The Cigar Smoking Saint: Pier Giorgio Frassati

We have another cigar-loving saint. On September 7, 2025, Pope Leo XIV canonized Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Pier Giorgio, as his friends called him, was born into an affluent family on April 6, 1901, in Turin, Italy. He was an avid outdoorsman — athletic, adventurous, and always wearing a smile. Tragically, he died of polio on July 4, 1925, at only 24 years old. In his brief life, he became known for his quiet generosity: giving away money, possessions, and even clothing to help the needy. The true depth of his charity was only revealed after his death, when thousands of poor and marginalized people whom he had helped lined the streets of Turin for his funeral.

Pier Giorgio Frassati was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II on May 20, 1990, and his feast day is celebrated on July 4.

Though he is often depicted with climbing gear and a pipe in his mouth, his fondness for cigars is also well documented. FrassatiUSA, a website devoted to his life, preserves a couple of cigar anecdotes.

One comes from a story titled “Pier Giorgio’s Last Christmas,” shared by Gian Pietro Ravera, a teacher and friend:

Christmas 1924 was celebrated according to the Club’s tradition, and in fact about fifteen members gathered that night in a private chapel at 9 Via Ormea where Canon Bues celebrated Mass. I was among those who were invited by Pier Giorgio, who went on and on about how beautiful the Mass would be, as well as the gastronomic delights that would follow. Pier Giorgio and Carlo Pol served the Mass, and I remember how it was difficult to move in the chapel because it was standing room only.

Pier Giorgio had some cigars in his suit coat pocket, and they started to fall out when he was making a genuflection. He blushed deeply as he stuffed them back into his pocket. Then, turning toward my side of the chapel and seeing that I had seen everything that had happened, he made a face as if to excuse himself and he suppressed a smile, returning to his prayers with greater intensity than before.

I continued to watch him, and the longer the Mass went on, and the more intense and spiritually delightful it became, the more I was moved to see that group of university students follow the liturgy of the Mass with such devotion. 

Another story recounts the last gift Pier Giorgio received from his sister on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul — his name day:

... we know that the last gift he received from his sister was a cigar case that he chose for himself that day while they shopped together.  Later, he joked with a maid, “Two cigars.  Today you have to give me two cigars: one for St. Peter and one for St. Paul; it's a double feast today!”

Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati lived only 24 years, but left an extraordinary mark. Energetic and adventurous, he loved the mountains, his friends, and the simple pleasures of life. Yet his greatest passion was serving the poor and living his Catholic faith with joy.

Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati Ora Pro Nobis!