Mario Ciceri

From his ordination, Father Mario Ciceri was appointed vicar (coadjutor) of the parish of Sant'Antonino Martire in Brentana di Sulbiate, a position he would hold throughout his life. He dedicated himself body and soul to his pastoral ministry, distinguishing himself by his gentleness, simplicity, and constant availability. He founded and led the local Catholic Action, dedicating himself particularly to the education of young people and the management of the parish oratory. He was also very attentive to the sick, the poor, and prisoners, whom he visited regularly. A handyman skilled with his hands, he participated himself in manual labor in his parish, notably by building a replica of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, for which he nurtured a deep devotion. During the Second World War, Father Mario displayed heroic and discreet charity. At the risk of his life, he helped the needy, young men sent to the front, lost soldiers, Jews, and people sought by the Nazi-Fascist regime, finding them safe refuges.

On February 9, 1945, while returning by bicycle from Verderio Inferiore where he had gone to hear confessions, Father Mario was violently struck by a horse-drawn carriage (a 'biroccio') whose driver fled without offering assistance. Found several hours after the accident in critical condition, he was transported to the hospital in Vimercate. During his two months of hospitalization, he endured his sufferings with heroic patience. He offered his life to God for the end of the war, the return of the soldiers, and the conversion of sinners. He passed away on April 4, 1945, at the hospital in Vimercate (or Brentana di Sulbiate). His funeral, celebrated on April 7, 1945, gathered an immense crowd, testifying to his already well-established reputation for holiness. His mortal remains rest under the altar of the Virgin in the church of Sant'Antonino Martire in Brentana di Sulbiate.

The cause for the beatification of Father Mario Ciceri was officially opened in the Archdiocese of Milan on December 14, 2002. On December 1, 2016, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, conferring upon him the title of Venerable. On November 23, 2020, Pope Francis signed the decree recognizing a miracle attributed to his intercession. This miracle concerns the unexplained healing of young Raffaella Di Grigoli, which occurred in 1975 at the 'Valduce' hospital in Como. Seven years old at the time, the child was suffering from a severe malformation of the colon (dolichosigmoid, congenital megacolon, peritonitis, and fistulas) and was in critical condition following several unsuccessful operations. Her maternal aunt invoked the intercession of Father Mario Ciceri, and her mother placed a scarf that had belonged to the priest on the child's body. The healing was sudden and complete. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on April 30, 2022, in the Cathedral of Milan by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Francis. His liturgical memorial is set for June 14, the anniversary of his priestly ordination.

The spirituality of Father Mario Ciceri is based on an 'extraordinary ordinariness'. He lived his ministry as a country priest with absolute fidelity to the humblest daily tasks: prayer, confession, visiting the sick, and accompanying the youth. During his beatification, Cardinal Semeraro described him as a 'sandal of the Church', a useful and humble instrument for walking in the footsteps of Christ. Pope Francis hailed him as a 'luminous example of a pastor'. His legacy remains alive through the Don Mario Ciceri Association, which promotes his memory and his works of charity.