Italian Catholic Action
NATIONAL PRESIDENCY
The relics of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati at the Domus Mariae, Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin
On Saturday 17 January 2026, at 18.00, at the Church of Domus Mariae (Via Aurelia 481, Rome), a solemn Eucharistic Celebration will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See.
During the celebration, organized by the National Presidency of Catholic Action Italy, the relics of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, canonized on 7 September 2025, will be displayed for public veneration. The decision to dedicate this ecclesial moment to the young saint from Turin stems from the deep bond that has always united Pier Giorgio to the experience of Catholic Action, of which he was an active and convinced witness, embodying in an exemplary way the lay vocation to holiness in daily life.
The initiative is part of Catholic Action's journey, as a sign of entrustment and relaunching of its educational and associative mission. Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati continues to be a living reference point for the Association: a witness to a joyful and radical faith, capable of combining intimacy with God, ecclesial commitment, a passion for justice and concrete attention to the poor.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the reliquary will be placed in the Church of Domus Mariae.
The reliquary, produced on the occasion of the canonization and presented for the first time in Saint Peter’s Square on 7 September 2025, contains a fragment of clothing that belonged to Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati. The work, signed by Sister Maria Agar Loche, is inspired by the motto “Verso l’alto” (“Upwards”), an effective synthesis of the spiritual and human journey of the young Pier Giorgio.
The iconography of the reliquary recalls some fundamental aspects of Frassati’s Christian experience, dear to the tradition of Catholic Action: the Eucharist as the centre of life, the Rosary, the presence of Mary – with reference to Our Lady of Oropa – and love for the Word of God, in particular for the Letters of Saint Paul. Eight lapis lazuli stones evoke the definition of Frassati as “the man of the eight Beatitudes”, an expression used in 1977 by the then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyła. Finally, the materials and decorations recall the mountain, symbol of his spiritual journey and constant striving towards God.
With the Eucharistic celebration, the National Presidency of Catholic Action entrusts the Association's journey to the intercession of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, renewing its commitment to forming Christians capable of living in the world with responsibility, hope and fidelity to the Gospel.
Further information on the life and canonization of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati is available on the official website piergiorgiofrassati.net.
For further information:
Press Office Italian Catholic Action - Antonio Martino: +39 347 9485190 – 06 661321 a.martino@azionecattolica.it ufficio.stampa@azionecattolica.it
Italian Catholic Action
Press Office - Tel. 06.661321 – Fax 06.66132360
e-mail: a.martino@azionecattolica.it - ufficio.stampa@azionecattolica.it Antonio Martino: 3479485190
