About Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Chapel · Auburn, Alabama
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Chapel is the Catholic campus ministry chapel for Auburn University students in Auburn, Alabama, located at 342 N. College Street and operated in partnership with St. Michael the Archangel Parish within the Archdiocese of Mobile. The chapel was dedicated on March 22, 2019 by Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi and is named for the young Italian layman Pier Giorgio Frassati — beatified in 1990 and canonized on September 7, 2025 by Pope Leo XIV. Frassati Chapel serves as the central hub for evening Masses on Tuesdays and Thursdays, daily Eucharistic Adoration, the Spirit and Truth student fellowship, Thursday Night Dinner, Pan y Vino retreats, and is open to students for prayer, study, and fellowship 24 hours a day. It also houses a relic of Blessed Frassati.
- Established
- 2019
- Patron
- Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Mobile
Why belong here
Frassati Chapel exists to be a spiritual home for the roughly 2,000 Catholic students at Auburn University, gathering them for daily Mass, perpetual Eucharistic Adoration (with 40-hour Adoration every Tuesday evening through Thursday afternoon), weekly Spirit and Truth fellowship, Pan y Vino retreats, mission trips, and the beloved $2 Thursday Night Dinner. Whether you're Catholic, curious, or just passing through Auburn, the chapel welcomes you to pray, study, hang in a hammock, and grow closer to Christ in the middle of campus life.
Mass times at Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM at Frassati Chapel
- Thursday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM at Frassati Chapel
- Monday–Friday 5:00–5:45 PM at St. Michael the Archangel
- Saturday 8:00–9:00 AM at St. Michael the Archangel
- By appointment — call 334-209-1711
Adoration times
- Monday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM at St. Michael's
- Tuesday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM at Frassati Chapel
- Wednesday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM at St. Michael's
- Thursday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM at Frassati Chapel
- Friday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM at St. Michael's
- Monday 8:15 PM – 9:15 PM (Spirit & Truth) at Frassati Chapel
- 1st Friday 8:30 AM – 5:45 PM at St. Michael's
- 40-Hour Adoration: Tuesday 6:45 PM through Thursday 5:45 PM at Frassati Chapel (perpetual each week the school year)
About Auburn Catholic Campus Ministry
Auburn Catholic Campus Ministry (often abbreviated AU Catholic or AUCatholic) is the official Catholic student ministry for Auburn University, rooted in the Archdiocese of Mobile and run in close partnership with St. Michael the Archangel Parish. The ministry welcomes Catholic and non-Catholic college students alike who want to grow in their spiritual life. Its self-description is 'a contemporary campus ministry with a traditional Catholic feel.' AUCSO (the Auburn Catholic Student Organization) is the officially recognized student organization at Auburn University, an outgrowth of the Center for Catholic Students founded in 1988 at St. Michael Parish.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Chapel
The campus chapel, dedicated on March 22, 2019 by Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi, is located at 342 N. College Street and is open 24 hours a day to students. It is named for Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925), the Turin-born Dominican tertiary known as the 'Man of the Eight Beatitudes,' beatified by St. John Paul II in 1990 and canonized on September 7, 2025. The chapel holds a relic of Frassati and serves as the home for Tuesday and Thursday evening Masses, weekday Confession and Adoration, Spirit and Truth, and the weekly 40-Hour Adoration.
- Dedicated March 22, 2019 by Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile
- Named for Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (feast day July 4)
- Houses a relic of Blessed Frassati
- Open 24 hours a day to Auburn students for prayer and study
Student Life & Ministries
The Catholic Student Center at 115 Mitcham Avenue is open to students to pray, study, cook a meal, or hang out in a hammock. Auburn Catholic runs a packed weeknight calendar built around Mass, Adoration, retreats, and community dinners.
- Spirit and Truth — Mondays 8:15 PM at Frassati Chapel
- Thursday Night Dinner (TND) — 6:45 PM at 115 Mitcham Ave ($2, free first time)
- Pan y Vino Retreats
- Children's Harbor service trips
- Women's Hope Outreach
- Coffee socials, movie nights, intramural sports, Bible studies, apologetics
Catholic Student Center (115 Mitcham Avenue)
The Catholic Student Center at 115 Mitcham Avenue sits one block west of North College Street, walking distance from Frassati Chapel. It serves as the social hub of Auburn Catholic, hosting $2 Thursday Night Dinners and inviting students to 'drop in to pray, study, play, cook a gourmet meal, or soak up some sunshine in your favorite hammock.'
