On September 27, 2026, in the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna, Father Martino Capelli, SCJ, was beatified together with Father Ubaldo Marchioni and Father Elia Comini, SDB, priests who gave their lives while remaining with the people entrusted to their pastoral care during the Nazi massacres of 1944.

The Mass was presided over on behalf of the Holy Father by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The celebration brought together about 2,500 faithful, bishops, priests, religious, and representatives of the Dehonian and Salesian families.

The rite of beatification included the presentation of the three priests’ lives, the reading of the papal decree, the unveiling of their portraits, and the procession of their relics. For Father Martino, a written statement expressing his total gift of life to the Lord was presented.

In his homily, Cardinal Semeraro placed the lives of the three martyrs in the light of the Good Shepherd. They could have escaped from the danger surrounding them, but they chose to remain with their people.

“That is why they stayed.”

Father Martino had been urged by his fellow Dehonians to return to Bologna for his safety. Instead, he remained in Salvaro, where he accompanied the suffering population. After the massacre at Creda, he cared for the dying and later ministered to prisoners alongside Father Elia Comini. On October 1, 1944, the two priests were executed together with other prisoners.

Cardinal Semeraro emphasized that their witness was not simply a matter of dying. Their holiness was revealed in the love that made them remain with those entrusted to them. They freely surrendered their own security in order to share the fate of their people.

This message has a particular resonance for the Dehonian family. Father Martino’s life expressed the spirituality of self-giving, fidelity, and solidarity with those who suffer—a life offered in union with the Heart of Christ.

The Cardinal concluded by recalling the voice of the Good Shepherd: “Do not flee.” The three martyrs continue to remind the Church that true pastoral love means remaining close to people, especially in times of suffering and danger.

On September 28, the celebration continued with a pilgrimage to Monte Sole, where Father Martino, Father Elia, Father Ubaldo, and more than 770 other people were killed in 1944.

Their witness remains a call to faithfulness, peace, and courageous love.