Four siblings from St. Louis Bertrand Church in Louisville traveled to Vatican City to attend the canonization Mass of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis on September 7. The event drew more than 80,000 people to St. Peter’s Square.

Bernard (21), Mary Beth (19), Henry (17), and Joseph Dawson (15) made a four-day pilgrimage for the occasion, while their youngest brother Samuel stayed home with their parents.

Originally, only Mary Beth and Henry planned to attend when the canonization was scheduled for April 21, but after it was postponed due to Pope Francis’ death and rescheduled as a joint canonization for both saints, four siblings were able to go.

The siblings arrived at security at 4:30 a.m. on the day of the Mass to secure seats for the ceremony that began at 10 a.m.

Henry Dawson, a senior at Immaculata Classical Academy, described being surrounded by “young Catholics from all around the world” as “unforgettable.” Bernard said it was “unlike anything I have ever experienced before,” adding that attending with pilgrims from around the world was a “powerful reminder of the universality of the (Catholic) Church.”

For Henry and Joseph, both high school students, watching their confirmation saints be canonized held special meaning. Both new saints were born in recent centuries and are seen by young Catholics as relatable role models.

“Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati have made sainthood cool,” Henry said.

Henry chose Carlo Acutis as his patron saint because he found him relatable: “Carlo was a kid just like me who did normal kid things, while maintaining Christ as the center of his life,” he said. “He is who I aspire to be as a Catholic man.”

Joseph selected Pier Giorgio Frassati because he admired how Frassati lived out his faith: He “always sought to live by the truths of the faith” and “loved God and helped his friends to love God, too,” Joseph said.

After Mass, Pope Leo XIV acknowledged them with a thumbs-up gesture as they waved an American flag.

Returning home from Rome has inspired Henry further: “If Carlo could do it, so can I,” he said.

Mary Beth reflected on how meaningful it was for her family: “We have never done something like this together. A family vacation is one thing, but a trip centered around our shared love for the (Catholic) Church is something so much deeper,” she said. “I am so grateful that I have a family that is striving for sainthood together.”