Blog - July 2008 RSS Feed

Someone recently asked a question about events that stopped the canonization process for Pier Giorgio back in 1941. The answer can be found in the "Frequently Asked Frassati Questions" section of the FrassatiUSA website.

August will be an exciting month for friends of Pier Giorgio as he takes a place of honor in the beautiful sanctuary of Oropa. On Friday, August 1st, there will be a special Mass of welcoming at 8:30 in the evening, followed by a candlelight procession.

Pier Giorgio was one of the first to arrive in Australia -- reaching Sydney in late June -- and is one of the last to leave as he heads back to Italy this weekend.

The amount of incorrect information about Pier Giorgio that ends up online or in print is a bit perplexing to me. The most recent example of this comes from a company that publishes a series of Saint Cards called "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives."

The theme for this year's World Youth Day came from the Acts of the Apostles (1:8): "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses."

"What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure? Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falsely-conceived freedom?

During Pier Giorgio's time in Australia, I must admit that I have been hoping and praying for that canonization miracle. (The Frassati family and I have a bit of a running joke about my optimism that a miracle will occur in the U.S. But I wouldn't mind it happening anywhere!)

One of the fun bits of trivia about Pier Giorgio is that he was tone deaf and sang at the top of his voice out of tune. He would be amused, I think, to know that there are now songs being sung about him!

This seven-minute video features highlights from the Mass offered on July 4th in the Church of St. Benedict in Sydney, Australia.

Click here to watch a short video from Australian news about Pier Giorgio!

Pier Giorgio's niece Wanda Gawronska is in Sydney for the World Youth Day festivities. She attended the vigil that took place in the presence of her uncle's mortal remains.

Well, after years of preparations, World Youth Day 2008 is finally here! Organizers of the event have said they expect about 4,000 visitors an hour to attend the "Pilgrimage to the Cathedral."

Here is the full text of the homily given by Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher at Pier Giorgio's Feast Day Mass in Sydney.

I recently received an email asking the following: "Do you think Pier Giorgio will be canonized at World Youth Day? If not, why would they dig up his body and take it to Australia?" It seems a lot of people have had this on their mind, so I thought I would respond here. 

Wow, where does the time go?! I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. A lot has happened since then. My biggest adventure was heading down to Birmingham, Alabama, to appear on EWTN's "Life on the Rock."

It just takes seconds to take our World Youth Day survey! Visit the blog and throw in your two cents!

Watch the Australian ABC news coverage of the arrival of Pier Giorgio

It's hard to keep up with all of the stories about Pier Giorgio in Australia! This story links to a few more.