Two young men, Carlo Acutis (1991–2006) and Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925), are to be canonized together in Rome on Sunday, September 7, 2025.
Both owe their “elevation to the glory of the altars” to two remarkable miracles officially recognized by the Church, too detailed to recount here.
Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati were originally scheduled to be canonized on separate dates. Pope Leo XIV decided to combine the ceremonies—not to make things easier, but to present holiness as an aspiration within reach for people from all walks of life, offering two men as examples of complete devotion to God and “watchers of the same dawn” in a world still shrouded in darkness.
A Programming Genius
Carlo Acutis was just 15 when sudden leukemia took his life. A professional programmer recalled, “I was amazed by his skill. At fifteen, he was at the same level as me, and I’ve published several books on programming used in universities and companies… He was incredibly intuitive.”
Born in London and raised in Milan, Carlo Acutis made the Eucharist the center of his life—his “highway to heaven,” his rocket—while making technology his launchpad.
He created a presentation on Eucharistic miracles that could convince even those most skeptical of faith. In the eyes of the Church, his greatest miracle was showing that holiness can be found in the rows of a university lecture hall, in reading a novel, visiting a hospice, or in the wonder of a mountaintop.
Today, he rests in Assisi, which had been his favorite vacation spot, and from where he continues to speak, like Saint Francis, the universal language of the joy of faith.
Reflecting on his life in the Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit, Pope Francis writes: “The digital world can expose you to the risks of withdrawal, isolation, or empty pleasure. But do not forget that there are young people who are also creative, and sometimes brilliant, in this environment. This was the case with the ‘Venerable Youth’ Carlo Acutis. He knew very well that the mechanisms of communication, advertising, and social media can make us passive… yet he did not fall into the trap. He saw that many young people, even if they seem different, end up looking very much alike… As Carlo said, ‘All men are born originals, but many die as photocopies.’ Do not let that happen to you!”
Frassati: “Verso l’Alto”
Pope John Paul II said of Pier Giorgio Frassati: “Even a brief look at his life, lived in just twenty-four years, is enough to see how he responded to Jesus Christ: the response of a young ‘modern’ man, engaged with culture, sports (a skilled mountaineer!), social issues, and the true values of life, while also a deeply faithful man, nourished by the Gospel, with a firm and coherent character, devoted to serving others and burning with a passionate charity that led him, as a matter of absolute priority, alongside the poor and the sick… Christianity is joy: Pier Giorgio radiated a remarkable joy, one that overcame many hardships in his life, because youth is always a time of testing. And so is death.”
Sometimes, you can glimpse the adult a child will become in the way they play. Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925) could try anything, yet nothing could stop him from following his mother’s advice. This integrity of character defined his life.
From Turin, the son of the owner of the newspaper La Stampa, an engineering student and passionate mountaineer, Pier Giorgio Frassati also quietly ventured into slums, backstreets, and hospital wards.
Full of life, yet a friend of the least fortunate, he was active in Catholic Action, the Congregation of Saint Vincent, and the Dominican Third Order. He died in 1925, at just 24, from a sudden case of polio, likely contracted during one of his visits to the sick.
As an adult, Frassati stood out for his commitment to the poor and his opposition to fascism. A passionate mountaineer, he founded the “Compagnie des Types Louches” (“Company of the Shady Types”), an association combining spirituality and social action. He declared, “Charity is not enough; we must also bring the poor to Christ,” a phrase that illustrates his desire to unite social work with evangelization. His personal motto, Verso l’Alto! (“Always higher!”), reflected both his love of the mountains—“a school of freedom and contemplation”—and his spiritual quest.
By canonizing these two figures together, the Church highlights the diversity of the call to holiness. It also subtly reminds us not to overlook new forms of renewal in favor of artificially extending approaches that have run their course. Their joint canonization sends a message to young people around the world: holiness is a universal calling.
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