Today, September 6, is the memorial of Blessed Olinto Marella.
Born in 1882 in Venice, Italy, Olinto Giuseppe Marella was one of three children of Luigi Marella, who died when Olinto was 10, and Carolina de’ Bei.
With the help of his uncle, Archbishop Giuseppe Marella, he was able to study in Rome. There, Olinto became the classmate of Angelo Roncalli, who would become Pope St. John XXIII.
He was ordained priest in 1904 and taught in seminaries. In 1909, he ran into trouble: he was suspended from priestly ministry because he welcomed into his home the excommunicated activist-priest Romulo Murri. Olinto humbly accepted this decision and patiently waited it out for 16 years.
In 1925, he was allowed to resume his ministry. This time, he took care of the poor and the homeless, and raised funds for new chapels and shelters.
In Bologna, Olinto became famous for sitting on a stool along the streets and preaching the Gospel. It was a radical method at the time, with fellow priests criticizing Olinto. However, Pope St. John XXIII supported his street ministry. He was also friends with St. Gianna Beretta Molla and Blessed Maria Bolognesi.
When he died of natural causes at age 87, big crowds attended his funeral. He was beatified in 2020 by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi.