A quick comment about our Catholic identity

“To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth, that is not living, but existing.”

Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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8 Comments

  1. Supertradmum says:

    A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,
    I had not thought death had undone so many.

    a reference to Dante

    63. Cf. Inferno III, 55-57:
    “si lunga tratta
    di gente, ch’io non avrei mai creduto
    che morte tanta n’avesse disfatta.”

    And there, behind it, marched so long a file
    Of people, I would never have believed
    That death could have undone so many souls.

    Blessed Frassati, intercede for our lost young people.

  2. I might add the Bl. Pier Giorgio was a member of the Dominican Third Order (now Dominican Laity). We celebrate him on July 4th.

  3. Rachel K says:

    What a lovely quote! thanks for posting that. I found myself thinking about Bl Pier Giorgio yesterday and pondering what a great patron he is for young people. We have a wonderful book about him written for children- I can’t recall the author or publisher, it was given to us by God parents-a fantastic read.

  4. Supertradmum says:

    There is a Pier Giorgio group starting up in London. I suggest this as a good thing for young people. They have fun and pray, just like Blessed Pier Giorgio. As a mother of a young man the same age as Blessed Pier Giorgio was when he died, it brings home how vulnerable all youth are and how we need to be aware of their spiritual needs.

  5. CatherineTherese says:

    A little over a year ago, I discovered and joined a Frassati group near my home, in an area that could be described as a desert of orthodoxy – like a shoot of grass coming up through a crack in a sea of pavement. Life! (As an aside, concerning spiritual outposts, Father Z and his readers have been an invaluable source of encouragement and instruction… Save the liturgy, save the world!)

    Anyway, my Frassati group has become a lifeline and a source of a superabundant outpouring of God’s grace… its members busily generating vigor, zeal, and sharpened knowledge of the faith in the local Catholic community, in small ways and not-so-small ways. I marvel at the faith, insights, and support on display in our weekly meetings. I come away refreshed, renewed, edified and strengthened. Through Frassati, I have learned so much and have grown tremendously in my faith, not to mention the blessed discovery of new, true friends – a different kind of friend than I’d previously known. This is remarkable and unique – I thank God that I could be so lucky.

    Blessed Pier Giorgio, thank you! Pray for us! Thanks be to God for His loyal and humble servant Pier Giorgio Frassati and the example he provided to young people.

    Rachel K: I’d be curious to learn the author of the book you mention, if you’re able to dig it up.

  6. Random Friar says:

    Book suggestion: Pier Giorgio Frassati – Man of the Beatitudes.

    You see his real struggle and his real courage.

    [Good choice! That is what I linked in the top entry.]

  7. Rich says:

    “I don’t want to survive, I want to live!” – Captain B. McCrea, Wall-E

  8. Robbie J says:

    Two months ago, my 3rd son entered National Service in the armed forces (in our country, all males having attained the age of 18 are eligible for NS, as we call it). Having been through it myself, some 40 years ago I know the pitfalls of being exposed to all manner of beliefs (and unbelief) in the “big wide world” that we inhabit. My only advice for my son was, “Never forget just who you are. A child of God, by your baptism. This is your IDENTITY. This is who you ARE”. I couldn’t think of any other advice to give him except this.

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