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Two New Saints
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Pope Leo XIV canonizes Pier Giorgio Frassati
and Carlo Acutis on Sept. 7-
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Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims from the popemobile after celebrating the canonization Mass of Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Sept. 7, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
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Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati are pictured in a combination photo. The Vatican announced June 13, 2025, that the canonization ceremony for Blessed Acutis and Blessed Frassati will take place Sept. 7. (OSV News photo/courtesy Sainthood Cause of Carlo Acutis and CNS files)
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80,000 people gather in Saint Peter's Square
At the first canonization Mass of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV proclaimed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati saints, praising their devotion to the Eucharist, prayer and serving the poor.
The pope urged the faithful, especially young people, to follow their examples and live the great "adventure" of following God's plan.
"Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upward and make them masterpieces," the pope said Sept. 7.
"The simple but winning formula of their holiness," he said, is accessible to everyone at any time. "They encourage us with their words: 'Not I, but God,' as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: 'If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end.'"
Source: USCCB, Carol Glatz
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Watch the canonizations
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Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for the canonizations of Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis Sept. 7, 2025. A tapestry with the image of Carlo Acutis hangs from St. Peter’s Basilica during the liturgy. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
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Meet the Church's newest saints!
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Saint Pier Giorgio FrassatiSt. Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) was an Italian young person who was affectionately called the "Man of the Beatitudes" by Saint John Paul II for his exemplary work of bringing comfort and happiness to those who were poor, suffering, meek, hungry, thirsty, and in need of mercy, and who was himself clean of heart, a peacemaker, and persecuted for the sake of the Gospel (cf. Mt 5:3-10).
Pier Giorgio was engaged in the life of the Church through regular worship and adoration, service to the poor and marginalized, advocacy for social justice for the disenfranchised and for religious liberty, regular participation in student and sports activities, devotion to his family, and joyful companionship with his friends and fellow Catholics in his community.
He saw many parallels between Catholic life and his favorite pastime sport, mountain-climbing. He would regularly organize trips into the mountains with his close friends with occasions for prayer, liturgies, and conversations about faith on the way up to or down from the summit.
After what would become his final climb he wrote a simple note on a photograph: "Verso L'Alto", which means "to the heights." This phrase has since come to encapsulate his philosophy of mountaineering and his Catholic outlook on life and adventure
He died at the young adult age of 24 while in charitable service to the people who were sick and dying in his community.
For years, Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati has been a significant global patron for youth, young adults, athletes, and "ordinary people" - and has a special place in the hearts of many young people across the United States and around the world. His example of Gospel living continues to inspire people a century after his death. -
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Pilgrims visit the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome July 31, 2025, where the relics of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati have been brought for the Jubilee of Youth. Banners inside the basilica feature images and quotes from the blessed, whose casket containing his remains were brought from his tomb in Turin for veneration. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)
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Italian Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati was a struggling student who excelled in mountain climbing. He had complete faith in God and persevered through college, dedicating himself to helping the poor and supporting church social teaching.
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Saint Carlo AcutisBorn in London in 1991 and raised in Milan, Saint Carlo Acutis spent most of his vacation time in Assisi, where his family owned another home. Just as he was very active in his parish and Jesuit-run high school in Milan, he also dedicated himself to the church community in Assisi, learning about St. Francis and being inspired by the saint's respect for creation and dedication to the poor, according to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints' website.
Saint Carlo was devoted to Mary, recited the rosary daily, helped the poor and homeless, edited and ran the website of the parish of Santa Maria Segreta in Milan, where he also taught catechism and prepared children for confirmation, and organized the website of the Pontifical Academy "Cultorum Martyrum."
Saint Carlo died of leukemia in 2006 at age 15.
Source: USCCB: Carol Glatz -
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A woman prays at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the Shrine of the Renunciation in Assisi, Italy, Aug. 21, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
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A sculpture of Blessed Carlo Acutis kneeling at the foot of the crucified Christ is seen in Assisi, Italy, Aug. 21, 2025, after a rainstorm. The bronze work titled "St. Carlo at the Cross" is by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
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Read about Saint Carlo Acutis in the August/September issue of Pittsburgh Catholic magazine
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Relic of Saint Carlo Acutis
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The new saint inspires diocesan faithfulBy Theresa Breitenbach
When Nikki Derr taught her CCD students in Bethel Park about Blessed Carlo Acutis, she
witnessed their admiration for a young Italian saint-to-be who shared many of their
interests, including sports and technology.
