To Go Forth is a blog of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development (JPHD). The blog takes its inspiration from Pope Francis’ challenge to go forth to the “peripheries” to share the Good News and stand in solidarity with those suffering poverty and injustice.
July 2, 2023
Amid widespread suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial injustice revealed by recent events, Catholics can find inspiration in a young man who lived through similarly troubled times. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is known by many Catholics as a fun-loving sportsman and a model for youth, but it is his Christ-centered charity and social activism that serve as a particularly enlightening example as we seek peace and justice in our nation.
Pier Giorgio was born in 1901 in Turin, Italy. Growing up in a wealthy, influential family, his future might have taken a very different course. But Pier Giorgio’s life of charity was ignited by the Eucharist, which he received daily beginning at age twelve. Reception of this sacrament led him to realize that a complete gift of himself to others, especially those in need, was the only appropriate response to Christ’s gift of Himself in the Eucharist. As Pier Giorgio simply explained: “Jesus comes to me every morning in Holy Communion, and I repay Him in my very small way by visiting the poor.”
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