This week I received a catalog in the mail from Hope Publications, an apostolate of the Lay Dominicans of Saint Martin de Porres and Catholics United for Life. As a flipped through it, I noticed a page listing books about Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. I was not familiar with Pier Giorgio, so I decided to research a little more about him. His handsome looks definitely sparked my interest!
Pier Giorgio was born on April 6, 1901 in Turin, Italy to a prominent middle-class family. His father was a journalist and his mother a painter. His father, founder of Turin's La Stampa daily newspaper (still in existence today), became a Senator in Italian parliament as well as an Italian Ambassador to Germany. Pier Giorgio was very close to his younger sister, Luciana. (Luciana passed away in 2007 at the age of 105!)
From a young age, Pier Giorgio radiated charisma, faith, humor and leadership. He was an avid mountain climber and skier. He loved literature and art, penning hundreds of letters over the course of his short life. Many times after spending a beautiful day mountain climbing, he'd make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.
Pier Giorgio was deeply devoted to Christ and saw a need to help the poor. He became a Catholic youth activist often bringing attention to the plights of factory workers during a time period of great suffering and social distress. He lived during the era of World War I and the rise of communism and facism.
He became as a member of the Third Order of St. Dominic (the equivalent of today's Lay Dominicans). Along with his studies, he centered his life around prayer and the Eucharist. He always carried with him a small pocket book of scripture, including Saint Paul's letters. Many times he'd give train tickets and articles of his own clothing to the poor in the streets. His actions are very reminiscent of Saint Dominic himself!
Pier Giorgio could've decided to become an entepreneur like his father but decided to enter the Polytechnic University at Turin to study mining. He saw the miners as a group suffering in oppressive working and living conditions. He believed he could "serve Christ better among the miners" by becoming a miner himself.
At the age of 24, he contracted polio and died within 3 days of exposure. Most likely he had contracted the virus from one of the poor he served regularly. Pier Giorgio's parents had no idea what an impact their son had on the people in Turin. At his funeral, thousands of the poor came to pay their respects! These same poor people later helped start the process toward sainthood.
Pier Giorgio wrote in a letter to a friend:
"...every day I understand better what a Grace it is to be Catholics. Poor unlucky those who don't have a Faith: to live without a Faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for the Truth, is not living but is just getting along. We must never just get along but live, because even through every disappointment we should remember that we are the only ones who possess the truth, we have a Faith to sustain, a Hope to attain: our Homeland."
Pier Giorgio is remembered by the phrase "Verso l'alto" meaning "Toward the heights." The patron of youth, his feast day is celebrated on the Dominican calender on July 4th.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Pray for Us!
-J.
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