Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati
Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati (Italian: Pier Giorgio Frassati; born April 6, 1901 AD at Turin, Italy; died July 4, 1925 AD at Turin) was an Italian layman, student, mountaineer, and social activist, a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, celebrated for his deep piety, his joyful spirit, and his hidden life of charity toward the poor. The son of a wealthy and prominent but non-practising family, he devoted himself quietly to serving the sick and the destitute of Turin while remaining an ardent Catholic in public life, until his sudden death from poliomyelitis at the age of twenty-four. Beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 20, 1990 — who called him the "Man of the Eight Beatitudes" — he was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on September 7, 2025, together with Saint Carlo Acutis. His feast is kept on July 4.[1][2]
Born on Holy Saturday 1901 into the family of Alfredo Frassati, founder of the newspaper La Stampa and later Italian ambassador to Germany, Pier Giorgio combined a life of prayer, mountaineering, and study with a constant, often secret, care for the poor, whom he served through the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.[1] A committed member of Catholic Action and an opponent of fascism, he professed the Third Order of Saint Dominic in 1922, taking the name Girolamo.[1]
He fell ill with poliomyelitis — thought to have been contracted among the sick he tended — and died within days, on July 4, 1925. The vast crowds of the poor at his funeral revealed to his own family the extent of his hidden charity.[1][2]
Stored in Cargo: Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati
| Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 04 |
| Profession | Student (engineering); mountaineer; lay social activist |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Third Order of Saint Dominic (Lay Dominican) |
| Patronage | Young people; Catholic youth; students; mountaineers; World Youth Day pilgrims |
| Attributes | Mountaineering gear (ice axe, rope); pipe; the motto "Verso l'alto" |
| Birthplace | Turin, Piedmont, Italy |
| Death Place | Turin, Piedmont, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Poliomyelitis (fulminant polio), contracted shortly before his death; died July 4, 1925, at Turin, aged 24 |
| Primary Shrine | Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (Turin Cathedral), Turin, Italy |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial |
| Historic Class | Not in the 1960 calendar |
Biography
Birth and family
Pier Giorgio Frassati was born on April 6, 1901 — Holy Saturday — in Turin, Italy.[1] His father, Alfredo Frassati, was an agnostic and a leading liberal figure, the founder and owner of the Turin newspaper La Stampa and later Italian ambassador to Germany; his mother, Adelaide Ametis, was a painter.[1] His younger sister, Luciana, later wrote his biography. Though the household was wealthy and prominent, it was not devout, and Pier Giorgio's fervent faith set him somewhat apart within his own family.[1]
Faith and charity
From his youth Pier Giorgio joined a conference of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (1918) and gave himself to the service of the poor, the sick, and the homeless of Turin, often giving away his money — and even his belongings — and visiting the needy in their tenements.[1] He was a daily communicant with a deep devotion to the Eucharist and to the rosary. On May 28, 1922, he became a professed member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, taking the religious name Girolamo after Girolamo Savonarola.[1] Much of his charity was carried on in secret, and its extent was not fully known even to his family until after his death.[2]
Student, mountaineer, and activist
Pier Giorgio studied engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin, intending to work as a mining engineer so as to be among labourers.[1] An enthusiastic member of the Club Alpino Italiano, he loved the mountains and climbing, which for him were bound up with his spiritual life; his well-known motto was Verso l'alto ("Toward the heights").[1] He was active in Catholic Action and the Catholic student movement and was a firm opponent of fascism, taking part in Catholic demonstrations and once being detained by the police.[1]
Illness and death
At the end of June 1925 Pier Giorgio was struck by a violent illness, diagnosed as poliomyelitis, which is thought to have been contracted among the sick to whom he ministered.[1] The disease progressed with terrible speed, and even in his final days his thoughts remained with the poor he had helped. He died at Turin on July 4, 1925, at the age of twenty-four.[1] The great throng of the poor and the humble who filled the streets at his funeral astonished his family, revealing the hidden extent of his charity.[2]
Significant events
- Born into the prominent Frassati family of Turin (1901).
- Joined the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (1918) and devoted himself to the poor.
- Professed in the Third Order of Saint Dominic (1922), taking the name Girolamo.
- An avid mountaineer and member of Catholic Action, and an opponent of fascism.
- Died of poliomyelitis at Turin on July 4, 1925, aged 24.
- Beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 20, 1990, as the "Man of the Eight Beatitudes."
- A second miracle was recognized in 2024; canonized by Pope Leo XIV on September 7, 2025, with Saint Carlo Acutis.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Turin, Piedmont, Italy
Death location: Turin, Piedmont, Italy
Notable location: Birthplace, home, and city where he served the poor and died (Turin, Piedmont, Italy)
Notable location: Where his body was enshrined in 1981 (Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Turin, Italy)
Notable location: Site of the family home and his original burial place (Pollone, Biella, Piedmont, Italy)
Notable location: Where he was canonized on September 7, 2025 (Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City)
Notable location:
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Canonization
Beatification
Pier Giorgio Frassati was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 20, 1990, in Saint Peter's Square. The pope praised him as the "Man of the Eight Beatitudes," holding him up as a model of holiness for the young.[1]
Canonization
After the recognition of a second miracle attributed to his intercession, decreed under Pope Francis on November 25, 2024, Pier Giorgio Frassati was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on September 7, 2025, in Saint Peter's Square, together with Saint Carlo Acutis.[2][1]
Feast day
July 04
Veneration
Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati is venerated especially as a patron of young people, students, and mountaineers, and has become one of the great modern models of lay holiness; he was a favourite of World Youth Day pilgrims even before his canonization. His body, originally buried at Pollone, was found incorrupt and was transferred in 1981 to the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, where his tomb is a place of pilgrimage. In art and photography he is often shown in mountaineering gear, and his motto Verso l'alto is widely associated with him.[1][2]
Prayers
Authored
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Intercessory
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External links
- Wikipedia – Pier Giorgio Frassati
- Vatican News – Pier Giorgio Frassati to be canonized
- USCCB – Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati