Letters to His Friends and Family

"So what did he do to become a saint? What miracles did he work?" These are the questions one often hears about the life of Pier Giorgio Frassati. For Catholics who associate sainthood with miracles and spiritual phenomena, the story of a young man who lived an ordinary life seems rather... well, ordinary. And at first glance, that is what it was: days that revolved around a routine of home, school and friends; weekends spent skiing in the mountains or swimming at the beach. Many of Pier Giorgio s letters and postcards are filled with the humdrum recitation of details concerning exams taken, tourist sites visited, trains missed, and even greetings to the family pets. His was a life like millions of others, even like ours: it was very ordinary. Or was it? From the first letter written to his father at the age of five, to the last reminder to a friend scrawled with a paralyzed hand as he lay on his deathbed at the age of twenty-four, Pier Giorgio s strong faith shines forth brightly. The child s promise that I ll pray to Baby Jesus for you grows throughout the years into a crescendo of blessing and spiritual encouragements until it reaches a shout of Long life Christ the King! in manhood. Frequent references Siena intermingle with his own thoughts about peace, prayer, friendship, charity, family life on each and life with God forever in Heaven. His personal mission to the poor is his fervent love of country and his hatred for tyranny and injustice. Pier Giorgio was a prophet, and more than that: he was a saint. And in these Letters, he shows us that it is possible for us to become saints, too. Fr. Timothy E. Deeter.