Deaths on July 4

Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian activist and saint (b. 1901)

Pier Giorgio Frassati (6 April 1901 – 4 July 1925) was an Italian Catholic activist, and a member from the Third Order of Saint Dominic. He was dedicated to social justice issues and joined several charitable organizations, including Catholic Action and the St Vincent de Paul Society, to better aid the poor and less fortunate living in his hometown of Turin; he put his own pious beliefs into practice to cater to their needs and was best known for his devotion and amiable character.Frassati was an avid mountaineer who often climbed with his friends; he was an able swimmer and athlete best known for engaging in such social activities with a range of like-minded friends. His charitable outreach towards others knew no bounds for he identified with and aided the poor and ill from his childhood. His social status granted him greater freedom in aiding others who needed it most.His cause for canonization opened in 1932 after the Turin poor made several pleas for such a cause to open. However, Pope Pius XII suspended the cause in 1941 due to a range of allegations later proven to be false which allowed for the cause to resume. Pope John Paul II beatified Frassati in mid-1990 and dubbed him the "Man of the Eight Beatitudes".