In an age where faith is often lived quietly, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati stands as a vibrant witness that holiness can be young, joyful, and alive in the world. Born on April 6, 1901, in Turin, Italy, Pier Giorgio was the son of Alfredo Frassati, a newspaper owner and diplomat, and Adelaide Ametis, a painter. Despite his privileged upbringing, he directed his life toward the poor and toward God, never letting wealth or status distract him from the call of the Gospel.
From his youth, Pier Giorgio was deeply devoted to prayer and the sacraments. He attended daily Mass, prayed the Rosary with love, and spent time in Eucharistic Adoration. His faith was not hidden, he joined Catholic Action, was active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and became a Third Order Dominican, taking to heart the call to seek holiness in daily life. His personal motto, “Verso l’Alto” (“To the Heights”), captured both his love of mountain climbing and his spiritual pursuit of heaven.
Pier Giorgio’s friends knew him as a man of joy and courage. He organized hikes, skied, laughed, and played pranks, but he was also a tireless servant of the poor. He visited the sick, delivered food and medicine, and paid rent for struggling families, often keeping his acts of charity hidden from even those closest to him.
His life was brief but radiant. At just 24 years old, Pier Giorgio contracted polio, likely from ministering to the sick, and died on July 4, 1925. At his funeral, Turin’s streets were filled with thousands of mourners — many of them the poor he had served quietly and faithfully.
In 1990, Pope St. John Paul II beatified Pier Giorgio, calling him the “Man of the Eight Beatitudes” and offering him as a model for young people and lay Catholics seeking to live their faith with courage. Now, the Church prepares to recognize him as a saint. On September 7, Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter’s Square, declaring him a saint for the universal Church.
Blessed Pier Giorgio’s life continues to inspire Catholics today to live boldly for Christ, to serve the poor with joy, and to climb toward the heights of holiness, no matter how steep the climb. As he once said, “To live without faith, without a heritage to defend, without battling constantly for truth, is not to live but to ‘get along’; we must never just ‘get along.’”
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