WHILE some often seek the heights of success and prestige, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati ascended to holiness and related to people, Cardinal Jose Advincula said during a Mass for the first feast day of the lay Dominican saint on Saturday, July 4.
In his homily at the Manila Cathedral, the Manila archbishop presented the Italian saint as a model of humility and service to neighbor, inspired by love for Christ.
“Strengthened by God’s grace, let us joyfully descend into the streets, homes, workplaces, schools and communities where Christ waits for us, especially in the least of our brothers and sisters,” Advincula said.
The cardinal said bending down in love to lift up those in need is the true “summit of Christian life,” as exemplified by Frassati.
Frassati, whom Pope Leo XIV canonized on Sept. 7, 2025, was fond of mountain climbing and hiking, which, according to Advincula, was “not just about conquering peaks or seeking adventure,” but a pilgrimage of prayer.
“The higher he climbed, the more he discovered the greatness of God and the smallness of his own ego,” the cardinal said. “He never remained on the mountain. After every ascent came a descent. He went down into the crowded streets of Turin. He visited the sick. He carried food and medicine to low-income families.”
Pope St. John Paul II beatified Frassati in 1990, dubbing him the “Man of the Eight Beatitudes” because his life was dedicated to living out the Beatitudes proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.
Advincula told Catholics that a true encounter with the sacraments and the Eucharist must purify their hearts and make them poor in spirit, meek, merciful and hungry for righteousness.
“If our prayer does not make us more compassionate, then perhaps we have not truly met the Lord. If our Eucharistic communion does not open our eyes to those who hunger, then we have not truly become one with the Bread of Life. If our holiness separates us from the people instead of drawing us closer to them, then it is not the holiness of Jesus,” the cardinal said.
Fr. Filemon de la Cruz, O.P., prior provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, concelebrated the Mass with Advincula. Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P., vice rector for Religious Affairs, represented the University at the Mass.
Truth and social action
Fr. Christopher Jeffrey Aytona, O.P., spiritual adviser of the Frassati Society Philippines, said Filipinos could emulate Frassati’s response to the political turmoil of his time in addressing the country’s political polarization.
“His response has always been based on the Gospel. Because the truth of the Gospel will ultimately lead us to how we can confront the crisis (political turmoil) of today, if we confront it with the truth, we cannot go wrong,” Aytona said in an interview with the Varsitarian.
The young Italian saint advocated social action and resisted fascism. He was an outspoken opponent of totalitarianism during the rise of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
A lead organizer of the feast-day activities said the youth must take Frassati’s example to “become more visible” in society.
“He provides us with an example that the place of the youth in society is loud, always visible. [We] are the future of society. St. Frassati shows us that we do not need to stay on the sidelines or keep quiet. [The youth] can be involved while serving God,” Jiro Benito, vice president of the Young Thomasian Professionals-Lay Dominican Fraternity, said in an interview.
This year’s celebration marked Frassati’s first feast day as a saint. With reports from Joachim Nigel Z. Tanglao
