By Emanuela Gitto, Lorenzo Zardi, and Father Michele Martinelli - The countdown to the canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati has begun, and it's already time to thank the many young people who over the years have come to know him and increasingly see him as a role model for their own journey of growth in faith. His life's testimony represents a model for so many who, through him, have glimpsed a viable and possible path to encounter the Lord, or, better yet, to allow themselves to be encountered by Him.
What, in 2025, is the meaning of a canonization? What significance does it have, not only for the Church? How will we experience this solemn moment as young people? The Church has not abandoned this practice, which, evidently, is not limited to a solemn and participatory liturgical rite. It is not the Christian version of awarding prizes to winners after a particularly challenging competition. Canonization is more like the official recognition of a victory already won: that of the risen Christ. And the new saints are those who have chosen to belong to his team. It's not about climbing onto the podium, but about continuing to take to the field, every day, to compete alongside those who face the challenges of poverty, exclusion, and loneliness.
It's not about getting on the podium, but about continuing to take the field
The decision to proclaim a saint a 24-year-old man, who throughout his life made service and commitment to charity his way of life, never forgetting the joy of youth, is indeed a beautiful challenge for and to the entire Church, because it helps us abandon the idea that holiness is a matter of perfect maturation of human abilities, helping us instead to express it in the authentic form of a free and passionate relationship with God, a journey of faith accessible to all. All we need is the courage to listen to the voice of God that resonates within us and around us.
As we've shared in recent articles, Pier Giorgio's life resonates deeply with today's youth, because in him we still perceive the desires and passions, along with the struggles we often encounter in our own search, which are also our own. And this makes him a credible and relatable model. Saints, like Pier Giorgio, truly become intercessors because they immerse themselves in the most diverse human circumstances with their unique personalities, offering bridges that can connect humanity with God and humanity with our brothers and sisters. For Pier Giorgio, "Prayer, action, sacrifice" was not just a motto, but the awareness of the mission of the lay faithful, a presence in the world imbued with the Gospel.
A historic moment that will echo the hope of thousands of young people
The recognition of Pier Giorgio's sainthood, along with that of Carlo Acutis, will represent a historic moment on September 7th, also because it will echo the hope of thousands of young people who participated in the Jubilee in the heart of summer. Together with Pope Leo, we prayed, sang, and recognized that "fragility is part of the wonder that we are," and that we are also "an existence that is constantly regenerated through giving."
Many young people today choose to give freely in a variety of ways, through membership, volunteering, and service. Through Catholic Action, Pier Giorgio felt that the commitment he had devoted himself to discreetly within his own home, developed through personal and community prayer, clearly required broader horizons. And so, too, we young people of Catholic Action today experience our living environments, school and university classrooms, workplaces, and public squares as places where we can fulfill our calling to higher things.
Invited to renew commitment to generating an inclusive culture
With Frassati Santo, we are invited to renew our commitment to creating an inclusive culture, capable of stopping violent hands and minds and of taking on the burdens of democracy in its constant gestation.
Pier Giorgio had the courage to inhabit a changing city, and in this he was truly a prophet for our social and cultural present. A prophet because he experienced change by changing. Living a youthful, lay spirituality today means learning to embrace complexity and change without simplifying or escaping into protected spaces, but rather developing a new culture, "disarmed and disarming," as the Pontiff would say, and passionate and enthralling, we might add.
Article published on Agensir on September 6, 2025