Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was a young man born to a wealthy family in Turin, Italy, yet he lived frugally and gave away his money—and several times even the shoes or coat he was wearing—to the poor. Frassati’s parents disapproved of his faith, but this did not keep him from daily Mass and the rosary, and sometimes whole nights of Eucharistic adoration.  He was often scolded for being late for meals, but he never revealed that his tardiness was due to feeding the poor, running errands to buy them medicine, or finding widows and their children a place to stay for the night.

The life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati provides an excellent model for young people.  Saint John Paul II said of him, “Pier Giorgio shows us in real life what it really means, for a young layman, to give a concrete answer to the call, ‘Come, follow me.’”  As the pope said, “He testifies that holiness is possible for everyone, and that only the revolution of charity can enkindle the hope of a better future in the hearts of people.”