Pier Giorgio Frassati

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4 July
Patronage

Pier Giorgio Frassati (6 April 1901 – 4 July 1925) was an Italian

Catholic social justice issues and joined several charitable organizations, including Catholic Action and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul,[4] to better aid the poor and less fortunate living in his hometown of Turin; he put his own pious beliefs into practice to cater to their needs and was best known for his devotion and amiable character.[5][6]

Frassati was an avid

mountaineer who often climbed with his friends; he was an able swimmer and athlete best known for engaging in such social activities with a range of like-minded friends.[7] His charitable outreach towards others knew no bounds for he identified with and aided the poor and ill from his childhood. His social status granted him greater freedom in aiding others who needed it most.[8]

His cause for canonization opened in 1932 after the Turin poor made several pleas for such a cause to open. Pope Pius XII suspended the cause in 1941 due to a range of allegations later proven to be false, which allowed for the cause to resume. Pope John Paul II beatified Frassati in May 1990 and dubbed him the "Man of the Eight Beatitudes".[2] He is set to be canonized in 2025.[9]

Life

Pier Giorgio Frassati was born on 6 April 1901 –

King Victor Emmanuel III purchase some of her works. His paternal grandparents were Pietro Frassati and Giuseppina Coda Canati.[6]

Frassati's inclinations to help others had manifested in his childhood. There was one occasion as a child when he answered the door to find a mother begging with her son who was shoeless. His response was to take off his shoes and give them to the child.[8] In 1909 his father refused to help a man who came to their door because he was drunk. The sobbing Frassati told his mother of this and she instructed him to find the man and bring him to the home for something to eat.[7] His first confession was heard at the church of Corpus Christi on 20 June 1910, and he received his First Communion on 19 June 1911; he received his Confirmation in his parish church on 10 June 1915.[2][6]

Frassati was known as the "Terror" due to his fondness for practical jokes though they were in good taste.

He was an average student in school, though Frassati was known among his peers for his intelligence and more so for his devotion. He failed his exams in 1913 so was sent for private studies at a school run by the Jesuits.

Frassati was dedicated to works of social action that would unite people together in fellowship as a means of combating inequalities. He was an opponent of

Apostolato di preghiera and Catholic Action (joined in 1919) to which he dedicated himself.[5]

Frassati also became a professed member of the

Dominic of Osma, in which he assumed the religious name of "Girolamo" in honour of Girolamo Savonarola. He was also devoted to the teachings of Thomas Aquinas and Catherine of Siena. The teachings of Paul the Apostle
also inspired him and that saint is mentioned in a range of Frassati's letters.

He often said: "Charity is not enough; we need social reform".

Saint Vincent de Paul group in 1918 and spent much of his time helping the poor and less fortunate. In 1918 he began his studies in engineering so he could become a mining engineer since he wanted to do this in order "to serve Christ better among the miners".[8] Upon his graduation his father offered him either a car or a sizable fund though he chose the latter so he could give it to the poor rather than use it for himself. He also provided a bed for a tuberculosis sufferer on one occasion as well as supporting the three children of an ill widow and finding a place for an evicted woman. During the course of his studies, he found himself attracted to a girl due to her candor and goodness which impressed him. He never dated her since he was apprehensive of whether or not his parents would approve of her. This prompted him to renounce such an undertaking for a relationship as he confided to his sister.[7]

His talents seemed to be limitless for he was an avid

Dante passages with relative ease. Frassati was a member of the Club Alpino Italiano and climbed mountains such as the Grand Tournalin and Monte Viso.[6] He also frequented theatres and museums with friends whenever he had the chance. But, he only saw films at the cinema after learning of that film's moral qualities, since he disliked those things of a vulgar and impure nature.[7]
He did learn how to dance, though never liked it so much as he often noted. He also knew German as well as French.

Frassati mountaineers
Frassati climbers at Rocca Sella (1924)

On 30 June 1925, while boating with two friends on the

poliomyelitis which exacerbated his fatigue. This fatigue prompted him to ask for a morphine
shot so he could sleep easier; however, the doctor and his mother believed the shot to be imprudent, and Frassati relented.

