St. Maria Goretti Parish, a Catholic Church in Madison, Wisconsin, on Wednesday celebrated the feast day of St. Maria Goretti, its patron saint.

“Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Maria Goretti, our patron saint,” the parish posted on Facebook. “She is one of the youngest canonized saints in the Church and died at the age of 11 after forgiving her attacker. Maria is known as The Little Saint of Great Mercy. May we always strive to follow her life of forgiveness and holiness. Around the time of her feast day, we always enjoy seeing the beautiful lilies bloom on our parish grounds and next to her statue. St. Maria Goretti, pray for us.” 

St. Maria Goretti was only 11 years old when an 18 year-old man tried to rape her, according to Catholic.org. Maria resisted him and cried out, "No! It is a sin! God does not want it!" 

She told her attacker she would rather die than give in, and he proceeded to stab her 14 times. Maria's family found her and rushed her to the nearest hospital, where the doctors were unable to save her. Before she succumbed to her wounds, Maria forgave her attacker. 

The man was sentenced to 30 years in prison. While in prison, Maria appeared to him in a dream, and when he awoke, he converted. Maria is the patron saint of rape victims. 

Maria's feast day is celebrated each year on July 6, according to Franciscan Media. Many people became devoted to her, and many miracles reportedly took place with her intercession. When she was canonized in 1950, a quarter of a million people gathered to celebrate the occasion, including her attacker, Alessandro, who was then 66 years old. He knelt and wept during the event. Maria is also the patron saint of girls, teenagers and Catholic youth. 

When Alessandro was released from prison, he went first to Maria's mother to beg her forgiveness. 

After his 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.”