Just over a century after his untimely death, Italian activist, social justice champion and third-order Dominican Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will officially be canonized by Pope Leo XIV Sept. 7 at St. Peter's Square in Rome. 

Frassati along with fellow young Italian and the first millennial saint, Carlos Acutis, and five others will be inscribed in the Book of Saints. 

There to witness the canonization first-hand were parishioners of St. Leo the Great Parish in Brooklin, Ont., who are celebrating a 10-day pilgrimage to Italy for the special event. 

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While travelling, the parish group also had the chance to visit the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel and Holy Doors, as well as a direct trip to Blessed Frassati’s town of Turin in northern Italy. 

Their pilgrimage acted as a testament to how much the young man is still beloved by Catholics worldwide for his unwavering passion for social justice and charitable efforts. Now, the boy born in the Kingdom of Italy has seemingly reached the peak height of recognition during the ongoing Holy Year of Jubilee. 

Born on April 6, 1901, Frassati showed flashes of compassion and aid during his early years. Notable stories include Frassati answering the door and providing his shoes to a begging mother of a poor child. When he was eight, he was said to have asked his mother to assist a drunk man who had been previously refused help by his father. 

Upon turning 17, Frassati would join the St. Vincent de Paul Society, where he dedicated many hours toward taking care of the vulnerable, notably the homeless, sick, poverty-stricken, and injured military returnees from World War I.

Parallel with his life of service was his devotion to the faith, with Frassati joining the Third Order of Saint Dominic in May of 1922 while also showing devotion to Catherine of Siena as well as the teachings of Thomas Aquinas and Paul the Apostle, as mentioned in many of his own letters.

Frassati was also notable for his role in instituting Momento, a newspaper based on Pope Leo XIII's Rerum novarum. In 1918, he began studying as a mining engineer in an effort to “serve Christ better among the miners". Blessed Frassati was also documented to have provided a bed for a tuberculosis sufferer on one occasion, supported three children of an ill widow and engaged in the life of the Church through sustained adoration and liturgical worship over his young lifetime. 

Throughout his devotion to the Catholic faith and his personal commitments to social justice, Frassati lived an active and engaged life. Known as an avid mountaineer and everyday athletic young man, his passion and continued participation in sports activities have made him a notable figure for Catholic athletes and young people for decades.

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According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, following Frassati’s final mountain climb, he wrote "Verso L'Alto", translated as "to the heights” on a photograph. The phrase has gone on to become a motto attributed to him, something encapsulating the now-saint’s philosophy of both mountaineering and his Catholic stance on lively adventure.

Martin Andrews, a board member for Halifax’s newest classical Catholic independent school, Frassati Academy, spoke to the motto and the continued sense of inspiration it holds for young people, especially. 

“To strive ‘to the heights’ is a  perfect motto in terms of an intellectual and spiritual vision for our kids to jump on board with,” he said. “We were praying about who our patron would be before we landed on Frassati, and we were so struck by his witness — a great example saint for kids and young people, particularly.” 

Frassati died on July 4, 1925, from complications stemming from polio. It was at their son’s funeral that Frassati’s parents were reportedly surprised when the streets became lined with thousands of mourners as his cortege passed, many attending his funeral with a sign of reverence from the people he had helped over his short life. 

Pope John Paul II beatified Frassati at St. Peter’s Square in May 1990, crowning him as the "Man of the Eight Beatitudes,” following ​​an investigation of the miracle cure of Domenico Sellan, in where a priest visited him brought a relic and picture of Frassati for his intercession, which was said to have healed of Sellan who lived in perfect health for more than three decades after the encounter. 

Other Pontiffs from across the last few decades have made mention of Frassati and his witness, with Pope Benedict XVI mentioning in his 2010 message to the Youth of the World for World Youth Day to follow the example of Frassati, before Pope Francis venerated his remains during his November 2015 visit to Turin. 

September 7th’s events also complete one of the later wishes of Pope Francis, who announced the initial plans to canonize both Frassati and Acutis during the Jubilee Holy Year 2025 before his death in April of this year.

Still, the late Holy Father’s words come to mind as Frassati takes his permanent place in the Book of Saints. 

“I am reminded of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, soon to be a saint, who in Turin used to go into the homes of the poor to bring help. (Frassati) was from a wealthy, upper-middle-class family, but he did not grow up ‘wrapped in cotton wool,’ he did not lose himself in the ‘good life,’ because within him there was the lifeblood of the Holy Spirit, there was love for Jesus and for his brothers,” Pope Francis said during a speech in June 2024. 

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The sentiment is felt even more than 7,000 kilometres from Rome away in Toronto, as the long-awaited canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis inspires our Catholic community to embrace holiness in youth, sport, mission and everyday life. 

“A canonization gives us all reason to rejoice as we see the Church recognizing faithful holy men and women who can be models of faith for Catholics. Both Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlo Acutis are two such examples. Young men of joy, justice, and deep faith, their lives remind us that holiness is not reserved for the extraordinary, but is lived in the simplicity of love, service, and unwavering hope in Christ,” said Neil MacCarthy, director of public relations and communications for the Archdiocese of Toronto.