Oct. 12--The remains of the youngest saint canonized by the Roman Catholic Church are expected to arrive in Chicago at dawn Monday as part of a 16-state tour during her first visit to the U.S.
St. Maria Goretti, an 11-year-old Italian girl stabbed to death while resisting a sexual assault more than a century ago, will be on display for 24 hours at St. John Cantius Church in the Goose Island neighborhood before moving on to St. John Vianney in Northlake, St. Francis of Assisi in Orland Park and St. Mary Immaculate in Plainfield. Revered as a model of mercy, St. Maria Goretti is believed to have forgiven her killer and appeared to him later as an apparition, inspiring his conversion.
"Maria Goretti's story reads like a Chicago headline," said the Rev. Joshua Caswell, a member of the Canons Regular, the religious order that runs St. John Cantius, 825 N. Carpenter St. "What a summer of violence we've had. We want to experience the forgiveness and healing not only in theory but truly present among us. That's why we have her here is to experience that mercy."
The tour of the relics, which began at Sing Sing Correctional Facility outside New York City, sets the stage for a jubilee year called the Holy Year of Mercy. In March, Pope Francis announced the jubilee, beginning Dec. 8. A jubilee year is a special year called by the church to receive blessings and pardon from God. Pilgrims who venerate the relics also can receive a plenary indulgence.
The relics, which include most of the Italian child saint's skeleton encased in wax, are enclosed in a glass casket.
The American tour is only the second time the relics have left Italy, said the Rev. Carlos Martins, coordinator of the national tour.
He selected the U.S. because he said St. Maria Goretti is in many ways an "American saint, although she never set foot on American soil." Three of her five siblings immigrated to the U.S. after her death, said Martins, a historian and biographer of the saint.
The U.S. also made sense because of Pope Francis' historic first visit here last month. The relics were in Philadelphia at the same time as the pope, who approved the tour in advance of the Year of Mercy.
"There is a certain vindictiveness present in society today, particularly Western society, where we love to see someone beat up," Martins said. "We call it justice, but it's really not justice. What Christ taught us is that a person is more important than his behavior. Maria reminds us of that."
Nick Chapello, 42, a father of six, including three daughters, admires the saint's fortitude in defending herself against her attacker, but also the deep faith that enabled her to forgive him.
"That's far beyond my strength," said Chapello, a Chicago police officer who will guard the saint during the entire 24 hours she is on display at St. John Cantius. He said St. Maria Goretti speaks specifically to the Chicago experience and sets an example that Chicagoans realistically can try to emulate.
"We have so many less than perfect family situations today," he said. "These things we take for granted reading the papers, it's typical life in the big city, and we get numb to it. To me a lot of the saints are these idealized superheroes ... people who fast for years. This is somebody almost close to what we see."
Based on the tour buses scheduled to arrive Monday and the crowds in previous cities, thousands are expected to pass through the parish, Caswell said. The visit also falls on Columbus Day, a school holiday, and a day many Italian-American organizations will gather for an annual parade and other activities.
Chapello hopes for a quiet moment in the overnight hours to venerate the saint.
Helen Whalen-Cohen, 29, a member of St. John Cantius, also hopes to touch her prayer card and holy medal to the young girl's casket.
"I found it particularly touching that she was able to forgive someone who had done absolutely nothing to earn it, in fact quite the opposite," said Whalen-Cohen, a recent convert to Catholicism. She hopes the saint will empower her to forgive those who have wronged her, and forgive herself.
"I think when she comes here, when she's here especially, at the risk of sounding really weird, she's coming to see me," Whalen-Cohen said. "I hope it will be a final step or a big step toward being more at peace."
mbrachear@tribpub.com
