During World Youth Day, the coffin with the body of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati will be exhibited in the monastery of the Dominican Fathers in Krakow, Poland. A week before the youth celebration, the relics will also be present in ten Polish cities.

The coffin with the body of Pier Giorgio has never been in Poland, which is why World Youth Day is a good occasion to meet the blessed. There is hope that he will be declared a saint in the near future,” says Father StanisLaw Tasiemski, OP.

Face to Face in Poland

The relics (coffin) of Pier Giorgio Frassati will arrive on July 11 in Rybnik, where there is an active circle of worshipers of Bl. Pier Giorgio. From Rybnik by way of WrocLaw, Szczecin, Poznan, Lodz, Warsaw (prayer will be held at St. Anne’s Church on Krakowskie Przedmiescie and in the monastery on SLu?ew), Lublin, Tarnobrzeg, JarosLaw, Rzeszow, the relics will arrive in Krakow on July 23.

“Each of these places is preparing its program to venerate the relics. Although the stay will be short (relics usually arrive around noon, sometimes in the afternoon, and leave the next morning), it will be an opportunity for all residents of these cities to meet face to face with blessed Pier Giorgio,” encourages Fr. Tasiemski.

A Week in Krakow

Around noon on July 23, the coffin with the body of the blessed will reach the Dominican Basilica of the Holy Trinity in Krakow on ul. Stolarska 12, where the relics will remain until July 31. “We expect that every day, from morning until evening, there will be time to pray at the coffin,” informs Fr. StanisLaw. “Aside from this, masses will also be celebrated in the basilica because we want to preserve the normal rhythm of prayer. Our monastery prides itself on being one of the few in the world where the rhythm of prayer has never been interrupted, therefore we want this prayer near Pier Giorgio to endure at all times,” he explains.

For people coming from abroad, materials in different languages, which will help the pilgrims get to know Frassati better, will be prepared. Also planned are events associated with the presence of the relics of the blessed.

“Among other things, on Wednesday, July 27, we are planning a night vigil for Dominican youth and Dominican ministries from around the world, and in addition, we expect that worshipers and groups associated with Pier Giorgio Frassati from around the world will be present in our basilica. So this will a time of prayer, a time of meeting in various forms,” adds Father Tasiemski.

An Exceptional Pilgrim

“Pier Giorgio is certainly pleased that he will be present during WYD! He feels like one of these young people, amid millions of young people from all over the world! His passion was evangelism. It is what he did throughout his life. That is why he will be delighted. It is an opportunity to talk with young people and give them courage to go the way of holiness, to show them that all of this can be done in everyday life and that you don’t have to change or abandon what you are already doing in life,” says Wanda Gawronska, niece of Pier Giorgio.

“Spreading His devotion and showing many young people that they can live their youth beautifully is an important thing,” says Father Tasiemski. “If someone loves overcoming obstacles, various difficulties and likes to grow, is ambitious, then it is good for them to meet someone who was ambitious and grew. And this was Pier Giorgio,” he adds.

Meet and Imitate

John Paul II, upon beatifying Pier Giorgio Frassati in 1990, set him as a model for the youth of today’s world. Also, during his Message for the Thirty-First World Youth Day, Pope Francis wrote about Pier Giorgio: “He was a young man who understood what it means to have a merciful heart that responds to those most in need. He gave far more than material goods. He gave himself by giving his time, his words, and his capacity to listen. He served the poor very quietly and unassumingly.”

April 6 marks the 115th birthday of Pier Giorgio Frassati. It is also the last day of the novena – a birthday present for the blessed – during which the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed at 3:00pm, to implore the gift of a merciful heart through Pier Giorgio.

Due to the presence of the relics of Pier Giorgio during World Youth Day, an official Facebook fanpage, “Be Like Frassati,” run in two languages – Polish and English – has been established, which will inform about the details related to the peregrination, and also encourages young people from all over the world to get to know and to imitate the blessed.

Source: xt3 – World Youth Day Hub

For more information on Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati click here.