Body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati arrives in Sydney for WYD

Published: 2008-07-02

SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) -- The body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati arrived in Sydney for World Youth Day 2008, marking the first time it has left Turin, Italy, since his 1925 death. The charismatic Blessed Pier Giorgio is revered for his social activism, sports-loving way, sense of humor and generous spirit. "Pier Giorgio loved sport, horse riding, mountain climbing and practical jokes," Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher, World Youth Day coordinator, told parishioners at St. Benedict Church in Sydney, where the body, enclosed in a zinc-lined coffin, was received July 2. The body will remain at St. Benedict Church until July 10. Then it will be moved to St. Mary's Cathedral and become a focal point of the World Youth Day 2008 pilgrimage to the historic landmark. An evening Mass at St. Benedict Church will mark Blessed Pier Giorgio's feast day, July 4; the Mass will be celebrated by Sydney Cardinal George Pell and Bishop Fisher.

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