Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati
Feast day: July 4
Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, a student who loved climbing, friend of the poor, canonized in 2025 (04/07).
Who is he?
Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati was a young Italian layman, a student, a mountain climber and a friend of the poor. On 7 September 2025, Pope Leo XIV canonized him, on the same day as Saint Carlo Acutis.
Life story
Pier Giorgio was born on 6 April 1901 in Turin, Italy. His father owned a big newspaper and was a senator and an ambassador. The family was wealthy, but his parents were not very devout. From childhood, he had a caring heart: once he took off his own shoes and gave them to a poor barefoot child.
When he grew up, he studied mining engineering, hoping to help the miners who worked so hard. He went to Mass and received Communion every day, often spent time in Eucharistic adoration, prayed the Rosary, and joined the Dominican Third Order (an order for lay people who live the spirit of Saint Dominic).
At 17, he joined the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, which visits poor people. He brought food, firewood and medicine to run-down homes. Sometimes he gave away all his bus fare and then ran home. He did these things quietly, so that even his family did not know.
He was very cheerful, loved jokes and had lots of friends. He and his friends climbed the high peaks of the Alps, and up on the mountains the whole group prayed together, sometimes even attending Mass. On his last climbing photo, he wrote: “Verso l’alto,” “Toward the heights.”
At the end of June 1925, he became very ill with polio, which he may have caught while visiting the poor. Even when his hand was almost paralyzed, he still tried to write a note asking a friend to bring medicine to a poor sick man. He died on 4 July 1925, only 24 years old. On the day of his funeral, his family was amazed to see thousands of poor people filling the streets to say goodbye to him.
In 1990, Pope John Paul II declared him Blessed.
Why is he a saint?
Saint Pier Giorgio shows that an ordinary young person who loves sports and friends can also become a saint. He drew his strength from the Eucharist and from prayer, and then brought God’s love to the poor, quietly and joyfully.
A lesson for you
- Play sports, go on outings and have fun with your friends, but don’t forget to make time for God.
- Do good quietly, without needing anyone to praise you.
- Whenever something is hard, remind yourself: “Toward the heights!”, toward God.
Identifying marks
- An ice axe: he loved mountain climbing; for him, climbing high mountains was a chance to admire the beauty God made and to pray.
- A Rosary: he prayed the Rosary every day, even while climbing.
- A wool jacket, a tie, knee-length breeches, wool socks and climbing boots: the climbing clothes of a young Italian man in the 1920s.
- The snow-covered Alps: he climbed many peaks there; on his last climbing photo he wrote “Verso l’alto,” meaning “Toward the heights.”
The text on this page is the saint card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Collect this card and read more about the saints in the app