Saint of the Day - Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Pier Giorgio Frassati was born on April 6, 1901, in Turin, Italy. His father, Alfredo, was the founder and director of an Italian newspaper and a politician. His mother, Adelaide, was a painter. Mr. and Mrs. Frassati were not exactly ideal parents. Alfredo antagonized his children, and Adelaide was high-strung and critical. They attended Mass because it was an obligation. From his early childhood, Pier Giorgio was sensitive to the needs of others. One day a poor woman knocked at the door of the Frassati home. She held in her arms a child who had no shoes. Without a moment’s hesitation, four-year-old Pier Giorgio took off his shoes and socks and gave them to the child. Pier Giorgio was more deeply religious than his parents. At the age of fourteen, he began attending Mass and receiving Communion almost every day. Pier Giorgio joined the Dominican Third Order, attracted by the Dominican spirituality combining contemplation and active ministry. Pier Giorgio’s ministry was to the poor. He went into the squalid homes of the poor or to the bedside of the sick, always remembering that it was Christ he was visiting. Even though his family was well off, he went without certain things in order to be able to give to the poor from his own allowance. He did not want to take advantage of his family’s wealth. Pier Giorgio’s friends knew him as a lively prankster who enjoyed mountain climbing and skiing. He was also a social justice activist, taking part in religious demonstrations against Fascism. He ended up in jail after one of these marches, and spent the time calmly praying his Rosary and encouraging his friends. In 1925, he contracted polio from one of his patients. By June, he was severely ill, but kept his sufferings secret because his grandmother was dying in the Frassati home at the time. He claimed to have the flu and his family gave him little thought. By the time his grandmother died, no one knew that Pier Giorgio was close to death. His mother, who stayed home with him instead of attending the funeral, criticized him for coming down with the flu at such an inconvenient time. But soon she realized that her son was very ill—and not with the flu. Pier Giorgio would die three days later. His last hours were spent in quiet prayer and in giving last minute instructions for helping the poor, who were always on his mind. Then, early in the morning of July 4, 1925, he died quietly after receiving the Sacrament of Anointing. He was twenty-four. Soon after his death, the Frassati family was astounded when crowds of people came to the church for his funeral. They were the many poor people that Pier Giorgio had helped in his short life. They came to pay their last respects to this remarkable young man. Pier Giorgio was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1990. ❦ Blessed Pier Giorgio put Christ first in his life. Instead of feeling sorry for himself when his family did not understand him, he focused his attention on those less fortunate than he was. Because of this, he’s a witness to true Gospel joy. We can ask him to help us give joyously to others, too.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 10:23:27 +0000
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