On September 7, 2025, Blessed Carlo Acutis, a relic of whom was in our diocese in 2024, and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who has been referred to as a patron of athletes and an inspiration to youth, will be canonized together by Pope Leo XIV, “who has made the choice to enroll among the number of the saints two young men from different eras who led completely different lives, but who are nonetheless united in their love for Christ and their ability to impart that love to those whose lives they touched.”
Read the Vatican News article here:
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-06/carlo-acutis-and-pier-giorgio-frassati-to-be-canonized-together.html
“All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies.”
Carlo Acutis died in 2006, at age 15. He was declared Blessed by Pope Francis on Oct. 10, 2020.
“To always be close to JESUS, that’s my life plan.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis was a computer enthusiast … some would say, a genius with technology. Not unusual for a teenaged boy. What set Carlo apart from a very young age was his devotion to his faith, especially the Eucharist. His mother tells of his dedication in attending daily Mass and exposition, a steadfast practice that eventually encouraged his ‘Christmas and Easter’ family to engage more fully in their faith journeys as well.
The Eucharist, he said, was his ‘highway to Heaven.’ He employed the information highway and his genius to share his devotion and knowledge of the faith. He built websites, created comics, developed computer software and volunteered with the elderly and the poor. He lived and shared our Catholic faith with people of all ages the world over, providing invitation and sustenance for for those seeking hope, knowledge, and belonging in the Kingdom of God.
For more, visit: https://carloacutis-en.org/
Pier Giorgio Frassati was a member of the Dominican Laity, “who was called a “man of the Eight Beatitudes by St. John Paul II. He has inspired countless people worldwide, especially the youth. One of his biographers called him a “Daredevil Athlete, Roguish Prankster, Unrelenting Activist and Unexpected Mystic”! That is the kind of personality that can truly inspire people with diverse backgrounds.”
– from the Letter of the Master of the Order on the Canonization
https://www.op.org/letter-of-the-master-of-the-order-on-the-canonisation-of-pier-giorgio-frassati/
Pier Giorgio died at age 24 in 1925. During his young life he was known for celebrating and reaching for heights both physically and spiritually. He was an avid mountain climber and athlete, supporter of charities, and an enthusiastic witness of the faith.
On Nov. 24, 2024, Pope Francis recognized the healing of a young seminarian in Los Angeles, California, as a miracle of Pier Giorgio Frassati. The seminarian had injured his leg playing basketball and was awaiting surgery, when following a novena to Blessed Pier Giorgio his injury was healed.
For more, visit: https://www.op.org/pier-giorgio-frassati-op/
