Overview
- Birth: April 6, 1901
- Location: Turin, Italy
- Death: July 4, 1925
- Beatification: May 20, 1990
- Feast Day: July 4th
- Patron of: students, Catholic youth, mountain climbers, skiers, Dominican tertiaries
Early Life
Born into a prominent and affluent Italian family in 1901, Pier Giorgio Frassati was known from an early age for having a lively and boisterous temperament while being very sensitive and affectionate. He was an avid mountain climber and loved nature. Growing up, Frassati began to stand out from his family’s comfortable lifestyle in different aspects.
When he entered university, he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society and quickly became one of its most active members. In this organization, he was given opportunities to serve the poor and help the marginalized and those in need. Though from a wealthy family, Pier Giorgio chose to live simply and used his savings to help others. When offered gifts from family, Frassati asked for the cash so he could then give it to the poor.
Pier Giorgio also joined Catholic political organizations to fight for the working class and stand up against the injustice of fascism.
Legacy
In 1925, as he was nearing the end of his university coursework and approaching graduation, Pier Giorgio fell ill. He was diagnosed with polio, something that most likely contracted while serving the poor.
At his funeral, a large crowd filled with industrial workers, the unemployed, the poor, and the homeless all gathered around the church. His parents quickly began receiving story after story about their son’s impact on so many people, realizing the extent of his charity.
This past year, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, announced that Pier Giorgio could be declared a saint during the upcoming Jubilee year in 2025.
Blessed Frassati Prayer
Pray this prayer to seek the courage and humility of Pier Giorgio:
“Heavenly Father,
Give me the courage to strive for the highest goals,
to flee every temptation to be mediocre.
Enable me to aspire to greatness, as Pier Giorgio did,
and to open my heart with joy to Your call to holiness.
Free me from the fear of failure.
I want to be, Lord, firmly and forever united to You.
Grant me the graces I ask You through Pier Giorgio’s intercession,
by the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.”
(Source)
Blessed Frassati Quotes
- “In a world gone astray from God there is no peace, but it also lacks charity, which is true and perfect love.”
- “I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharist Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles.”
- “Come, and your every sacrifice will be repaid in heaven, because Jesus Christ promises that everything we do for the poor in His name, we do for Him. You do not want to deny Christ this love, He whose infinite love for humanity gave Himself to us in the sacrament of the Eucharist, as our Comforter and the Bread of Life.”
- “What wealth it is to be in good health, as we are! But we have the duty of putting our health at the service of those who do not have it. To act otherwise would be to betray the gift of God.”
- “I beg you to pray for me a little, so that God may give me an iron will that does not bend and does not fail in his projects.”
- “A Catholic cannot help but be happy; sadness should be banished from their souls. Suffering is not sadness, which is the worst disease. This disease is almost always caused by atheism, but the end for which we are created guides us along life’s pathway, which may be strewn with thorns, but is not sad. It is happy even through suffering.”
Patronage
- Frassati Catholic Church – Myrtle Beach, SC
- Frassati Chapel at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Chapel at Auburn University – Auburn, Alabama