- 115 Mitcham Avenue, Auburn, AL 36830
- Site of Thursday Night Dinner and many social events
- Residential / hospitality vibe for students
Partnership with St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Auburn Catholic Campus Ministry is inseparably linked with St. Michael the Archangel Parish, the Catholic parish that has served Auburn and the university since 1912. The Frassati Chapel, the Mitcham Avenue Student Center, and St. Michael's all share priests and form one Catholic community. Students may attend Mass, Confession, Adoration, and faith formation at either the parish or the chapel.
- St. Michael the Archangel Parish: 1100 N. College St., Auburn, AL
- Parish office: 334-887-5540 / [email protected]
- Parish founded 1912; moved to current site in 2009
- Chaplaincy provided in coordination with the Archdiocese of Mobile
Patron: Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
Pier Giorgio Frassati (April 6, 1901 – July 4, 1925) was an Italian Catholic activist and member of the Third Order of St. Dominic. He dedicated his short life to social justice, joining Catholic Action and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to serve the poor of Turin. Pope John Paul II beatified him in May 1990, calling him the 'Man of the Eight Beatitudes.' On September 7, 2025 he was canonized a saint by Pope Leo XIV alongside Carlo Acutis. Auburn's chapel was dedicated in his name in 2019 and contains a relic of the young saint, whose feast is celebrated on July 4.
- Born April 6, 1901 in Turin; died July 4, 1925
- Third Order of St. Dominic; member of Catholic Action and St. Vincent de Paul
- Beatified 1990 by Pope John Paul II
- Canonized September 7, 2025 by Pope Leo XIV
- Feast day: July 4
History: From Parish (1912) to Campus Chapel (2019)
Catholicism in Auburn traces back to the early 20th century. After Bishop Edward Allen asked the Vincentian Fathers (Congregation of the Mission) of Germantown, Pennsylvania to build a Catholic ministry in the Auburn/Opelika area, Sacred Heart Church opened in 1912. After decades of growth and mergers with St. Martin de Porres Mission, the parish became St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. The Center for Catholic Students was organized in 1988, the forerunner of today's Auburn Catholic Student Organization (AUCSO). In 2006 the Archdiocese of Mobile purchased 115 Mitcham Avenue to serve as a campus ministry house, preserving a Catholic presence downtown after St. Michael's relocated to its North College Street campus in December 2009. The community outgrew the Mitcham Ave house, and on March 22, 2019 Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi dedicated Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Chapel at 342 N. College Street as a dedicated student chapel.
- 1912 — Sacred Heart Mission opens in Auburn (Vincentian Fathers)
- 1966 — Modern circular sanctuary dedicated on East Magnolia Ave
- 1988 — Center for Catholic Students founded at St. Michael's
- 2006 — Archdiocese buys 115 Mitcham Ave for campus ministry
- 2009 — New 600-seat St. Michael church dedicated by Archbishop Rodi
- 2019 — Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Chapel dedicated by Archbishop Rodi
How to Get Involved
Joining Auburn Catholic is famously simple: 'you join the organization by showing up.' Prospective and incoming freshmen are invited to schedule a personal tour by emailing [email protected]. Alumni are invited to follow the Auburn Catholic Alumni Facebook page and sign up for the alumni newsletter to stay connected and support campus ministry.
- Show up — no formal application required to join
- Prospective student tours: [email protected]
- Donate via aucatholic.org
- Sign up for the Auburn Catholic e-newsletter / bulletin
- Alumni: follow Auburn Catholic Alumni on Facebook
Contact & Visit
Frassati Chapel is open 24/7 to Auburn students. The best general phone line for campus ministry is 334-209-1711 (Catholic Student Center), with the St. Michael parish office at 334-887-5540 for broader parish questions.
- Frassati Chapel: 342 N. College Street, Auburn, AL 36830
- Catholic Student Center (Mitcham): 115 Mitcham Avenue, Auburn, AL 36830
- Phone (campus ministry): 334-209-1711
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish office: 334-887-5540 / [email protected]
- Website: http://aucatholic.org/