PIER Giorgio Frassati’s exclusion from the list of World Youth Day (WYD) 2027 patron saints is not a rejection but an invitation for the faithful to spread and deepen devotion to him, Fr. Jeffrey Aytona, O.P., spiritual adviser of the Frassati Society Philippines, said.
The Italian lay Dominican was excluded from the list of patron saints for WYD 2027 in Seoul, South Korea, as local organizers unveiled the event’s official patrons on April 27.
“The absence of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, O.P., should not be seen as a rejection, but rather as a consequence of the limited number of patron saints that can be chosen. Many worthy saints are inevitably not included at a given time,” Aytona told the Varsitarian.
The official patrons of WYD 2027 include Pope St. John Paul II, founder of World Youth Day; St. Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean priest and martyr, and companions; St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian-American missionary and patroness of immigrants; St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese religious sister and patron of human trafficking survivors; and St. Carlo Acutis, patron of the internet.
The selection of WYD 2027’s patron saints is a fair process of prayerful discernment, consultation with young people, and a desire to address specific needs and ensure global representation, Aytona added.
“In this process, important considerations were taken into account: the culture of the host country and its region, the pressing concerns of today’s youth, such as the ongoing persecution of Christians, migration, the suffering of the vulnerable, and the growing reality of digital evangelization,” he said.
According to a Vatican News report, the selection process for the patron saints began in late 2024 and included surveys of youth, a study of saints’ lives, and reflection and deliberation.
Frassati Society Philippines, a local Catholic organization inspired by the Italian saint, called for the reinstatement of the Italian saint as WYD patron.
“We earnestly appeal to the organizing committee to restore St. Pier Giorgio Frassati to the list of patron saints. In previous World Youth Days, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati has been consistently recognized among the patrons,” the organization said in a Facebook post on April 27.
Before Frassati’s beatification, Pope St. John Paul II promoted the saint’s intercession and recognized his example among youth in 1986, the organization added.
Frassati has been a recurring patron saint at WYD celebrations since Toronto 2002, Sydney 2008, Rio 2013, Krakow 2016, and Lisbon 2023.
“Even so, the absence of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, O.P., does not diminish his relevance. His life speaks powerfully to contemporary concerns: a passionate commitment to social justice, a deep love for the Eucharist, and a joyful embrace of holiness in ordinary life. These qualities make him an enduring and compelling model for the youth, regardless of official inclusion,” Aytona said.
The World Youth Day festivities will be held from August 3-8, 2027, in Seoul, South Korea, marking its return to Asia since the country hosted the global Catholic gathering in 1995 in Manila.
The first WYD under Pope Leo XIV’s papacy will bear the theme “Take courage! I have overcome the world,” from the Gospel of John.
