While Archbishop Bernard Hebda was in Rome during World Youth Day in 2000, it wasn’t unusual for St. John Paul II to speak about St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, he said.
For an episode of “Practicing Catholic” set to air at 9 p.m. Sept. 19 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, Archbishop Hebda shared with co-hosts Leah Heselton and Father Tom Margevicius, “I came to really know his story and really appreciate all of the different aspects of that amazing life that was Pier Giorgio and seeing how it is that he would inspire young people.”
The archbishop said that he believes both St. Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis provide compelling examples of discipleship for young people. He said that mothers want their sons to be like St. Acutis, but Archbishop Hebda joked that St. Frassati probably gave his mother a few gray hairs.
“Only because he was pushing the envelope,” Archbishop Hebda said. “He was so dynamic in that way. Carlo Acutis, on the other hand, would have been the model son, really inspiring his parents as well as his peers to go deeper in their faith. It is an amazing story of how it was really Carlo who brought his mom to a deeper appreciation of the Eucharist and of the importance of the Catholic faith. I can imagine moms today saying, ‘Boy, I’d really love for my son or my daughter to be like Carlo Acutis.”
Archbishop Hebda said that Italy is described as being less Catholic than it used to be, but he believes it’s Catholic in a different way.
“Every fiber in the Italian society is Catholic,” Archbishop Hebda said. “Every little town has their own patron saint. There is that attentiveness. … I think that there is something in the Italian mindset that really appreciates holiness lived authentically and well. I think there is an openness to recognizing that there are people who can live that life of holiness, extraordinary holiness, that we would see in our saints, even in every culture, in every setting.”
Archbishop Hebda believes St. Frassati has had a great impact on young people in Italy.
“I haven’t lived in Italy since 2009, but my suspicion is that Carlo Acutis is having that same kind of impact,” Archbishop Hebda said. “I’ve had the opportunity to pray before the graves of both Pier Giorgio and Carlo … and there are all kinds of young people, young Italians, who are traveling to Assisi … I think it already is having an impact. Just as we are experiencing the wonder of having a pope who speaks our language, that for Italian youth, they’ll have these two new saints who not only know their culture but also speak their language.”
To hear more from Archbishop Bernard Hebda about Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Sept. 20 and 2 p.m. Sept. 21.
Also on the show, Pam Baker, executive director of Abria Pregnancy Resource Center, shared about what it’s like to work in a pregnancy resource center.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
