The Dominican Order Rejoices at the Canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Bartolo Longo, Lay Members of the Third Order of Saint Dominic
The canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young layman of the Dominican Third Order, will take place on Sunday, 7 September 2025, after being rescheduled from the initially planned date of August 3rd. The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff confirmed this on June 13th in a communiqué about the Ordinary Public Consistory presided over that same day by Pope Leo XIV.
“During the Consistory, the Pope decreed that Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, along with Blessed Carlo Acutis, will be inscribed in the Book of Saints on Sunday, September 7, 2025,” the Office announced.
The Consistory, held in the morning and presided over by the Pope, confirmed the canonization of eight new saints, including Pier Giorgio Frassati and Bartolo Longo, both lay members of the Dominican Third Order. The Order of Preachers rejoices at the recognition of two of its most exemplary lay figures.
Pope Leo XIV also recalled Frassati’s legacy during the Mass celebrated on June 15th in St. Peter’s Basilica on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, in the context of the Jubilee of Sport. In his homily, the Pope emphasized the role of sports in spiritual life:
“It is no coincidence that sport has played a significant role in the lives of many saints in our day, both as a personal discipline and as a means of evangelization. We can think of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, the patron saint of athletes, who will be canonized later this year on 7 September. His straightforward and luminous life reminds us that, just as no one is born a champion, no one is born a saint. It is daily training in love that brings us closer to final victory (cf. Rom 5:3-5) and enables us to contribute to the building of a new world.”
To mark this historic canonization, the Dominican Order has created a special webpage on its official site: www.op.org/pier-giorgio-frassati-op, with the motto: “With Pier Giorgio Frassati, to the heights in the Holy Year!” The site includes a Letter from the Master of the Order, articles, downloadable content, and resources for sharing on social media.
