Pier Giorgio Frassati

“Verso L’Alto” - A Message That Resonates Across Centuries

In an age when young people face unprecedented challenges ranging from social media pressures to mental health crises, environmental anxiety, and the search for genuine purpose, the Church prepares to canonise a young man whose brief yet luminous life offers meaningful solutions to modern struggles. Pier Giorgio Frassati will be canonised on 7 September 2025, marking a century since his death and reaffirming what many young Catholics worldwide already understand: this 24-year-old from Turin speaks directly to their hearts.

The Enduring Appeal of an “Explosion of Joy”

Frassati’s friends called him “an explosion of joy,” and this description captures why he resonates so powerfully with contemporary youth. In Northern Italy, where he was born and lived, his memory remains vibrant. In Cuneo, the Sacro Cuore parish oratory and works are dedicated to him, affectionately known as “la Frass,” demonstrating his continued relevance in his homeland.

Recent surveys reveal alarming trends among youth, with many choosing to leave their homeland, reflecting a crisis of confidence and hope. In this context, Frassati’s example becomes even more compelling. He chose to remain in Turin, famously saying, “If everybody leaves Turin, who will take care of the poor?”

A Saint for the Digital Age

What makes Frassati especially relevant to today’s youth? His appeal crosses denominational and cultural borders, as shown by the worldwide reaction to news of his upcoming canonisation. Young people around the globe celebrated the announcement by sharing pictures and Frassati quotes on social media, illustrating how effortlessly his message resonates on digital platforms.

College students like John Cardillo, 21, are attracted to Frassati not by pious imagery but through genuine photographs, such as the well-known shot of him “standing on top of a mountain smoking a pipe.” “I just thought, ‘Wow, that’s a cool guy,’“ Cardillo explained. This reaction demonstrates how Frassati’s authentic humanity breaks through the polished perfection that dominates social media.

Addressing Contemporary Challenges

Young people today face mental health crises exacerbated by social media use. 48% of teens say social media has a mostly adverse effect on people their age, and 45% say they spend too much time on these platforms. Against this backdrop, Frassati offers an alternative model of engagement and fulfilment.

Authentic Relationships Over Virtual Connections: While social media can foster isolation and comparison, Frassati demonstrated how to build genuine community. He organised mountain trips that combined physical adventure with occasions for prayer and faith conversations, showing how shared experiences create lasting bonds.

Purpose Beyond Self: In an age of existential anxiety, Frassati provides a clear answer to the question “What should I do with my life?”“Frassati shows that anybody can be a saint,” explains one young admirer. “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.”

Joy Despite Challenges: Pope Francis noted that Frassati “was a young man filled with a joy that swept everything along with it, a joy that overcame many difficulties in his life.” This joy wasn’t naive optimism but was grounded in faith and service to others—a powerful antidote to contemporary cynicism.

Inspiration for Today’s Youth: Five Key Lessons

1. Embrace Your Ordinary Life as Extraordinary

Frassati was considered extraordinary in his “ordinariness” and is a great role model for “ordinary people” who strive to live their everyday lives to the fullest. In a culture obsessed with fame and viral moments, Frassati shows that holiness is found in daily fidelity, not spectacular achievements.

2. Live “Verso L’Alto” - Always Toward the Heights

On his final climb, Frassati wrote “Verso L’Alto” (To the Heights) on a photograph. This phrase has become a motto for Catholics inspired by Frassati to strive for the summit of eternal life with Christ. For young people struggling with direction, this simple phrase offers both aspiration and method: always aim higher, whether in spiritual life, career goals, or personal relationships.

3. Find Joy in Service, Not Consumption

In an economy that promises happiness through consumption, Frassati demonstrated lasting joy through giving. He was notable for providing literally everything he had to the poor, even using his bus fare for charity and then running home to be on time for meals. This radical generosity offers young people a different path to fulfilment than accumulating experiences or possessions.

4. Integrate Faith with Real Life

As his sister noted, “Catholic social teaching could never remain simply a theory with Pier Giorgio.” He set his faith concretely into action through political activism during the Fascist period. For young Catholics navigating secular universities and workplaces, Frassati demonstrates how faith can enhance rather than restrict engagement with the world.

Continuing Influence Through Catholic Action

Frassati’s impact on youth in Northern Italy extends through the organisations he helped establish and inspire. He was deeply involved in Catholic Action and the Italian Catholic University Federation (FUCI), structures that continue to form young Catholics throughout Italy. When Pope Francis met with young parish leaders of Italian Catholic Action in 2022, he specifically highlighted Frassati as an example of how to be a “responsible credible young believer,” noting that Frassati“ was an active and enthusiastic member of the Italian Catholic Action, and who showed us how to be a responsible, credible young believer.”

The Cardinal Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints emphasized this continuity, noting that “In Piergiorgio’s holiness there is a value of continuity with the tradition of his land: he was grafted into the work of defending the faith, through the charity lavished in the field of marginalization.” This connection to the “social saints” tradition of Turin alongside Don Giovanni Bosco and Don Giuseppe Cottolengo shows how Frassati represents not just individual sanctity but a regional charism of social engagement rooted in faith.

A Speech to Young People That Resonates Today

Frassati’s 1923 speech to the youth of Pollone reveals his understanding of the role young people play in challenging times. Speaking during the rise of fascism, he told them: “The times which we are going through are difficult, because persecution against the Church rages as cruelly as ever. But you fearless and good young people, do not be afraid because of this small problem.” His message to hold high the flag that “represents the most beautiful patrimony of our Italy and the civilised world” speaks to contemporary youth facing their own cultural challenges.

This speech demonstrates Frassati’s ability to inspire courage without minimising real difficulties, a particularly relevant message for young people in Northern Italy today, who face economic uncertainty and cultural secularisation.

Looking Forward: The Canonisation and Beyond

The canonisations of both Frassati and Carlo Acutis “aim to inspire young Catholics to see holiness as accessible and relevant.” Catholic Action Italy emphasised Frassati’s ability to counter apathy with dynamic engagement: “His rule of life, ‘to get involved,’ is a call against indifference, a way to connect with the world through faith and action.”

As the Church prepares for this historic moment, Frassati’s message remains urgently needed. In a world where young people often feel overwhelmed by global challenges; climate change, political polarisation, economic uncertainty Frassati offers a different approach: start where you are, with the people around you, and work “verso l’alto.”

Conclusion:

Piergiorgio Frassati’s life demonstrates that joy, purpose, and authentic community are not only possible but are the natural result of living “verso l’alto”; always toward the heights. His canonisation in 2025 will not only celebrate a young man who died a century ago; it will also commemorate a life that has been revered for generations. Still, it will also offer contemporary youth a roadmap for navigating the challenges of the 21st century with faith, hope, and that unmistakable “explosion of joy” that marked his brief but luminous life.

In Frassati, young people find not a distant figure from another era, but a companion for the journey—someone who understands the struggles of youth and offers not mere sympathy but a proven path to joy and meaning. As they face an uncertain future, his message remains clear and compelling: Look up, aim high, and remember that every mountain can be climbed, every challenge overcome, when we journey “verso l’alto”—always toward the heights.