The waiting is over. On Nov. 20, 2024, Pope Francis ended his Wednesday audience with a surprise announcement: the upcoming canonizations of Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. What an appropriate way to create jubilation for the upcoming Jubilee 2025!   

Although the lives of these two young men both embody a deep love for the Eucharist, they have had quite different paths toward canonization. For Frassati, it has been a journey profoundly shaped by two jubilee years. 

One hundred years ago, Pier Giorgio was preparing to celebrate the Jubilee Year called by Pope Pius XI. During that Advent season, Pier Giorgio concentrated on reading the works of St. Augustine and had “grand” plans to move into the works of St. Thomas Aquinas — what he considered “delightful readings.”  

The Jubilee Year of 1925 held personal and professional uncertainty for Pier Giorgio. If all went well, he would finally finish his academic career and obtain his degree in mining engineering. He hoped to serve the poorest of the working class in the mines; but his father had expectations of him to work for the family-owned newspaper. The decision to renounce his feelings for a young lady in his inner circle of friends caused Pier Giorgio a degree of emotional turmoil. Meanwhile, his beloved sister was about to happily marry and move away as the wife of a successful diplomat.   

Reflecting on the year ahead of him, he expressed his innermost desire in a letter to his good friend Antonio Villani, written on Dec. 16, 1924:

“I hope with the Grace of God to continue along the path of Catholic Ideals and to be able one day, in whatever state God wills, to defend and propagate these rare and true things.”  

As it turned out, the state God willed for Pier Giorgio was a quite unexpected and shocking one. Midway through the Holy Year of 1925, he went home to the Lord, at the age of 24. And yet, for the past century, he has continued to defend and propagate Catholic ideals in a manner he never could have imagined. From the moment of his death until now, the name of Pier Giorgio Frassati calls to mind Eucharistic devotion and works of charity. For him, one was the natural extension of the other. He summed it up quite simply to a friend: “Jesus comes to me every day in Holy Communion. I repay Him in my miserable way by visiting the poor.”  

Pier Giorgio fell in love with Jesus at a young age. By the time he was 12, he had received permission to receive the Eucharist daily. This practice had only recently been encouraged by Pope Pius X in his decree Quam Singulari. Mr. Frassati was not a churchgoer; Mrs. Frassati was a somewhat minimal Catholic. Clearly, it was not his parents’ faith, but rather his love for Jesus, that compelled Pier Giorgio to keep his daily appointment with our Eucharistic Lord.  

Faith builds on faith. It wasn’t long before Pier Giorgio began spending long hours before the Blessed Sacrament, becoming a regular member of nocturnal adoration organizations. He invited his friends to join him. He found creative ways to involve them in his Eucharistic-centered life. Who knew that a pool-playing prowess could be an effective tool for evangelization!   

Endless hours of service to the needy of Turin soon followed. He invited his friends to join him on missions to the most squalid parts of town with the reminder: “Jesus Christ has promised that all we do for the poor for Love of Him, He will consider it as having been done to Himself.” 

Despite his extraordinary virtue, it was Pier Giorgio’s ordinariness that attracted people to him, both then and now. Those who share a devotion to Blessed Frassati find him relatable in so many ways. He was a mostly mediocre student, an incredible multisport athlete, a loyal son and brother, a practical joker, a faithful friend, a devout and courageous Catholic. He was humble and fun and energetic and compassionate. He drank coffee and ate chocolate and smoked a pipe. He loved his many pets. He wrote letters, recited poetry and sang out of tune. No doubt it would have surprised him that he touched the lives of thousands who filled the streets for his funeral and millions who now consider him a spiritual friend. 

Soon, Pope Francis will open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica and officially begin the Jubilee Year of 2025. Unlike 1925, this Jubilee Year holds much certainty for Pier Giorgio Frassati. On Aug. 3, he will be elevated to the height of sanctity. From this new state, he will certainly continue to defend and propagate those rare and true things he held so dear. Exalted as a banner for Catholic youth and Catholics of all ages, he will draw all to a deeper relationship with the sacraments and a life of service. As the theme of this Jubilee Year reminds us, we are pilgrims of hope. And with saints like Pier Giorgio Frassati, hope surely springs eternal.   

 

Christine M. Wohar is the founder of FrassatiUSA and author of Finding Frassati and Following His Path to Holiness.