Three Martyrs Priests of Monte Sole to Be Beatified

Three Martyred Priests of Monte Sole to Be Beatified

Including Salesian Fr. Elijah Comini

(ANS – Rome – August 5, 2026) – On Sunday, September 27, in the basilica of San Petronio in Bologna the following will be beatified: Fr. Ubaldo Marchioni, a diocesan priest, Fr. Elijah Comini, a Salesian, and Fr. Martin Capelli, a Dehonian, 3 priests killed in 1944 during the Monte Sole massacres.

Elijah Comini was born on May 7, 1910, in Calvenzano di Vergato (Bologna). There, he soon entered the “school of fire” – a school of faith and charity – led by Msgr. Fidenzio Mellini. He was directed toward the Salesians at Finale Emilia. His encounter with Don Bosco inspired young Elijah, who embarked on his formation with the Salesians. He was ordained a priest in Brescia on March 16, 1935. He obtained a degree in literature from the Royal University of Milan with a thesis on Tertullian’s De resurrectione carnis and was assigned to the Salesian houses in Chiari (Brescia) and Treviglio (Bergamo).

He never forgot his native place and returned there in 1944. His pastoral support, as events came to a head, led to a heroic priestly act in defense of the people and, ultimately, to his martyrdom for having remained, as a “good shepherd,” alongside his flock. He was killed, along with other innocent people, by the German SS on October 1, 1944, near the Canapiera reservoir in Pioppe di Salvaro. He had been taken prisoner together with Fr. Martin Capelli, SCJ, while he was bringing the last sacraments to those dying in the Creda massacre, and was severely humiliated. He used his body as a shield to protect a man who was saved. He ended his earthly life reciting the Litany and crying out “Have mercy!”

A word from him:

“Pray, pray for me, for I have a mission to fulfil.”

“… one pays the price for practicing charity; soon I shall go to receive my reward.”

Ubaldo Marchioni was born on May 19, 1918, in Vimignano di Grizzana (Bologna). Upon entering the seminary, he became friends with John Fornasini (a martyred priest who was beatified in 2021) and met Luciano Gherardi, who later became a leading figure in the archdiocese of Bologna. He was ordained in Bologna on June 28, 1942. From May 1944, he served as parish priest of San Martin di Caprara and of Santa Maria Assunta di Casaglia, in the hills. Fr. Ubaldo, aged just 26, did not abandon his flock when the wolf came, knowing he faced a high risk of being killed. He died on September 29, 1944, at Santa Maria Assunta in Casaglia, where – on his way to celebrate Mass for the children in Cerpiano – he had stopped to consume the consecrated Hosts, thereby saving them from the fury of the advancing Nazis. Separated from his people (who were in turn massacred a short distance away), he was killed at the foot of the church altar, beside the ciborium pierced by the very same bullets. Years later, Fr. Ubaldo’s father, Augusto, would be among the very few to advocate forgiveness for Walter Reder, one of those responsible for the massacre, thereby sowing a small yet significant seed of hope for reconciliation, renewal, and peace.

A gift of his words:

“If my people remain, I must remain with them. – But they’ll kill you! – I know, that’s how it will end, but I cannot move from there.”

“I must fulfil my duty. I must reach Casaglia to consume the consecrated elements. Pray. It will be as God wills.”

Nicola Capelli was born in Nembro (Bergamo) on September 20, 1912. At the age of 12, he was admitted to the school of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonians), saying: “I have come to be a priest, and that’s enough for me.” In religious life, Nicola took the name Martin Maria and, deeply moved by a talk on the Mexican martyrs, asked Our Lady of Guadalupe for the grace to become a martyr himself, thus directing his consecration – within the reality of daily life – toward a profound self-giving. He was ordained in Imola on June 26, 1938. A man with a desire to serve on the front lines of the apostolate, he was called upon by his superiors to study at the Biblical Institute in Rome and to take up a teaching post. In 1944, he agreed to settle for a time in Salvaro to assist Msgr. Fidenzio Mellini: there, he established a priestly fraternity with Fr. Comini and accepted Fr. Marchioni’s invitation to preach. On September 29, 1944, he rushed with Fr. Comini toward the “Creda” to bring the ultimate comforts of the faith to those dying in that massacre. In his final moments, he implored “Forgiveness,” and as he lay dying traced a great sign of blessing in the form of a cross over the many brothers whose lives were violently cut short that day, along with his own.

A gift of his words:

“O Mary, be my earthly Mother too. I renew my consecration to you.”

“O Virgin, Queen of the Mexican martyrs, grant that one day I too may be a martyr for Christ the King and for you, Immaculate Virgin.”

For further information, please write to: postulatore@sdb.org