Making ‘Masterpieces’ of Our Lives

On Sunday, 7 September, Pope Leo XIV proclaimed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati saints, during a solemn celebration in Saint Peter’s Square attended by more than 80,000 faithful. It was the first canonization Mass of his Pontificate.

Greeting the faithful, the families of the Blesseds and the official delegations ahead of the ceremony, the Holy Father described the celebration as both solemn and joyful, highlighting that it was “a wonderful feast for all of Italy, for the whole Church, for the whole world”. He praised the example of the young Saints, inviting everyone, particularly young people, to follow their example, “this love for Jesus Christ, especially in the Eucharist, but also in the poor, in our brothers and sisters”.

“Both Pier Giorgio and Carlo cultivated their love for God and for their brothers and sisters through simple acts, available to everyone: daily Mass, prayer, and especially Eucharistic Adoration”, Pope Leo said during his homily. Their illnesses at a young age did not prevent “them from loving, offering themselves to God, blessing him and praying to him for themselves and for everyone”. Their example calls us “not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces”.

Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Turin in 1901, to an influential family. He joined the Marian Sodality and the Apostleship of Prayer at an early age, and obtained permission to receive Communion daily. He developed a deep spiritual life which he never hesitated to share with his friends. His funeral procession in Turin, on 6 July 1925, was accompanied by an anonymous crowd of the poor whom he had served in his daily life.

Carlo Acutis was born in London, England, in 1991, and died in Monza, Italy, in 2006, succumbing to leukemia at the age of 15. At the age of 11, Carlo began to investigate the Eucharistic miracles that have occurred in history. He used his computer knowledge and talents to create a website that traced that history. Pope Francis beatified the millenial in 2020 in Assisi, where Blessed Carlo had made multiple pilgrimages.

Following the Mass and canonization of the two young men in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV asked, with the intercession of the Saints and the Virgin Mary, for peace in our world, as “God does not want war. God wants peace!”. The Pope encouraged everyone to continue their prayers for the people of the Holy Land, Ukraine, and every part of the world plagued by war. To world leaders, he repeated his call that they listen to the voice of their consciences, since “the apparent victories achieved through weapons, sowing death and destruction, are in fact defeats, and they never bring peace or security”.

“God supports those who commit to breaking the spiral of hatred and walking in the path of dialogue”, he said. Pope Leo also thanked everyone present for taking part in the canonization, a long-awaited celebration, offering his greetings to all the bishops, priests, official delegations and distinguished authorities, and faithful from around the world for their participation and presence.

The canonization of Carlo Acutis had originally been scheduled for 27 April, the Second Sunday of Easter, to coincide with the Jubilee of Teenagers, while Frassati’s canonization had been set for 3 August, the culmination of the Jubilee for Youth. The postponement of Blessed Carlo’s canonization was announced on the day of Pope Francis’ death, 21 April, and it was widely assumed that Blessed Pier Giorgio’s canonization would similarly be delayed.

For the Holy Father’s homily visit:

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/homilies/2025/documents/20250907-omelia-frassati-acutis.html