Through the simple purity of her life, St. Maria Goretti earned the devotion of many, the Diocese of Brooklyn said as it celebrated her feast day on Wednesday.

”St. Maria Goretti has captured the love and affection of thousands of people because of the simplicity and purity of her life,” the diocese said on Facebook. “Maria’s canonization saw the conversion of her murderer and his reconciliation with her family.” 

In her short life, St. Maria Goretti lived the life of true forgiveness. She was just 11 years old when an 18-year-old man tried to rape her, a report from Catholic.org said. Maria resisted him, saying, ”No! It is a sin! God does not want it!"  She then told her attacker she would rather die than give in to his wishes, and he proceeded to stab her 14 times. Maria's family found her and rushed her to the hospital, but the doctors could not save her. Before she died from her wounds, Maria forgave her attacker. 

Her assailant, whose name was Alessandro, received a 30-year prison term. While he was imprisoned, Maria appeared to him in a dream, and when he awoke, he converted. When Alessandro was released from prison, he went immediately to Maria's mother to beg her forgiveness.

Maria's feast day is celebrated every July 6, Franciscan Media said. Many people are devoted to her, and many miracles reportedly have taken place with her intercession. She was canonized in 1950, and a quarter of a million people gathered to celebrate the occasion—including Alessandro, who was then 66. He knelt and wept during the event.

After Alessandro's death, a letter he had written was discovered, which said, in part, ”Maria Goretti, now a Saint, was my good Angel, sent to me through Providence to guide and save me. I still have impressed upon my heart her words of rebuke and of pardon. She prayed for me, she interceded for her murderer. Thirty years of prison followed. If I had been of age, I would have spent all my life in prison. I accepted to be condemned because it was my own fault. Little Maria was really my light, my protectress; with her help, I behaved well during the 27 years of prison and tried to live honestly when I was again accepted among the members of society. … I hope this letter that I wrote can teach others the happy lesson of avoiding evil and of always following the right path, like little children. I feel that 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.” 

Maria is the patron saint of rape victims, girls, teenagers and Catholic youth.