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September 11, 2019
When my parish priest introduced me to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati in 1995, I could hardly imagine then that this heavenly friendship would lead me to places all over the earth. Last week, it led me to Austria where a piece of my heart now remains.One of the most beautiful affections is that of friendship.
~ Pier Giorgio Frassati
The invitation to speak in Lustenau came from Father Thomas Sauter several months ago. Father Sauter puts great time and effort into an annual weeklong parish retreat designed to provide many opportunities for the people there to encounter Christ in a real way. He is quite the "Pied Piper of Lustenau" and is striving to make
the faith come alive, especially for the young adults. For this reason, he invited both me and
Kevin Becker to speak on
the first night of this year's event.
When I accepted Father's invitation, I did not realize how little was known of Blessed Frassati in that area or that resources in the German language are practically nonexistent. Most of those who heard my presentation were learning about Pier Giorgio for the very first time. The normality of his life clearly made an impression on the audiences that listened patiently as each line was translated by an interpreter. The message that holiness is possible for everyone resonates in any language.
It was a special joy for me to introduce Pier Giorgio to some modern-day Austrians because he had a real love for that country back in his day. He once wrote to a friend during his travels there, "Every day that I spend here I fall more and more in love with these wonderful people." When asked by a friend from Vienna if he could take up a collection for the poor there, he wrote, "It would be a great joy for me to be able to do something for
The Austrian scenery leaves little doubt as to why Pier Giorgio would have enjoyed his visits there. Considering he famously wrote, "Mountains, mountains, mountains, I love you," when in Italy, he had plenty to fall in love with in Austria!
I often say that Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati should be declared the patron saint of friendship. He has a special gift of bringing people together and keeping them united in prayer. This was the basis for his own group of friends called "The Tipi Loschi." He outdid himself on this trip by bringing several special Austrians and Americans into my life.
Every spare minute of the week was full because of amazing Austrian hospitality. There was an invitation by the mother of nine young children to have a home-grown and home-cooked lunch with mandatory playtime. With a young woman from Oklahoma now living in Austria, we hiked into the hills to visit a mountain chapel then strolled down around the outdoor opera on the Lake of Constance. A mother and daughter took us to the Bregenzerwald area where we enjoyed a stunning ride on a cable car "to the top," a great lunch and the view in the above photo. We crossed paths with author and columnist Rod Dreher who spoke on the night after us and had his own encounter with some Tipi Loschi. (His blog has more interesting info and photos.) We were even treated to a beautiful violin/guitar duet!
Throughout my stay, the conversations about the faith and the challenges of life with many of the young adults I met really presented a sobering view of what people are dealing with in other parts of the world, even parts as beautiful as western Austria. The crisis in the Church spreads far and wide. But there is so much goodness wherever you go. Thanks to Blessed Pier Giorgio, I'm so happy to have witnessed firsthand the goodness of the Austrian people - several of whom I am now blessed to count as friends. Danke schoen for the wonderful memories!
Verso l'alto! ///cmw