Olinto Marella

The work of Father Olinto Marella is inseparable from his radical commitment to the poor, orphans, and the excluded on the outskirts of Bologna. After his rehabilitation in 1925, he began working in the most miserable neighborhoods of the city, devastated by the consequences of the First World War. During the Second World War, Father Olinto showed heroic courage by saving many people from persecution and death. He hid and protected soldiers, partisans, refugees, and Jewish families, risking being shot by the occupying forces on several occasions. In the aftermath of the war, faced with the distress of many orphans and street children, he founded the first "Città dei Ragazzi" (City of the Youth) in 1948. This innovative reception center was not just a refuge, but a place of integral education and professional training. Young people learned artisanal and industrial trades there to integrate with dignity into society. To support this work and other initiatives to help families in difficulty, he also founded the congregation of the "Piccole operaie" (Little Workers), dedicated to tutoring, education, and professional training for young girls. To finance his reception facilities and feed his protégés, Father Olinto chose to become poor among the poor himself. He became famous in Bologna under the name of "God's tramp" or "the begging priest." Day after day, he would sit on a small stool on the street corners of the city center (notably at the corner of Via Drapperie), hat in hand, to beg for charity from passersby. His humility and constant presence made him an essential and beloved figure to the entire Bolognese population.

The reputation for holiness of Father Olinto Marella, already immense during his lifetime, continued to grow after his death in 1969. The diocesan process for his beatification was officially opened on September 8, 1996, under the impetus of Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, then Archbishop of Bologna. The diocesan inquiry concluded on December 17, 2005. On March 27, 2013, Pope Francis recognized the heroic nature of his virtues and proclaimed him Venerable.

The path to beatification opened with the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession. It concerns the inexplicable healing, which occurred in 1985, of a man who was gravely ill and given no hope by medical science. After the favorable opinion of the medical and theological commissions, Pope Francis signed the decree confirming this miracle on November 28, 2019. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on October 4, 2020, in the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna. The celebration was presided over by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, acting on behalf of Pope Francis. During the Angelus on the same day, Pope Francis hailed the new Blessed as a «pastor after the heart of Christ, father of the poor and defender of the weak».

The spirituality of Father Olinto Marella rests on an unwavering faith in Providence and an active charity, lived out in filial obedience to the Church. Despite the painful trial of his sixteen-year suspension, he never manifested bitterness or revolt, offering his suffering for the good of the Church. His legacy remains alive through the "Opera Padre Marella," which continues today to welcome people in situations of exclusion, the homeless, and young people in difficulty in Bologna and its region. His famous beggar's hat, preserved as a relic of charity, reminds the faithful that holiness is built in the humble and daily service of the least among us.