We all need superheroes. When I was 10 years old, my superhero was Hulk Hogan. I was a little Hulkamaniac. Hulk Hogan taught me to say my prayers, eat my vitamins, and love America. I still remember watching the Hulkster body slam Andre the Giant (who weighed 520 pounds!) at Wrestlemania III. It was the “body slam heard around the world.”
A couple of weeks ago, we had over 100 campers at Vacation Bible School on campus learning about our beautiful Catholic faith and having fun together. The theme of their activities revolved around the inspiration of the new modern-day saint, Pier Giorgio Frassati. He is quickly becoming one of the superheroes for young Catholics!
Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Turin, Italy, on April 6, 1901. Born into a prominent and wealthy family, Pier Giorgio could have easily lived a comfortable life. His mother was a painter, while his father was a founder and director of the newspaper, “La Stampa.” Pier Giorgio’s father was influential in Italian politics, holding positions as an Italian Senator and Ambassador to Germany.
Pier Giorgio’s parents were not religious. They did not understand and even disapproved of Pier Giorgio’s deep piety toward God. His world of prayer as a child revolved around the two poles of the Holy Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
At the age of 17, Pier Giorgio joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society and dedicated much of his spare time to serving the sick and the needy, caring for orphans, and assisting demobilized servicemen returning from World War I. Pier Giorgio studied mining engineering at a university in Turin so he could “serve Christ better among the miners,” as he told a friend.
Despite his privileged upbringing, Pier Giorgio lived frugally. He regularly gave away his money, shoes, and coats to those in need, often returning home on foot because he had given away his transit fare.
His vibrant spiritual life was nourished through daily Mass, the Rosary, and sometimes all-night Eucharistic Adoration. Pier Giorgio often sacrificed vacations at the Frassati summer home located outside of Turin because, as he said, “If everybody leaves Turin, who will take care of the poor?”
Pier Giorgio is also known for his great love for the outdoors, especially mountain climbing. He organized many outings in the mountains with his friends. His personal motto, “Verso l’Alto” (meaning “to the heights”), symbolized the challenging but rewarding climb toward holiness. This great “man of culture” loved the theater, opera, and visiting museums.
Just before receiving his university degree, Pier Giorgio contracted polio, which doctors later speculated he caught from the sick whom he tended. After six days of terrible suffering, Pier Giorgio died at the age of 24 on July 4, 1925.
Pier Giorgio’s funeral was a triumph. The streets of the city were lined with a multitude of mourners who were unknown to his family – the poor and the needy whom he had served so unselfishly for seven years. Many of the poor were surprised to learn that the saintly young man they knew had been the heir of the influential Frassati family.
On May 20, 1990, in St. Peter’s Square which was filled with thousands of people, Pope John Paul II beatified Pier Giorgio, calling him the “Man of the Eight Beatitudes.” Pope Leo XIV canonized Pier Giorgio Frassati, along with Carlo Acutis, on September 7, 2025.
As we celebrate the gift of summer, be sure to remain close to Christ and like Pier Giorgio Frassati, do all you can to make our Lord known and loved!
~Pier Giorgio Frassati, pray for us!