Rolando Rivi was born Rolando Maria Rivi on January 7, 1931, in San Valentino di Castellarano, Reggio Emilia, Italy, into a devout Catholic farming family that nurtured his strong faith from an early age. Encouraged by his parents and parish community, Rolando showed a deep love for prayer, daily Mass, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary—especially Our Lady of Mount Carmel, to whom he entrusted his vocation. He was known among his friends for his enthusiasm, leadership, and deep spiritual life, often inviting others to join him in prayer and service. Rolando’s desire to serve God led him to enter the minor seminary at Marola in 1942 at the age of 11, where he embraced his calling to the priesthood with joy and dedication, often wearing his cassock proudly as a sign that he “belonged to Jesus.”

The outbreak of World War II and the occupation of northern Italy brought great hardship and violence to Rolando’s homeland, and in 1944 his seminary was closed by German forces. Rolando returned home but continued his studies under the guidance of his parish priest and never abandoned his cassock—even when his parents urged him to remove it for safety’s sake—because it visibly expressed his commitment to Christ. In April 1945, amidst rising anti-religious sentiment and violence from some local partisan groups, he was kidnapped by communist partisans, falsely accused of being a spy, beaten, tortured for several days, and ultimately martyred “in odium fidei” (out of hatred for the faith) on April 13, at just 14 years old, after being forced to pray beside a grave before being shot. He was beatified in 2013.