It was a birthday party unlike any other.
“This has been unbelievable . . . the greatest experience ever for this parish.”
Those words from Msgr. Michael Burke, pastor of St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison, are the simplest way to sum up the 24-hour period in which the relics of St. Maria Goretti were at the parish from the morning of October 16 — the 125th anniversary of her birth — to the morning of October 17.
It was a privilege for my husband John and me to serve as part of the honor guard as the relics of St. Maria Goretti were venerated at the church named for her in Madison.
Members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in the Diocese of Madison volunteered to stand watch during the veneration from 9 a.m. on October 16 to 5:30 a.m. on October 17. October 16 happened to be the birthday of Maria Goretti, who was born on October 16, 1890, in Corinaldo, Italy.
Thousands of people of all ages waited in line at St. Maria Goretti Church to see the relics of this special saint.
I saw much reverence — and even some tears — as young and old alike came forward and touched the casket with their hands and placed Rosaries, prayer cards, pictures, and Bibles on it.
