CNS photo/Lola Gomez

NORCROSS—Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving to mark the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati on Sunday, Sept. 7, at Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Church, Norcross.

The Mass will begin at 6 p.m., followed by an encounter for youth to include a question-and-answer session with Archbishop Hartmayer. Veneration of a relic of Carlo Acutis will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Pilgrims pray before the casket of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati at the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome July 31. The casket containing his remains was brought from his tomb in Turin, Italy, for veneration during the Jubilee of Youth. CNS photo/Pablo Esparza

Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati on Sept. 7 in St. Peter’s Square.

Born in 1991 and raised in Milan, Blessed Acutis used his tech skills to evangelize and was noted for his joyful faith and compassion for others before dying of leukemia in 2006 at age 15. Blessed Frassati, born in 1901 into a prominent family in Turin, Italy, was admired for his deep spirituality, love for the poor and enthusiasm for life. A member of the Dominican Third Order, he served the sick through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He died at age 24 after contracting polio, possibly from one of the people he assisted.

A first-class relic of Blessed Acutis has a permanent home in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Archbishop Hartmayer received the relic—a piece of Blessed Acutis’ skin—from the Bishop of Assisi in September 2022 during a visit to Italy. The archbishop also prayed at the tomb of the future saint in the Church of St. Mary Major in Assisi.

Upon bringing the relic back to Atlanta, Archbishop Hartmayer said that Carlo Acutis’ close union with God could be emulated by all through five simple and constant practices: “frequent reception of the Eucharist, eucharistic adoration, the guidance of a spiritual director and regular confession, entrusting oneself to the Blessed Mother and the inspiration of the saints and acts of charity.”