Pier Giorgio Frassati was a man of the Beatitudes, as St. John Paul II called him. Born in 1901 to a prominent Italian family, Pier Giorgio Frassati lived only 24 years, but his legacy is radiant with joy, justice, and deep Eucharistic devotion. He was a mountaineer, a student of engineering, a member of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, and a tireless servant of the poor. His motto, “Verso l’alto” (“To the heights”), captured both his love of climbing and his spiritual aspiration.
Despite his privileged background, he gave away nearly everything he had—his time, his money, even his bus fare—to help those in need. He once said, “Jesus comes to me every morning in Holy Communion, and I repay Him in my miserable way by visiting the poor.”
Bl. Giorgio Frassati was chosen by the SVP as the patron of Vincentian Youth: because of his love for the Church, his spirituality, his life as a member of a Vincentian Conference, his ability to engage with the poor and his unconditional love for them. As a matter of fact, Pier Giorgio was a young man who devoted his life to God, while serving those most in need. That’s why, he should be regarded as a role model for the youth. He followed the Vincentian Charism and reached holiness.
His canonisation on 7 September 2025, alongside Blessed Carlo Acutis, is a powerful reminder that holiness is not reserved for the cloistered or the ordained—it’s for anyone who dares to love radically.
