This is the second time in the last five years that Pier Giorgio's birthday falls on one of the most profoundly holy days in the Church year -- Good Friday.  

In less than two weeks, the holy season of Lent will be upon us.  There are numerous testimonies of how disciplined Pier Giorgio was during Lent, especially when it came to fasting. 

Today is the fifth anniversary of the chartering of FrassatiUSA.  It was very special to begin and place this organization under the special patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe on her feast day in 2006. 

It is a good thing that we are supposed to spend the Advent Season joyfully preparing for the birth of Christ because it is so full of many wonderful feast days to celebrate! 

Not long ago, I watched the Masterpiece Theatre version of the Charles Dickens' classic, "A Tale of Two Cities" set in the time of the French Revolution - commonly known as the Reign of Terror. 

Although the charism of many religious groups impacted the spirtuality of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, none was more significant than the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul.

Reports of favors granted through the intercession of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati continue to be received and are forwarded to the official postulator in Italy. 

This is the second academic year for middle school students at Frassati Catholic Academy in the Chicago area.  Dr. Diane Vida, principal of the Academy, has 20 returning students whose families are experiencing extreme financial hardship.

"Love frassatiusa.org. Best site there is about Bl Pier Giorgio on the net. Truly." This was the opening line of an email I recently received from Steve Smyth down in New South Wales, Australia.

Just two days after we celebrated the feast of Blessed Pier Giorgio, an exciting announcement was made by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston:  Frassati Catholic High School is the official name of the new school planned for that diocese. 

Today's great feast of the holy apostles and martyrs Saints Peter and Paul was a special one in the life of Pier Giorgio.  It was the day he celebrated as his name day, what we would call our feast day.

With Pier Giorgio's feast day right around the corner, there is much to celebrate and many new places to do so! This month, the Frassati Fellowship of Winston-Salem kicked off at the parish of St. Leo the Great.

"I prayed to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati asking for his intercession in helping my youngest son get a good paying job that he would do well at. I promised our Blessed that if he interceded for me, I would see my answered prayer published and that I would have our Priest offer nine (9) Masses in thanksgiving.

I hope everyone is having a good Lenten season so far. With Easter coming pretty late this year, Pier Giorgio's birthday falls in the middle of Lent. What convenient timing for praying the novena! It begins on March 29th and will end on his 110th birthday on April 6th.

We frequently receive special prayer requests and many of you have asked for a place to share them on our website. We are experimenting with one interactive page that now allows you to add your intention in the "Comments" field.

It is wonderful to be back in the greatest country in the world! My flights from Rome to Paris to Atlanta to Nashville were quite memorable -- from the momentary panic of losing my passport and boarding pass in Rome to having my bags searched in Paris and being pulled aside by the Customs office in Atlanta. c

Okay, the technical difficulties with the blog seem to have resolved. And I have a few minutes for a quick update. So....

It has been a week since we arrived here in Pollone. In just that short period of time, I have received news that a friend in Nashville needed a heart valve replacement, our bishop underwent six-bypass surgery, a beloved monsignor passed away, another friend has bleeding in the brain.