Pinesap has always treated me well and I appreciate what he has done immensely, he is really the spiritual heart of the AF movement. I encourage you to pray for him and consider donating to his GiveSendGo campaign so that he can support himself until he is able to find a new steady source of income.

https://www.givesendgo.com/rift-connor-emergency-fund

"Imagine if the bishop or priest celebrating Mass came out wearing shorts, tank top, and flip-flops! Most people would be shocked and would not hesitate to voice their objection. So why does there seem to be a different standard for the laity attending Mass?"
— Bishop Thomas Paprocki, What You Wear at Mass Matters

"Let us not climb with great physical effort or with gasping breath, lifting our feet uphill, but rather—equipping ourselves with a leisurely understanding to receive what has been said—let us first of all open the holy books, and then, gazing on the sacred text, we shall grope for the riches hidden within."
— Pantoleon, Sermon on the Most Glorious Transfiguration of Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ

"In the same way, as the light of the Gospel floods the house of the universal Church, let the mist of sluggishness fade like night, and let every vain activity, like a tent pitched in dreamland, be folded up; let the inspired songs of our teachers resound from the highest branches of the pulpit, bearing their own witness to the presence of the heavenly light."
— Pantoleon, Sermon on the Most Glorious Transfiguration of Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ

"But those who long to gain divine blessings, and who thirst to share in the hope promised to the saints, gladly enter the contests that are centered on devotion to Christ."
— St. Cyril of Alexandria, Homily 51 on Luke

"We are used to judging. Instead, God accepts suffering. When he sees evil, he does not avenge it, but grieves. And that “better if he had never been born” is not a condemnation imposed a priori, but a truth that any of us can recognize: if we deny the love that has generated us, if by betraying we become unfaithful to ourselves, then we truly lose the meaning of our coming into the world, and we exclude ourselves from salvation."
— Pope Leo XIV, General Audience, August 13th, 2025

Pray for Charlie Kirk, he was shot.

Charlie Kirk is dead, pray for the repose of his soul.