(ANS – Calvenzano di Vergato – October 5, 2026) – As part of the celebrations for the beatification of Fr. Elia Comini, SDB, who was proclaimed Blessed on September 27, 2026, alongside Fr. Ubaldo Marchioni, a diocesan priest, and Fr. Martino Capelli, a Dehonian, the “Casa Don Elia Comini” was blessed and opened on October 1. The building, promoted and managed by the Don Bosco Mission Community (CMB) — a group within the Salesian Family — is located in the very house where the Salesian martyr was born in Calvenzano di Vergato.

The initiative, developed by the CMB under the leadership of Guido Pedroni, in consultation with the Postulator General for the Causes of Saints of the Salesian Family, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, has enabled the renovation of the building and the surrounding woodland. The project has a twofold aim: on the one hand, to create a memorial dedicated to the martyred priests of Monte Sole; on the other, to establish a shelter for single mothers. The new initiative aims to support women on their journey toward personal, social, and professional independence, strengthening their parenting skills and promoting inclusion, thanks to a qualified team working in a safe, family-like environment.

The Eucharistic Celebration and the Culture of Encounter

The highlights of the day on October 1 began with a Eucharistic Celebration of thanksgiving in the parish of Calvenzano — the place where Fr. Elia was baptized on May 8, 1910 — marking the anniversary of the deaths of Fr. Comini and Fr. Capelli, who were killed at La Botte di Salvaro on October 1, 1944. The Mass was presided over by Father Carlos Luis Suárez Codorniú, Superior General of the Dehonians, and concelebrated by Salesian, Dehonian and diocesan priests, with the participation of members of the CMB, civil authorities, and parish communities from the local area.

In his homily, Father Suárez Codorniú highlighted the profound value of encounter and dialogue, emphasizing how Father Elia Comini and Father Martino Capelli lived through the intense summer of 1944 sustained by their faith and guided by a culture of encounter:

“Faced with the reality before them, it is likely that on more than one occasion they recognized their own fragility and smallness. Nevertheless, sustained by their Christian faith, they did not succumb to a worldview or vision of human relations that was not marked by God’s love and mercy.

[…] Elia and Martino, just like Father Ubaldo and Father Giovanni Fornasini, carried that echo forward through acts of outreach and encounter. They went out to meet those who lived in those mountains to listen to them, speak with them and offer them spiritual guidance.”

Drawing inspiration from the response that Father Elia gave to God’s call from a young age (“O my dearest Jesus, let us speak in confidence, face to face… let me look within myself, so that I may understand your voice”), the celebrant emphasized how the martyrs of Monte Sole did not shy away from God’s great questions (“Where are you?” “Where is your brother?”), choosing not to look away.

The Blessing of the House: “A Work of God”

This was followed by the blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the house where Fr. Elia was born. Following an introduction by Valentina Leanza (CMB), speeches were given by the Deputy Mayor of Vergato, Stefano Pozzi; the Representative of the Archdiocese of Bologna, Monsignor Giovanni Silvagni; and the Provincial of ILE, Father Roberto Dal Molin, who all emphasized the profound significance of a project that transforms the memory of martyrdom into a living sign of charity and hope.

The event concluded with an address by Guido Pedroni, General Custodian of the CMB, who described the center as a living place for preserving the memory of the sacrifice of the martyred priests and, at the same time, as a sign of practical charity designed to welcome single mothers. He also expressed his gratitude to volunteers, benefactors and institutions for helping to turn this project of fraternity into reality.

The event was symbolically brought to a close with the blessing and concluding words of Father Suárez Codorniú’s homily, in which he linked Father Elia’s return to his father’s house to the new mission of hospitality that is now coming to life:

“Today we have returned to Father Elia’s house, where it all began for him. Today, as then, his home is once again opening itself to life. Thinking of this, and of the wonderful mission it will fulfill, allow me […] to echo the words of St. John Bosco to our founder [Father Dehon] and to repeat them with all conviction and reverence: ‘This is, indeed, a work of God.’”