Alberto Marvelli (1918 - 1946) is an exemplary figure of catholic layman, a true hero of charity. In spite of his short lifetime (spiritual maturity is not the outcome of long life), Alberto has given, throughout his living, flesh and soul to the figure of the good samaritan, pointed out by our Lord Jesus Christ, as perfect pattern to be imitated in order to evidence how fellow-creatures must be loved.
Since he was a boy, he has lived out his own faith with great and ardent engagement, feeding it with continuous and intense prayer, and showing it in his daily duties of study and work, in the Church and in social life. He revealed an exceptional charity to the poor and the suffering and, like a prophet, he anticipated the Christian layman’s role and vocation, such as it will be proposed, later on, by the Vatican Council II. Pope John Paul II, speaking about him, stated: "He has shown how, in the changing of times and situations, Christian laymen are able to devote themselves unreservedly to the construction of God's kingdom in family, work, culture and politics, taking the Gospel in the heart of society". Now a day the Church offers him as a pattern of sanctity in daily life for the young Christians of the centuries to come.
