Historic meeting of young Vincentians with Wanda Frassati in Rome

Rome, August 1, 2025 – A historic and moving moment marked the 3rd International Meeting of National Youth Coordinators of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) and the Jubilee of Young People, held in Rome: the meeting of young Vincentians with Wanda Frassati, the 98-year-old niece of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who will soon be canonized.

The meeting was made possible thanks to the mediation of fellow member Willian Alves (Territorial Coordinator for Zone 2 of America 3 of the Council General International and Vice President of the SSVP National Council of Brazil). During the period when he served as the CGI’s International Youth Delegate, Willian established contact with Wanda, daughter of the future saint’s only sister, and since then they have maintained conversations about Vincentian youth.

In one of those conversations, Wanda revealed a significant fact: the SSVP was Pier Giorgio’s preferred organization, and he even wrote in his diary that he “would never leave the Conferences of Saint Vincent de Paul.”

The Meeting
Owing to prior commitments, Wanda could not take part directly in the official event, but she was determined to meet the young people. The meeting was set at the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, at the very place where the relic containing the body of Blessed Frassati was displayed.
At the Pope John Paul II Auditorium, Wanda spoke privately with the young people, answered questions, and shared memories about her uncle. Asked about his relationship with the SSVP, she replied:
“For Frassati, the Conference was a fitting place to encounter Jesus — he received Communion every day — and to encounter, through people who are poor, Christ himself.”
Wanda emphasized that everything related to social action and care for those in need deeply attracted Pier Giorgio, who was involved in various social causes and, until his last moments, kept in mind the people in poverty served by his conference, even leaving a note with that concern shortly before he died.

Exchange of gifts and emotion
The current International Youth Delegate of the SSVP, fellow member Juliana Rosa da Silva, expressed heartfelt thanks for Wanda’s presence and presented her with an SSVP Youth flag. Smiling, Wanda said she would place it in Frassati’s room in Turin, as a symbol of his love for the SSVP. Young people from different countries also presented Wanda with flags and cultural mementos.
In their conversation, Wanda also recalled her uncle’s canonization, initially scheduled for August 3, now confirmed for September 7, 2025, to be celebrated by Pope Leo XIV.

Response
The President General expressed appreciation for the meeting, stating that the moment means a great deal to the SSVP:
“Having a young and active saint like Pier Giorgio Frassati, an active participant in the Vincentian Conferences of Turin, is a source of pride and a great encouragement for Vincentian youth around the world.”
For Willian Alves, the meeting was a true gift:
“It was a unique opportunity for the young people of the SSVP to be so close to Frassati, through his niece, and at the same time to venerate the relics of the future saint.”

Thus, amid smiles, memories, and blessings, young Vincentians experienced in Rome a chapter that will remain engraved in the history of the SSVP, strengthening the spiritual and missionary bond that unites generations around the Vincentian charism.