Felice Canelli

Upon returning from the front, Father Felice Canelli became actively involved in social and political action, drawing inspiration from the principles of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum. He founded the local branch of the Italian People's Party (Partito Popolare Italiano) as well as the "Don Bosco" student section. To awaken consciences and fight against social inertia, he invited major figures of social Catholicism, such as Father Romolo Murri and Father Luigi Sturzo, to give lectures in San Severo.

In 1927, he was appointed pastor of the peripheral parish of "Croce Santa" in San Severo. This neighborhood, then in the midst of urban expansion and marked by immigration and poverty, became his primary field of apostolate for half a century. Father Felice devoted himself tirelessly to transforming this underprivileged area into a center of solidarity and Christian life.

Anticipating the orientations of the Second Vatican Council, he valued and structured the involvement of the laity in society. He assumed leadership or support for numerous local Catholic organizations: Catholic Action (of which he was the diocesan delegate), the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, the Ladies of Charity, the Italian Catholic Scouts (ASCI), and the National Organization for Maternity and Childhood (ONMI).

Under the fascist regime, Father Felice firmly defended the independence of Catholic Action. His opposition to the regime's directives led to his brief internment. During the Second World War, he organized emergency relief for the civilian population and welcomed numerous refugees fleeing the bombings of the nearby city of Foggia.

After the war, he continued his initiatives for human advancement: in 1948, he founded a nursery school; he supported the creation of Christian workers' unions and associations (ACLI, CISL) as well as Catholic teachers' associations (AIMC, UCIIM); he set up canteens for workers, aid for the unemployed, and summer holiday camps for poor children (notably in Manfredonia in 1953).

The reputation for holiness of Father Felice Canelli, firmly established during his lifetime, prompted the Diocese of San Severo to initiate his cause for beatification. In 2000, Bishop Michele Seccia of San Severo announced to the bishops of the Apulia region his intention to open the diocesan inquiry. On April 13, 2006, he informed the faithful that the request for the nulla osta had been submitted to the Holy See, which was granted on June 22, 2006, elevating Father Felice to the rank of Servant of God.

The diocesan inquiry into the life and virtues of the Servant of God took place from March 25, 2009, to November 30, 2013. Once the inquiry was closed, the Positio super virtutibus was submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on July 19, 2019, under the direction of the relator, Father Zdzisław Józef Kijas.

On September 29, 2020, the Special Congress of Theological Consultors issued a unanimous favorable opinion on the heroic nature of his virtues. This opinion was confirmed by the ordinary session of cardinals and bishops on May 4, 2021.

On May 22, 2021, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Father Felice Canelli, thereby declaring him Venerable.

The cause is promoted jointly by the Diocese of San Severo and the parish of Croce Santa. It is entrusted to the general postulation of the Salesian Family, represented by Father Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB (General Postulator), Sister Francesca Caggiano, FMA (Vice-Postulator), and Dr. Lodovica Maria Zanet (collaborator).

The mortal remains of Father Felice Canelli rest in the crypt of the parish church of Croce Santa in San Severo, the historic site of his long ministry.

Affectionately nicknamed "U frzzcarill" (the lively, the sparkling one) in the local dialect due to his overflowing energy, Father Felice Canelli was a man of action deeply rooted in contemplative prayer. He would transition seamlessly from intense pastoral activity to silent Eucharistic adoration. Father Felice summarized his spiritual aspirations with this formula: "I stole from Don Bosco the love for the youth; from Saint Francis de Sales the desire for gentleness; from Saint Francis of Assisi the love of poverty." For him, service to the poor was a direct extension of the liturgy. He liked to repeat: "What is our altar? The Tabernacle of the temple and the hand of the poor." Refusing honors and honorary titles (such as that of prelate or Monsignor), he chose to remain a simple priest among the humblest, who called him familiarly "don Flic." Father Felice Canelli passed away on the evening of November 23, 1977, in San Severo, at the age of 97, after 75 years of priesthood. He died while finishing the recitation of the Gloria al Padre prayer, his arms raised toward heaven.