- 07 September, 2025
September 7, 2025
Today marks a day of great joy for Catholics around the world, as Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati—an Italian Catholic activist renowned for his deep faith and tireless service to the poor—is officially being declared a saint of the Catholic Church.
Called the “Man of the Eight Beatitudes” by St. John Paul II, Pier Giorgio’s life was a bold testament that holiness can thrive in the midst of adventure, friendship, and service.
Born on April 6, 1901, in Turin, Italy, Pier Giorgio grew up in a prominent family—his father was the founder and director of the influential newspaper La Stampa. Yet, despite his privileged upbringing, Pier Giorgio chose a life of humility, faith, and charity. Passionate about social welfare, he dedicated his time and resources to serving the poor, the sick, and war veterans through organisations such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Action.
Apart from being a swimmer and an athlete, Pier Giorgio was also an avid mountaineer. He famously coined the motto “Verso l’Alto” (“To the Heights”), inscribing it on a photograph during one of his final climbs. The phrase now symbolises his pursuit of both spiritual and physical summits. His love for God was inseparable from his love for life, friendship, and nature.
Pier Giorgio Frassati passed away in July 1925 at the age of 24, likely from polio contracted while caring for the sick. His funeral astonished Turin: thousands of the city’s poor came to honour the young man who had quietly transformed their lives. In 1990, Pope John Paul II beatified him.
In the Catholic Church, canonisation requires the recognition of two posthumous miracles. For Blessed Pier Giorgio, both are extraordinary testimonies of divine grace.
The First Miracle (Beatification)
In 1933, Domenico Sellan, suffering from severe spinal tuberculosis and paralysis, was miraculously healed after prayers through Pier Giorgio’s intercession. He lived decades beyond his prognosis—an undeniable sign of God’s hand through this blessed man.
The Second Miracle (Canonisation)
The miracle that led to Frassati’s upcoming canonisation occurred in 2017 and centres on Father Juan Gutierrez, then a seminarian in Los Angeles. While playing basketball, he tore his Achilles tendon—a devastating injury for an active young man preparing for the priesthood. Facing surgery and months of recovery, he prayed a novena to Pier Giorgio.
On one occasion, while he was alone in the seminary chapel praying the novena, Father Juan felt an intense warmth around his injured leg—so powerful that he thought something was burning under the pews. There was no fire. Days later, medical scans revealed his tendon was completely healed—something his orthopaedic surgeon called “medically inexplicable”. The Vatican rigorously investigated the case and confirmed it as a miracle.
On November 25, 2024, Pope Francis officially recognised this healing as the miracle needed for canonisation.
- A perfect connection: Frassati loved sports and physical activity. That the miracle involved an athletic injury seems providential and fitting for the saint-to-be.
- A sign of hope: From paralysis to tendon tears, Frassati’s intercessions remind us that holiness touches everyday struggles.
- A call to the heights: Just as Frassati urged others to climb higher—physically and spiritually—this miracle invites believers to rise above fear and trust God’s power.
When the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica ring out today, the universal Church will celebrate more than a canonisation—it will celebrate a call. A call to live boldly, love deeply, and serve joyfully, just as Pier Giorgio did. His life proclaims a powerful truth: sainthood is not reserved for the extraordinary but for those who dare to climb “to the heights” in the midst of ordinary life.
Today, as we honour this spirited mountaineer of faith, may his example propel us upward—toward God, toward one another, and toward the holiness that transforms the world.
Verso l’Alto!
By Catholic Connect Reporter
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