He gave his final instructions to his sister as his condition worsened and it became apparent that he would soon die.

cortege passed out of the reverence felt for him among the people he had helped. He was buried in the Frassati plot at the Pollone Cimitero. His remains were later transferred to the Turin Cathedral in 1981 and, upon later inspection, were found to be incorrupt.[8][6]

Beatification

Frassati's resting place in the Turin Cathedral

The poor of Turin began to petition the Archbishop of Turin to begin the cause for Frassati's canonization. The cause commenced on 2 July 1932 for a thorough examination of Frassati's life in an informative process that later concluded on 23 October 1935 after collecting a range of documentation and witness testimonies (Cardinal Maurilio Fossati oversaw this process in his role as archbishop). Frassati's writings were also collected for examination to ensure no doctrinal breaches were present since that would impede the cause to a significant degree; theologians cleared them on 21 December 1938.[10]

A grave setback to the cause came in 1941 after

Venerable on 23 October 1987 after Pope John Paul II authorized a decree confirming that Frassati had lived a model Christian life of heroic virtue
.

A single miracle - often a healing medicine and science cannot explain - was needed for his beatification. The miracle investigated was the cure of Domenico Sellan (1893 - c. 1968) in late 1933 who suffered from grave tuberculosis. A priest visited him on 28 December 1933 to bring him a relic and a picture of Frassati for his intercession. Sellan was healed of the disease and lived for over three more decades in perfect health.

Saint Peter's Square
on 20 May 1990.

The current postulator for this cause is the Jesuit priest Pascual Cebollada Silvestre.

Posthumous recognition

Frassati is the eponym and patron of the Frassati Catholic Academy in

Scarborough area of Toronto in Canada.[12]

Pier Giorgio Frassati is the patron of

Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma, and the school awards the "Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Award" to its students who have performed a high level of service to others.[13]

Frassati Australia - based in

charitable outreach. At the present time, there are at least three Frassati Houses in Brisbane and around twelve men in these houses.[14]

Christendom College in Front Royal Virginia, a catholic liberal arts college, has hosted the Frassati Invitational rugby tournament annually, since 2016.[15]

Papal recognition

In 1989 John Paul II visited his tomb and paid honor to him calling him the "Man of the Eight Beatitudes". Pope Benedict XVI called upon adolescents in 2010 to follow the example of Frassati to "... discover that it is worth to commit oneself for God ... to respond to His call in the fundamental decisions" throughout one's life.[7]

Pope Francis venerated Frassati's remains in November 2015 while visiting Turin.

World Youth Day

Frassati's remains have been moved from their resting place in Turin twice, for two occasions of World Youth Day, with one being in Sydney in 2008, and the other in Kraków in 2016.

Canonization

On April 27th, 2024, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, announced during the 18th National Assembly of Italian Catholic Action that the canonization of Frassati had been cleared. His canonization date has been slated for sometime in 2025, a jubilee year.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Pier Giorgio Frassati, non-clerical layman". Vatican Insider. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati". Saints SQPN. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Saint of the Day: Pier Giorgio Frassati". The Dialog. Catholic News Service. 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2021-07-04.[dead link]
  4. ^ "Brief Biography of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati".
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-89870-861-5
    .
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "A Saint on Skis". Frassati USA. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Spiritual Newsletter". Abbey of Saint-Joseph de Clairval. 15 January 1998. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Pier Giorgio Frassati – Vincentian Encyclopedia". Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  9. ^ Palmucci, Agnese (2024-04-27). "Frassati sarà fatto santo nell'anno del Giubileo". Azione Cattolica Italiana (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  10. ^ Index ac status causarum beatificationis servorum dei et canonizationis beatorum (in Latin). Typis polyglottis vaticanis. January 1953. p. 190.
  11. ^ "Frassati Catholic Academy > Home". Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Toronto Catholic District School Board". Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School: Christian Service". Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  14. ^ "FRASSATI AUSTRALIA". Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Christendom College". 10 March 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  16. ^ Palmucci, Agnese (2024-04-27). "Frassati sarà fatto santo nell'anno del Giubileo". Azione Cattolica Italiana (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-04-27.
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