Verso L’Alto Essay Contest 2013 First Place Essay Mary Bannon, 7th grade

“But the Lord answered me; Do not say ‘I am too young.’ To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak” (Jeremiah 1:7). Jeremiah informs us that we are never too young to serve God. God doesn’t care what our age is; God still speaks through us, loves us, and yearns for our love. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati lived this passage out to the fullest. The athletic young adult was caring and compassionate, yet had a sense of humor and ceaseless energy. He was born into a Catholic family in the year 1901. His family, consisting of his father, mother, and sister, attended weekly mass but were not very involved in the Catholic community. Despite the lack of a strong Catholic role model in the family, Frassati served the poor, prayed, and attended daily mass throughout the twenty- four years of his life. Through his faithful life and humbling deeds, he inspires and challenges each of us to live a life devoted to God. Blessed Frassati displayed compassion and vivacious faith life as a youth in countless ways. When he was six, he noticed a poor child who had no shoes. He immediately removed his own and offered them to the child. Another time, his father sent away a beggar at their doorstep. Young Frassati ran to his mother and cried until she gave the beggar food. Blessed Frassati lived a faith life by praying fervently and attending daily mass. Sometimes he would pray so intensely, he would forget the world around him. He was also very active in the church and political community. He was a member of the St. Vincent Society where he donated his wealth to the poor in person. The Peoples’ or Catholics’ Party, an Italian political party founded for the purpose of Catholics becoming more involved in the political world, was another society Frassati was fervently associated with. He lived his life as one full of dedication to God. Blessed Frassati provides us an excellent example that age is not a factor to perform immense deeds. He lived out his life serving others. He donated most of his possessions and wealth to the poor. Even if he was overwhelmed with his school studies, he always prepared time to visit the poor. He didn’t pursue the girl he loved because he knew it would tear his parents’ marriage apart. Pope John Paul II realized Frassati’s example and declared in his homily during Frassati’s beautification mass, “You will see me (Christ), because I (Christ) live and you will live’… I like to think of them as forming on the lips of our new Blessed himself as a persuasive invitation to live from Christ and in Christ. This invitation is still valid; it is valid today as well, especially for today’s young people, valid for everyone. It is a valid invitation which Pier Giorgio Frassati has left for us today.” We should follow Blessed Frassati’s example and accept this invitation to open our hearts to others. Jeremiah’s passage and Blessed Frassati’s words ‘To the Heights’ encourage and challenge me personally to proclaim my faith to the world. First I must know my faith intellectually by listening and watching teachers of the faith and reading the Bible. Jeremiah 1:7 encourages me to begin being Christ’s servant now and to open my ears to his callings. To do this, I need to become more involved in the Catholic community by attending retreats, missions, and serving. Blessed Frassati’s quote challenges me to live life to the fullest; making others happy I can make myself and Jesus happy. By using my talents and God given gifts to help others, I can achieve this. They also challenge me to open up to others and be friends with everyone. Both animate me to be God’s example for others like Blessed Frassati. I could be more open about my faith around my sport and homeschool group. To succeed, I could be kinder and stronger in my family. Studying Blessed Frassati has encouraged me to develop my spiritual life. Blessed Frassati lived his life for others. He donated his earthly possessions and cared for the poor and sick. He was friendly to those without friends and encouraged those without hope. He was God’s disciple working in little ways. His humble yet gallant deeds add up to something amazing; a close relationship with God. He left behind a legacy which he inspires us to fulfill. He calls us in different ways to increase our compassion and love for each other. He begs us to open our ears to the shout of help from the poor. We need to open our ears and eyes and become more like Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Verso L’Alto Essay Contest 2013

Second Place Essay

Natalie Krall, 7th grade

My Friend, Pier Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was a very devoted Catholic. Even though he only lived to be 24 years old, he still did a great deal to help the poor and put in time for prayer. Pier was born on April 6, 1901 in , . After receiving his first Holy Communion on June 19, 1911, he would attend daily mass whenever he could for the rest of his life. The Holy Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary were part of his prayer life from a very young age. He also joined many groups including the “Apostleship Prayer” and the “Company of the Most Blessed Sacrament.” When he was only 17, Pier became a part of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Even though he was young, he was giving much of his time to serve others, to pray, or go to mass. Pier worked very hard to help the poor, the sick, and also service men returning from World War I. He became a servant to them, even skipping vacation so he could care for them. After acquiring his high school certificate, he attended the Royal Polytechnic University of Turin to become a mining engineer. When people asked why he wanted to be a mining engineer he told them that it was so he would be able to “serve Christ among the miners.” As Pier grew older, he was influenced by the writings of St. Paul and St. Catherine to help the poor even more than he already was. He also held some political views and joined the People’s Party, which helped promote the Church’s teachings. When he needed a break from things, he would be off mountain climbing with his friends, as it was one of his favorite hobbies. He and his friends also liked to pray a Rosary, read scripture, or attend mass. Other things he liked to do were visit museums and watch plays at theaters, and he was fond of art and music. While Pier was studying at University, he shared his strong political views with many other young people. He wanted them to help defend the Church’s rights in Italy. Once during a political gathering, Pier had to defend himself. He held up the group’s banner as a symbol of justice, and he used it to protect himself at the same time. This is a wonderful example of how Blessed Pier lived the Beatitudes: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Shortly before Pier obtained his degree he caught polio. After being in horrible misery with the illness for six days, he died on July 4,1925 at the age of 24. All through his life he had cared for others. This was especially true when he wrote with his paralyzed hand to a friend asking him to bring medicine to a poor man that Pier had been taking care of. He wrote the letter the day before he died. Pope John Paul II knew Pier was a great man. When he visited Pier’s tomb in 1989 he stated, “I want to pay homage to a young man who was able to witness to Christ with singular effectiveness in this century of ours.” On May 20, 1990 thousands of young people witnessed Pier’s in St. Peter’s square. Pope John Paul II beatified him Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and called him the “Man of the Eight Beatitudes.” Blessed Pier has encouraged me to listen to God and to do his bidding even though I sometimes may not want to. I now realize that although I am young I can still help at church and in the world, for example to help at the food pantry, or be an usher, or even go on a mission to a different country. There are many things I can do that don’t have to wait until I’m older. I just have to remember that God is always there to help me when I need it. Blessed Pier has also encouraged me to always be my best and help others in need.