“Our new generation needs relatable saints,” said Nikki, who taught at Saint Valentine Church of Our Lady of Hope Parish. “I would always tell his story when we talked about the
Eucharist. It resonated with so many of my students.”
She had expected to celebrate his canonization on April 27, 2025. Instead, the Church mourned the death of Pope Francis six days earlier. Pope Leo XIV has rescheduled the date for
September 7, when he will also canonize Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, another young Italian who devoted his life to serving God and his neighbor. No matter what is happening in the
Church and the world, Blessed Carlo offers a profound example of deep faith and devotion to the Eucharist.
Carlo was born in England on May 3, 1991, to Italian parents who later moved to Milan. As a child, he loved football, Pokémon, animals, and action movies. He dressed as SpiderMan for Halloween and read comic books.
After his nanny introduced him to Catholicism he was devoted to the Eucharist, attending daily Mass and frequenting eucharistic adoration. His parents were not practicing Catholics, but Carlo would beg them to come to Mass with him.
They grew in faith from his example. His knack for technology made him a whiz at building websites. Carlo used his gifts to bring others to faith, creating a website that chronicled eucharistic miracles and approved Marian apparitions.
Though Carlo used digital technology, he did not let it control him. He restricted himself to one hour of video games per week, so that he could prioritize serving people in need.
In October 2006, Carlo developed symptoms resembling severe flu. To everyone’s shock, he was diagnosed with acute leukemia and given days to live. He never complained, but offered up his suffering for Pope Benedict XVI, the Church, and for his own salvation.
“I am happy to die because I lived my life without wasting even a minute of it on anything unpleasing to God,” he said.
Carlo was 15 when he died on October 12, 2006.
Nikki has also surrendered to Blessed Carlo a heartfelt personal prayer: her brother Inigo’s conversion from atheism.
They grew up in the Philippines, but in 2018 Nikki moved to the U.S., where she and her husband, Mike, are now parents to Christina, 4, and Nathan, 2.
When Nikki’s family visited from the Philippines, they had the opportunity to pray in their home
with Auxiliary Bishop William Waltersheid’s first-class relic of Blessed Carlo’s hair.
As they prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet, each person venerated the relic. To Nikki’s shock, Inigo joined them.
In that moment, she later learned, Inigo had prayed firstly that her son would be healed of a debilitating allergy; and secondly, for a new job. Shortly after returning to the Philippines, Inigo found that new job. Nikki credits Blessed Carlo for her brother’s new receptivity to the faith and
continues to pray for his full conversion.
“Carlo has already stepped up, by the fact that my brother prayed for my son on top of his own needs,” Nikki said.
Bishop Waltersheid considers Blessed Carlo a special friend in heaven. At parishes across the diocese, he shares an exhibit of the eucharistic miracles that Blessed Carlo documented.
Seeing how awed parishioners are, he hopes it will inspire them to follow Blessed Carlo’s example.
“He knew that evangelization happens person to person, from heart to heart,” Bishop Waltersheid said. “He recognized that evangelization is getting people back to the sacraments
and having a real, personal encounter with Jesus Christ.”
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Honoring the Saints in Our Schools
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Lit FestOur 2025 Diocese of Pittsburgh Lit Fest welcomed over 800 students from 23 of our K-8 schools. The Diocese of Pittsburgh Lit Fest was created to bring our Catholic school students together to celebrate stories that reflect our faith and community. Students in grades 4-8 across the diocese were invited to read and participate in this year's festival.
Students in 7th and 8th grades convened at Resurrection Parish and Ave Maria Academy to challenge older students, participating in a game of Kahoot, presenting student-led broadcasts, and diving more deeply into both history and faith. Their reading list was as ambitious as it was inspiring: Shadows in the Dark by Antony Barone Kolenc; Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers, by Courtney Mares; Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls; and Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson. Kolenc was featured as keynote speaker, sharing insights from his mystery novel while connecting literary themes to real-life challenges facing young Catholics today.
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Honor League
Now in its first year, the Diocese of Pittsburgh Honor League has already welcomed 14 schools, with more expected to join as the initiative grows. Each school recognizes students who maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 and who demonstrate leadership, integrity, and a heart for service. While the academic criteria provide a foundation, it is the students' daily witness to their faith, through kindness, humility, and stewardship that truly defines their membership.
To help students reflect on these values, the league draws inspiration from its patron, Blessed Carlo Acutis, a teenager known for his devotion to the Eucharist and his joyful use of technology to evangelize. Prospective members write essays on how they strive to live like Carlo, growing in holiness and leadership through everyday choices.
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