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The canonisation of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis will take place in St Peter’s today, in a ceremony expected to draw tens of thousands of pilgrims from across the world.
Pope Leo XIV will preside over the Eucharistic celebration at 10 a.m. on Sunday, the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. During the Mass, the Holy Father will pronounce the solemn formula of canonisation, officially inscribing Frassati and Acutis into the catalogue of saints of the Catholic Church.
The order of service reveals a liturgy of extraordinary scale and detail. The altar will be adorned with a gold antependium, papal insignia, and large tapestries bearing the images of the two new saints—Frassati on the left, Acutis on the right. Relics of both will be presented alongside a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a reminder of their devotion to Our Lady.
His Eminence Cardinal Roberto Repole will serve as principal celebrant of the Eucharistic liturgy alongside the Holy Father. Concelebrating cardinals, bishops, and priests—including Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan—will join the Pope at the altar.
Other cardinals, bishops, and priests from around the world will join in concelebration with the Pope, while the Sistine Chapel Choir, directed by Marcos Pavan, will lead the music. The choir will be supported by the organ and guest choirs, including that of the Diocese of Rome.
The liturgical roles will be shared across continents. The first reading, in English, will be given by Michael Acutis, a relative of the young saint, while the second reading in Italian will be proclaimed by Bishop Claudio Giuliodori. The Universal Prayer will be read in Spanish, Arabic, French, and Korean.
Both families will take part in tomorrow’s rites. Andrea, Antonia, Michele, and Francesca Acutis will represent the family of the “patron of the internet,” while members of the Frassati family—including his niece, Wanda Gawronska—will also be present.
Tomorrow marks the culmination of causes that have drawn extraordinary devotion from young Catholics. Frassati, who died in 1925 at just 24, has long been revered as the “man of the Beatitudes” for his service to the poor and his joyful witness to faith. Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 at the age of 15, became a global inspiration through his love of the Eucharist and his pioneering use of digital media to evangelise.
Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Turin in 1901, the son of a prominent family. Though from a background of privilege, he became renowned for his humility, his devotion to prayer, and his tireless service to the poor of his city. He joined the Dominican lay fraternity, engaged actively in Catholic Action, and combined a love of the outdoors with a profound love of the Eucharist. He died of polio in 1925 at the age of just 24, his funeral drawing crowds of the destitute whom he had quietly helped in his short lifetime.
Carlo Acutis, born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan, was a teenager with a striking devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. A gifted programmer, he created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles around the globe. He lived an otherwise ordinary life while maintaining a deep spiritual life centred on daily Mass and Marian devotion. His death from leukaemia in 2006 at the age of 15 led to an outpouring of devotion.
The Catholic Herald will carry live updates from St Peter’s Square today, with reports, photographs, and commentary direct from the canonisation ceremony.
