Pier Giorgio Frassati: Difference between revisions
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Frassati was called Man of the Eight [[Beatitudes]] by [[Pope John Paul II]], who beatified him on 20 May 1990. |
Frassati was called Man of the Eight [[Beatitudes]] by [[Pope John Paul II]], who beatified him on 20 May 1990. |
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Frassati is the namesake and patron of Frassati Catholic High School in Houston, which opens in August 2013. http://frassaticatholic.org/ |
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Frassati is the Patron Saint of [[Bishop McGuinness High School (Oklahoma)|Bishop McGuinness High School]] in Oklahoma, where Frassati's family blessed the school in his spirit.<ref>{{cite web |
Frassati is the Patron Saint of [[Bishop McGuinness High School (Oklahoma)|Bishop McGuinness High School]] in Oklahoma, where Frassati's family blessed the school in his spirit.<ref>{{cite web |
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Revision as of 21:03, 30 October 2012
Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, T.O.S.D. | |
|---|---|
 Frassati in his father's office, ca. 1920 | |
| Born | 6 April 1901 Turin, Italy |
| Died | 4 July 1925 (aged 24) Turin, Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Beatified | 20 May 1990 by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | July 4 |
| Patronage | Vanderbilt University[1] |
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, T.O.S.D., (6 April 1901 - 4 July 1925) was an Italian Catholic activist, who was a member of the Third Order of St. Dominic. He has been beatified by the Roman Catholic Church.
He was born in Turin into a prominent family, which owned a newspaper called La Stampa. Though an average student, Frassati was known among his peers for his devotion and piety.
He was dedicated to works of social action, charity, prayer and community. He was involved with Catholic youth and student groups, the Apostleship of Prayer, Catholic Action, and was a Third Order Dominican. He would often say, "Charity is not enough; we need social reform."[2] He helped establish a newspaper entitled Momento, whose principles were based on Pope Leo XIII's encyclical: Rerum Novarum. He joined the St Vincent de Paul Society in 1918 and spent much of his time helping the poor.[3]
Despite his family's privileged status, Frassati's father was frugal and never gave his children too much spending money. Frassati, however, gave much of his money to people he saw as more "needy" than he was, often giving his train fare to the poor and walking back home or riding in third class. He would also literally give the poor the clothes off his back, returning home without the sweater or jacket he had been wearing when he left.
Despite the many organizations to which Frassati belonged, he was not a passive "joiner"; records show that he was active and involved in each, fulfilling all the duties of membership. He was strongly anti-fascist and did nothing to hide his political views.
Participating in a Church-organized demonstration in Rome, he withstood police violence and rallied the other young people by grabbing the banner which the police had knocked out of someone else's hands. He held it even higher while using the pole to ward off their blows. When the demonstrators were arrested by the police, he refused special treatment that he might have received because of his father's political position, preferring to stay with his friends. One night a group of fascists broke into his family's home to attack him and his father, but Frassati beat them off single-handedly chasing them down the street.
Frassati died in 1925 of poliomyelitis. His family expected Turin's elite and political figures to come to offer their condolences and attend the funeral; they naturally expected to find many of his friends there as well. They were surprised, however, to find the streets of the city lined with thousands of mourners as the cortege passed by. Poor people from the city petitioned the Archbishop of Turin to begin the cause for canonization. The process was opened in 1932 and he was beatified on 20 May 1990. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati's feast day is 4 July.
Frassati was called Man of the Eight Beatitudes by Pope John Paul II, who beatified him on 20 May 1990.
Frassati is the namesake and patron of Frassati Catholic High School in Houston, which opens in August 2013. http://frassaticatholic.org/
Frassati is the Patron Saint of Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma, where Frassati's family blessed the school in his spirit.[4]
Notes
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Frassati - Bettnet"
- ^ http://famvin.org/wiki/Pier_Giorgio_Frassati
- ^ Anne McGarry, Campus Minister. "Our Patron Saint" (PDF). Retrieved 30 March 2010.
See also
- Bartolome Blanco Marquez
- Alberto Marvelli
- Ivan Merz
- Chiara Badano
- Luciana Frassati Gawronska, Pier Giorgio's sister
External links
- Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
- Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
- Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
- Pope John Paul II - Homily From the Beatification Mass of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati - 20 May 1990
- Frassati Canada
- Blessedpier.org
- piergiorgiofrassati.org
- Pier Giorgio Frassati's official website
- Associazione Pier Giorgio Frassati, Rome
- [2]