Memorial of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati -July 4th

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati 1901-1925

Also known as the Man of the Eight Beatitudes, Pier was born to a rich and politically influential family; his mother was the painter Adelaide Ametis; his father was an agnostic, the founder and editor of the liberal newspaper "La Stampa", and became the Italian ambassador to Germany.

A pious youth, average student, outstanding athlete and mountain climber, he was extremely popular with his peers, known by the nickname "Terror" due to his practical jokes. He was tutored at home for years with his younger sister Luciana. He studied minerology in an engineering program after graduating high school. He worked often with Catholic groups like Apostleship of Prayer and the Company of the Most Blessed Sacrament that ministered to the poor and promoted Eucharistic adoration, Marian devotion, and personal chastity.


He became involved in political groups like the Young Catholic Workers Congress, the Popular Party, the Catholic Student Federation, Catholic Action and Milites Mariae that supported the poor, opposed Fascism and worked for the Church's social teachings. Dominican tertiary in 1922, taking the name Girolamo. He spent his fortune on the needy and visited the sick; during this ministry he contracted the disease that killed him.

After his death, thousands of people flooded the streets of Turin to celebrate Pier Giorgio's life. Many of his family members were amazed at the outpouring of affection towards their son, who often times did his charitable acts in secret. Pier Giorgio was a great inspiration to our late Holy Father John Paul the Great, who beatified Pier Giorgio in 1990. Pier Giorgio remains a popular saint, with many Frassati Societies popping up all over the world. He has also been a patron of World Youth Day's. His sister, Luciana, is still alive and continues to champion the cause for Pier Giorgio's canonization.