✨ Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati to Be Canonized After Second Miracle Confirmed
Posted on June 13, 2025
By M&R
The Vatican has officially recognized a second miracle through the intercession of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, paving the way for his canonization on September 7, 2025. This latest miracle involved the miraculous healing of an American seminarian, now ordained as a Catholic priest.
🙏 A Miracle in California: Healing of a Seminarian
In 2017, Father Juan Gutierrez, a seminarian at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California, suffered a severe Achilles tendon tear while playing basketball with fellow seminarians. An MRI confirmed the seriousness of the injury, and he was told to prepare for a long and painful recovery.
Burdened by the fear that his priestly journey might be delayed, Gutierrez turned to prayer. He began a novena to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a saintly role model who also loved sports and youth ministry.
“I was praying in the chapel and started to feel a sensation of heat around the area of my injury. I honestly thought something was catching on fire under the pews,” Gutierrez shared during a press conference in December 2024.
Moved to tears before the tabernacle, he experienced not just spiritual comfort — but also physical healing. Within days, he was walking without pain or a brace, defying medical expectations.
🏥 Medical and Vatican Investigation
When he returned to his orthopedic surgeon one week later, the doctor was stunned.
“You must have someone in heaven who likes you,” the surgeon reportedly said after comparing the MRI with Gutierrez’s condition.
The case was formally examined by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, with medical experts, theologians, and Vatican officials confirming the healing as unexplainable and miraculous. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints approved the miracle, and Pope Francis signed the decree on November 25, 2024.
Monsignor Robert Sarno, a former official of the dicastery, noted:
“It’s especially fitting that a young man playing basketball was healed — Frassati himself was passionate about sports and outdoor activities.”
🧗♂️ Who Was Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati?
Born on April 6, 1901 (Holy Saturday) in Turin, Italy, Pier Giorgio Frassati was the son of the founder of La Stampa, a major Italian newspaper. While studying engineering, he became a Third Order Dominican, a lover of the outdoors, and a devoted servant of the poor.
At 17, he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society, dedicating his time to the sick, the homeless, and wounded war veterans. He was also involved in Catholic Action, Apostleship of Prayer, and received daily Communion, a rarity for laypeople at the time.
On one of his final mountain climbs, Frassati wrote “Verso l’Alto” (“To the Heights”) — now a motto for young Catholics seeking holiness. He died of polio on July 4, 1925, believed to have been contracted while serving the sick.
In 1990, Pope John Paul II beatified Frassati and called him a “man of the Eight Beatitudes”, praising his deep spirituality and selfless service.
⛪ Canonization with Carlo Acutis
Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati alongside Blessed Carlo Acutis on September 7, 2025 — the first canonizations of his pontificate. The event is already stirring excitement among Catholic youth worldwide.
🙌 A Personal Witness of Faith
Now serving as a priest in Los Angeles County, Fr. Gutierrez sees his healing as a powerful reminder of God’s love:
“Prayer works. The saints can help us to pray for our needs. And God is always listening.”
His story is one of many continuing to show that holiness is possible — even for the young, the humble, and the courageous.
📌 “To the Heights!” — Verso l’Alto.
Let the life of Pier Giorgio Frassati remind us all that sainthood is not only for the extraordinary, but for the ordinary who love extraordinarily.
Tags: #Frassati #Canonization #CatholicSaints #Miracles #YouthMinistry #Faith #PrayerWorks #CarloAcutis #CatholicChurch
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