St. Pier Giorgio Frassati
Optional Memorial
One hundred years have gone by since the death of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati on 4 July 1925. He was born in Turin on 6 April 1901 to one of the most influential bourgeois families in the city.
After receiving his early education at home, he attended the state school Massimo D’Azeglio. At the age of 10, he received his First Communion, along with his sister Luciana, in the chapel of the Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls, and the following summer he joined the Piccoli Rosarianti. During his education, he spent several years at the Jesuit-run Istituto Sociale, where he joined the Apostleship of Prayer, and the Eucharistic League. His deep faith is nourished by daily Eucharist, prayer, and frequent confession.
In the fall of 1918, after graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Faculty of Industrial Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Mining Engineering, at the Royal Polytechnic University of Turin.
His name appears among those enrolled in the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in the Blessed Cottolengo Conference, along with other former students of the Istituto Sociale. Cheerful and outgoing, he exemplified the values of friendship and closeness to everyone in the university community, without being afraid to live his faith.
He was a zealous and active member of the Italian Catholic University Federation. He became a member of the Cesare Balbo Catholic Student Circle and joined the Conference of Saint Vincent, which had been established within it. He spent most of his free time visiting poor families and sacrificing his own money to help the most disadvantaged. He also joined the Milites Mariae in his parish in Crocetta and participated in the university’s student Nocturnal Adoration Society.
He faithfully lived out his commitment with Catholic Youth, which later became Italian Catholic Action.
On 28 May 1922, he received the habit of the Dominican Third Order taking the name of Fra Girolamo.
During the years of Fascism, he endured hardship due to his involvement in Catholic associations and the ranks of the Popular Party, which he joined at the age of 19.
Passionate about mountain climbing since childhood, he pursued this pastime throughout his life, joining the Club Alpino Italiano and the Giovane Montagna association.
Together with his friends, he founded the Società dei Tipi Loschi (Shady Characters Society), where moments of fun became opportunities for building fraternity and sharing the faith.
He once fell in love with a girl, but moved by an uncommon sense of modesty and not wanting to upset her, he never declared his feelings.
At the end of June 1925, he developed symptoms of severe polio, which, within a few days, led to a loss of appetite and paralysis. After receiving the sacraments, he fell into a coma and passed away. A large crowd attended his funeral and final farewell.
Years later, the canonical process to recognize his holiness began, leading to his beatification which was presided over by Saint John Paul II on 20 May 1990 in Saint Peter’s Square. Last year, Pope Francis recognized a miracle of healing in the United States of America as attributed to the intercession of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Several Catholic Action circles bear his name, keeping his memory alive and actively presenting him as a model to their members, especially to the young.
Profilo biografico, Libretto canonizzazione.
