Alberto Marvelli
Encyclopedia
Alberto Marvelli was an Italian member of the Catholic Action
.
Born at Ferrara
, he was given a Christian
formation by his mother, who kept their home open to the poor. Through his upbringing he became a firm defender of the poor in his later years.
, Marvelli attended the Salesian Oratory and was involved with the Catholic Action
group in his parish.
When he was only 18, Marvelli was elected president of Italian Catholic Action
. Marvelli graduated in 1941 with a degree in engineering and shortly after began teaching in a high school. In this period he devoted himself to service of those in need, and prayer.
During World War II
, Marvelli continued to serve to poor at great personal cost and risk. He is known to have given away even his bicycle and the shoes off his feet to those most in need. During the German occupation, he saved numerous people from deportation to the concentration camps. He even carried off to a safe place a tabernacle
containing the Blessed Sacrament
, under a broken house.
After the war Marvelli was chosen by the community of Rimini to take on many positions of responsibility as an engineer for the rebuilding of the town, including being chosen by the bishop the president of Catholic Graduates in the diocese of Rimini.
He was killed on 5 October 1946, when an army truck hit him while riding on a bicycle on his way to the electoral meeting. His remains rest in the Church of S. Agostino in Rimini in a decorated tomb.
He was beatified in Loreto
on 5 September 2004 by Pope John Paul II.
Catholic Action
Catholic Action was the name of many groups of lay Catholics who were attempting to encourage a Catholic influence on society.They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries that fell under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, Italy, Bavaria, France, and...
.
Born at Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
, he was given a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
formation by his mother, who kept their home open to the poor. Through his upbringing he became a firm defender of the poor in his later years.
Biography
In RiminiRimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
, Marvelli attended the Salesian Oratory and was involved with the Catholic Action
Catholic Action
Catholic Action was the name of many groups of lay Catholics who were attempting to encourage a Catholic influence on society.They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries that fell under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, Italy, Bavaria, France, and...
group in his parish.
When he was only 18, Marvelli was elected president of Italian Catholic Action
Azione Cattolica
The Azione Cattolica Italiana, or Azione Cattolica for short, is a widespread lay Roman Catholic association in Italy.-History:...
. Marvelli graduated in 1941 with a degree in engineering and shortly after began teaching in a high school. In this period he devoted himself to service of those in need, and prayer.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Marvelli continued to serve to poor at great personal cost and risk. He is known to have given away even his bicycle and the shoes off his feet to those most in need. During the German occupation, he saved numerous people from deportation to the concentration camps. He even carried off to a safe place a tabernacle
Church tabernacle
A tabernacle is the fixed, locked box in which, in some Christian churches, the Eucharist is "reserved" . A less obvious container, set into the wall, is called an aumbry....
containing the Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
, under a broken house.
After the war Marvelli was chosen by the community of Rimini to take on many positions of responsibility as an engineer for the rebuilding of the town, including being chosen by the bishop the president of Catholic Graduates in the diocese of Rimini.
He was killed on 5 October 1946, when an army truck hit him while riding on a bicycle on his way to the electoral meeting. His remains rest in the Church of S. Agostino in Rimini in a decorated tomb.
He was beatified in Loreto
Loreto (AN)
Loreto is a hilltown and comune of the Italian province of Ancona, in the Marche. It is mostly famous as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site.-Location:...
on 5 September 2004 by Pope John Paul II.
See also
- God: Sole SatisfierGod: Sole SatisfierSole Satisfier is a term in Christian theology which refers to God as the only one who can satisfy human beings. The terminology is based on the teachings of St...
- Pier Giorgio FrassatiPier Giorgio FrassatiBlessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, T.O.S.D., was an Italian Catholic activist, who was a member of the Third Order of St. Dominic. He has been beatified by the Roman Catholic Church....
- Bartolome Blanco MarquezBartolome Blanco MarquezBlessed Bartolomé Blanco Márquez Bartolomé Blanco Márquez was born in Pozoblanco, Córdoba Province, Spain in 1914. He was arrested as a Catholic leader—he was the secretary of Catholic Action and a delegate to the Catholic Syndicates—on Aug. 18, 1936. He was executed on Oct...
- Ivan MerzIvan MerzBlessed Ivan Merz was a Bosnian-Croatian lay academic, beatified by Pope John Paul II on a visit at Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 23, 2003...
- Chiara BadanoChiara BadanoChiara Badano, called Chiara “Luce” , was an Italian teenager who has been declared "Blessed" within the Catholic Church. She belonged to the Focolare Movement and died prematurely at eighteen after succumbing to osteosarcoma, an aggressive and painful form of bone cancer...