Fr. Martino Capelli, SCJBOOKS
Welcome to this page, where you will find downloadable documents on the life and spirituality of Martino Capelli, SCJ.
Juan José Arnaiz SCJ, Martino Capelli: Winter has come. A short story of mercy
“Martino Capelli: Winter has come. A short story of mercy”. In this publication from the General Postulation of the Dehonians, the author, Fr. Juan José Arnaiz, SCJ (from the Spanish Province), focuses on the final months of the life of the martyr Martino Capelli. These months unfolded between July and October 1944, against the backdrop of the Monte Sole massacre, one of the most heinous crimes committed by the Nazi SS in Italy.
Autumn 1944. As Italy is torn apart by the clashes along the Gothic Line in the Monte Sole region south of Bologna, the destiny of Father Martino Capelli hangs in the balance. A young priest of only 32 years old, deeply driven by the dream of going on a mission, he finds himself plunged into the heart of Nazi terror. In the face of civilian massacres and the total breakdown of authority, he refuses to flee. Alongside the Salesian Don Elia Comini, he becomes a heroic point of reference for the local population: hiding men to save them from deportation, tending to the wounded, and burying the dead at the peril of his own life. Arrested by the SS solely due to his status as a dedicated Catholic priest, he endures the humiliation of forced labor before being led to his death on October 1, 1944. His final moments, spent blessing and absolving his fellow captives, still resonate today as a pinnacle of forgiveness: “We forgive. My Jesus, mercy!”.
Fr. Martino Capelli, Spiritual Writings
The “spiritual writings” of Father Martino Capelli present us with a religious rooted in a close intimacy with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a lifelong consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows (the Addolorata). Capelli’s spirituality was one of constant reparation and total self-giving. From his youth, he perceived the offering of his life as a specific calling—a desire that evolved from an aspiration for the missions in China toward the brutal reality of the Nazi occupation in Italy. His final days in Pioppe di Salvaro, marked by prayers of absolute abandonment to God amidst the escalating violence of the war, reveal a man consciously preparing for an ultimate act of priestly service. Father Capelli’s journey reached its summit on October 1, 1944, when he was killed in a Nazi reprisal alongside 45 others. His legacy, preserved through his writings, bears witness to a life transformed into a deliberate and loving sacrifice for Christ the King.
Enzo Franchini, Father Martino’s Tunic
This work by Enzo Franchini, titled La Tunica di padre Martino, retraces the spiritual journey and heroic sacrifice of Father Martino Capelli, a Dehonian priest caught in the turmoil of the Marzabotto massacre in 1944. Through the portrait of this simple and initially anxious man, the author explores how a deep faith—anchored in devotion to the Virgin Mary and the ideal of “reparation”—transfigured his fear into sublime courage. Refusing to save himself in order to remain in solidarity with his fellow sufferers, Father Martino died while offering absolution to his fellow prisoners. Alongside other figures such as Don Elia Comini and Don Ubaldo Marchioni, he illustrated the victory of non-violence and Christian charity over Nazi barbarity. More than a simple biography, this book serves as an act of remembrance for a “collective martyrdom,” inviting readers to recognize in these tragic events a light of humanity and transcendence at the heart of one of the darkest pages of the Italian Resistance.
Roll Up – Postcard Martino Capelli
You will also find attached, in PDF version, two images of Martino Capelli printable as a Roll-up and a Postcard.
