Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati

Pier Giorgio Frassati TOP (6 April 1901 – 4 July 1925) was an Italian Catholic activist and a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. He was dedicated to social justice issues and joined several charitable organizations, including Catholic Action and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, to better aid the poor and less fortunate living in his hometown of Turin. Frassati's cause for canonization opened in 1932 after the Turin poor made several pleas for such a cause to open. Pope Pius XII suspended the cause in 1941 due to a range of allegations later proven to be false, which allowed for the cause to resume. Pope John Paul II beatified Frassati in May 1990 and dubbed him the "Man of the Eight Beatitudes". On 7 September 2025, Frassati was canonized along with Carlo Acutis by Pope Leo XIV. Frassati was known for his motto, "verso l'alto." Pier Giorgio Frassati was born on 6 April 1901 – Holy Saturday – to Alfredo Frassati, an agnostic who owned the liberal newspaper La Stampa, and Adélaïde Ametis, who was a painter. His only sibling – a sister – was Luciana Frassati Gawronska (18 August 1902 – 7 October 2007). His father was active in national politics and served in the Italian Senate. He later was appointed as Italian ambassador to Germany. His parents had married on 5 September 1898. His artist mother had works exhibited at an event in Venice that saw King Victor Emmanuel III purchase some of her works. His paternal grandparents were Pietro Frassati and Giuseppina Coda Canati. Frassati's inclinations to help others manifested in his childhood. There was one occasion as a child when he answered the door to find a mother begging with her son who was shoeless. His response was to take off his shoes and give them to the child. In 1909 his father refused to help a man who came to their door because he was drunk. The sobbing Frassati told his mother of this and she instructed him to find the man and bring him to the home for something to eat.