Two New Saints for Our Times: Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis

Today in Rome, the Church canonizes two remarkable young witnesses: Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis.

Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925), the “Man of the Beatitudes,” was a joyful student and mountaineer who spent his short life serving the poor and sick. His motto “Verso l’Alto”—“To the heights”—summed up his love of the mountains and his striving for God. His canonization was sealed by the Vatican’s recognition of a miracle: the healing of a woman in Italy with a grave lung condition, attributed to his intercession.

Carlo Acutis (1991–2006), the first millennial saint, used his computer skills to spread Eucharistic devotion, cataloguing miracles online. A normal teenager who loved football and games, he lived with extraordinary faith and charity. Two miracles were recognized through his prayers: the healing of a boy in Brazil with a pancreatic disorder, and a young woman in Costa Rica who suffered a severe head injury.

Their canonization reminds us that holiness is possible in every age, whether on mountain peaks or through the internet, in the 1920s or the 2000s.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, pray for us!