Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati on September 7, along with Blessed Carlo Acutis. On July 4, 2025, the Church observes the 100th anniversary of Frassati’s death, the young man who died of polio when he was 24.

Life and Background

Frassati was born in Turin in 1901, has inspired countless young people. Born in Turin to Alfredo Frassati (1868-1961), a politician who owned Italy’s liberal La Stampa daily, and Adélaïde Ametis (1877-1949), a noted painter, he was raised in a lapsed Catholic household, attending a Jesuit-run school and later studying mining at the northern Italian city’s polytechnic.

Described by a contemporary as “healthy, strong, and tanned, with eyes as clear as pure water,” Frassati was a keen athlete, swimmer, and mountaineer.

Faith and Service

During his life, he was known for his zealous love of God and dedication to serving the less fortunate. Although brief, he served the poorest through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, showcasing his dynamic approach to faith and charity. He was also a lay Dominican.

As a teenager, he joined the charitable Society of St. Vincent de Paul, having earlier been a member of the Apostleship of Prayer (now the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network), as well as Italy’s Popular Party, whose principles were based on the social doctrine of the Church. He became a Dominican lay tertiary in 1922 and was known for ministering to the poor, sick, and homeless, for whom he became a true friend and generous helping hand.

“He showed how it’s possible to achieve holiness in completely ordinary ways — living one’s faith completely, while fully inhabiting and enjoying the world around us,” said Wanda Gawronska, Pier Giorgio’s niece, a Rome-based photographer and journalist, speaking to OSV News.

Social and Political Engagement

Among other achievements in his short life, Blessed Pier Giorgio helped set up a newspaper, Momento, promoting social reform principles from Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” and opposed Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime, facing arrest during a 1921 Young Catholic Workers Congress in Rome.

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, said the future saint provided a “wonderful model of Christian life,” demonstrating the value of faith across an “entire range of human experience” — in university studies, work, the media and political engagement, “wherever it was necessary to defend social freedoms.”

International Perspective

Gawronska said Frassati also could be viewed as symbolizing European integration, thanks to his membership in the 1920s in the Catholic Pax Romana international student movement, which brought him friends and acquaintances in neighboring Germany and Austria.

She added that a “beautiful letter” written to Germans by Frassati when their industrial Ruhr region was occupied by France and Belgium in 1923-1925 for war reparations had been copied and sent to Ukrainians following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of their country.

Character and Personality

“All the things my uncle enjoyed — the mountains, company, humor and laughter — were always underpinned with faith and charity,” Gawronska, whose mother was married to Jan Gawronski (1892-1983), a Polish diplomat, told OSV News.

“Far from being a sad or tragic figure, he welcomed his youthful death with happiness, weeping tears only for his bereaved father and mother. He also believed borders ceased to exist for Christians given their shared faith,” she said.

Death and Beatification

He died from polio at 24 and was beatified in 1990. The beatification process was launched in 1932. St. John Paul II beatified Frassati on May 20, 1990, a decade after his remains were transferred to Turin’s Catholic cathedral.

Papal Recognition

During his homily at Pier Giorgio’s beatification Mass, St. John Paul II described Frassati as “the man of the Beatitudes.” He emphasized that Pier Giorgio lived his Christian vocation with joy and pride as part of Catholic Action, the first Catholic lay association founded in Italy in 1867, committing himself to loving Jesus and seeing Him in everyone he met.

In beatifying Frassati, whose published letters highlighted the importance of friendship and personal kindness, St. John Paul II described him as “a man of the Beatitudes … completely immersed in the mystery of God and totally dedicated to constant service of others.”

In his message for World Youth Day 2016, Pope Francis encouraged young people to look to Pier Giorgio’s example. The pope said, “Pier Giorgio was a young man who understood what it means to have a merciful heart that responds to those most in need.” He urged young people to respond to the needs of the poor the way Pier Giorgio did, in a hidden and unassuming way.

Contemporary Impact

“Although my uncle died a whole century ago, he’s very much a contemporary figure, with many youngsters considering him a friend who helps them in their prayers and endeavors,” said Gawronska, one of six children born to Frassati’s only sister, Luciana. 

“Both Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio are perfect examples for young men,” said Lis Molter of Nashville, Tennessee, who had planned to attend Frassati’s canonization when it was originally scheduled for August. “Their lives really demonstrated what it is to be holy and be holy in this contemporary culture we live in.”

Family Perspective

“For our own family, it’ll be a source of great joy,” said Gawronska.

“We hear so often now about lost hope and optimism — but as a person of faith, I’m sure Christ will stay with us through young people. Instead of criticizing those without belief, Pier Giorgio would remind us today that we should never underestimate or write people off,” she said.

Significance of Canonization

The canonization would recognize Pier Giorgio’s impact not only as a spiritual figure but also as a social advocate in his hometown of Turin, where he is considered one of the city’s “social saints.” His efforts in defending the faith and engaging in charitable works set a powerful example of how the Christian faith can intersect with all human experiences.

— Zoey Maraist, Jonathan Luxmoore, and OSV News staff contributed to this report.