Most people are drawn to a saint for their moving story or their patronage. John Cardillo, 21, a senior at The Catholic University of America, was drawn to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati because of a photo. 

But not just any photo — a photo of Frassati standing on top of a mountain smoking a pipe. 

“I remember seeing this really cool photo … and I just thought, ‘Wow, that’s a really cool guy,’” Cardillo, a computer science major from Annapolis, Maryland, told the Register.

“That next summer, I started to just look into him a bit and learn more about him. I was definitely interested in the mountaineering aspect and his example of how to be a man.” 

In recent years, Frassati has gained popularity with many young people, particularly young-adult men.

But they are not drawn primarily by his pipe-smoking habits or mountaineering endeavors. 

Attracted to his love for the outdoors, devotion to the Eucharist and service to the poor, many young men look to the Church’s newest saint for inspiration and encouragement in their own lives. 

Frassati, born in 1901 in Turin, Italy, died at the young age of 24, after contracting polio, 100 years ago this July. A Third Order Dominican, the young Frassati was known for his radical service to the poor, dedication to the Catholic faith and his love of God’s creation. 

Pope John Paul II beatified Frassati in 1990, declaring him the patron of World Youth Days and extolling him as a “Man of the Beatitudes.”

In November 2024, Pope Francis announced that Frassati would be canonized in summer 2025, during the Jubilee of Hope pilgrimage for young adults in August. 

Young people across the world were elated when they heard the news, posting pictures and Frassati quotes on social media to celebrate. For young college men, Frassati’s canonization meant that their intercessor, role model and spiritual friend would receive the recognition he has long deserved. 

A Relatable Saint 

Jacob Spurgeon, 20, first heard about Frassati in high school. 

But it wasn’t until Spurgeon arrived at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, that a devotion emerged.

Franciscan students participate in “households,” distinct communities that partake in various activities together, under the patronage of a particular saint. Spurgeon was placed in the Frassati household. 

“As part of my formation for my household, I had to read his biography,” Spurgeon, a sophomore philosophy major from Bowie, Maryland, told the Register. “Something that struck me about Frassati was his deep love for creation and the outdoors and how that helped him to love everybody. Reading that changed my perspective of the world so as to view creation and all people as a gift and to love accordingly.” 

Spurgeon began reading more and more about the young saint-to-be, continuously being moved by Frassati’s deep spirituality. 

“One of the unique things about Frassati was his love of nature, the outdoors and sports that anchored him in his spirituality,” Spurgeon said. “It was a way for him to connect with creation, and through creation he was able to come to find and to know God in a deeper way.” 

Like Spurgeon, Donald Gerle, 21, a junior philosophy and psychology major from Denver who attends Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, grew up hearing stories about Frassati. But it was not until he began his freshman year and faced the challenges of college that he came to develop a devotion to the young saint. 

“When I began college, I was hit with the question of: ‘What does it really mean to be a young adult in the world and not of the world, and how do I strike this beautiful balance of being a personable person and being a holy person and cultivating an authentic joy?’” Gerle recalled to the Register.  

“So I looked to Frassati for help.” 

Recalling the Frassati stories that he heard in high school and middle school, Gerle began learning more about the saint, asking for his intercession and modeling his own life after Frassati’s. 

“Frassati really showed through his life that doing God’s will and being who you are, are one in the same thing,” Gerle said. “One of my favorite Frassati stories is he would make bets with people at bars and would hustle pool, saying that if you beat him, he would pay $100. But if you lose, you would have to go to adoration with him at the end of the night.”

While that story is a fun anecdote Gerle likes to share with friends, it is not what drew ultimately him to Frassati. 

“Frassati was a normal kid. He climbed; he rode horses; he hiked; he laughed, he swam; he hung out with his friends,” Gerle said, in addition to playing pool. “It was through that simplicity that the Lord was able to work through him.” 

Sainthood Is Attainable

Stories about bar evangelization, climbing mountains and swimming with friends draw many young men to Frassati’s story. 

For these guys, Frassati epitomizes what it means to be a Catholic man and that anybody can be a saint.

“I think it’s very easy to look at the Church and sometimes fall into the line of thinking that sainthood is only for the clergy, religious or those that are martyred,” Cardillo said. “So often I think that sainthood is unattainable for everyday members of the Church like me, but Frassati shows that sainthood can be for everybody.” 

Especially in a secular age, that reminder is critical. Though these college students attend faithful Catholic schools, they still face secular pressures — and Frassati provides a model for overcoming these struggles. 

“There is an ever-growing problem of purity on college campuses, so it is undeniably beneficial to have a figure that has lived so close to us to be a model purity for those in the Church,” Spurgeon said. “Frassati consecrated himself to the Lord and went on mission for others. He is just a good example of what it means to love well and what it means to be a man, which is, unfortunately, lacking in college culture.” 

For Cardillo, Frassati has encouraged him to cultivate a deep devotion and love for the Eucharist. 

“I was drawn to Frassati’s devotion to the Eucharist. He was a daily communicant, which was rare at the time,” Cardillo said. “Now, I try to attend daily Mass at CUA; and at every Mass, I ask for Frassati’s intercession, that this reception of the Eucharist would make me poor in all parts of my life.” 

“For Frassati, the Eucharist was the source of all of his good works, all of his charity,” he added. 

Ultimately, Frassati exemplified what it meant to live the Christian life joyfully, an example that is much needed today. 

“Frassati example opens up sainthood to young adults,” Gerle said. “He was 24; and everybody in the Church now sees him as a great saint. He modeled the Christian life well; he had such joy and so much happiness that you get through the Eucharist and a deep union with Christ.” 

‘In the World but Not of It’

All three men agreed that Frassati modeled Christ’s commandment to “be in the world, but not of the world” in an attractive and relatable way. 

“I never heard of a saint who wanted to really just leave all aspects of his life for Christ and to be so in the world but not of the world,” Spurgeon said. “Learning more about Frassati has helped me develop this same love for the outdoors, for the Eucharist and for the poor.” 

Gerle too has found himself trying to model Frassati’s example, especially regarding outreach to the poor. 

“I love homeless ministry,” Gerle said. “I do it with Christ in the City or different organizations. But then, whenever I see a homeless person, I’ll give them money, and I’ll always pray with them. I think learning about Frassati has really encouraged me in this.” 

Modeling one’s life after Frassati’s has led these guys to focus on disconnecting from the digital realm to embrace nature, too. 

“Today, we are very drawn into always being plugged in and being on our tech,” Cardillo said. “Seeing Frassati’s love for the outdoors is so edifying, and it reminds you of the importance of connecting with God through nature in a way that you cannot through a video game, a television show or a movie.” 

For these men and their peers, Frassati models how to live an authentic Christian life and the joy that following Christ can bring.  

“Frassati shows that in following Christ and allowing him to enter into your life, you truly become who you are; you become the absolute best version of yourself, and you don’t compromise anything that is essential to the person you are,” Gerle said. “Through his witness, he shows that by taking up your cross and you following Christ, you become this, this beacon of joy and of hope.”