Archbishop José H. Gomez will bless a local group of 52 “faithful” Roman Catholics on Sunday at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels before they and Auxiliary Bishop Matthew G. Elshoff and several priests of the archdiocese travel to witness the canonization of two new saints by Pope Leo XIV in Rome.
The joint canonization is for young Roman Catholics — Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlo Acutis — known for their faith and “witness to holiness.” Blessed Frassati died at age 24 in 1925. Blessed Acutis, who died of cancer at age 15, has been called the “first millennial saint.”
A connection to Los Angeles by Blessed Frassati was through a miracle healing in 2017 of a torn Achilles tendon experienced by the Father Juan Manuel Gutierrez, a priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The late Pope Francis confirmed the miracle healing and announced in November 2024 that Blessed Frassati would be declared a saint in 2025.
The public is invited to attend the blessing at 10 a.m. Aug. 31 (after Communion) at the cathedral.
The canonizations are on Sunday, Sept. 7, in Rome. Archbishop Gomez will bless a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis, installed in the Chapel of Young Witnesses after the 10 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles.