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"I would like for us to pledge a pact which knows no earthly boundaries nor temporal limits: union in prayer." ~ Pier Giorgio (to I. Bonini,15 January 1925)
Dear Friends of Pier Giorgio,
As we do every year, we want to celebrate Pier Giorgio's birthday by praying together, offering
him in this way the gift he so much appreciated.
This year, Pier Giorgio and John Paul II are connected in a mysterious way. Pier Giorgio's
birthday (April 6) falls on the Saturday of the Octave of Easter, the Vigil of the Solemnity of the
Divine Mercy. On the same “liturgical day” (albeit April 2, 2005), John Paul II died. He was the great advocate of Frassati’s holiness and the Pope of Mercy.
Both figures have in common, among other things, the Rosary. John Paul II “restored” it to the
Church, expanded it with the Mysteries of Light, and presented it as an extremely effective aid to faith. Pier Giorgio prayed it frequently and always carried it with him, calling it his testament.
In his testimony concerning Pier Giorgio, Monsignor Alessandro Roccati recalled this story:
“One day, he received his daily Communion, and for his thanksgiving, he said the Rosary. Then he left the church in a rush with his rosary still in his hand. While he was going down the porch steps, a friend saw him and said, ‘Pier Giorgio, have you become a bigot (i.e., religious fanatic)?’ He replied, ‘No, I’ve remained a Christian.’”
So we want to pray the Rosary together this year for our youth: that they may discover the
beauty and value of praying the Rosary, so that it may also become for them an instrument— as John Paul II said (in reference to Frassati) — that will “transform their lives into a wonderful adventure.”
May Pier Giorgio pray with us. May he intercede for young people! Let us unite in prayer! I
invite you.
With my warmest greetings, I also ask you to let us know of your participation in this prayer so
that we may feel even more united.
Wanda Gawronska
Rome, 15th February 2024Wanda Gawronska
Associazione Pier Giorgio Frassati
Piazza S. Maria in Trastevere 9, 00153 Roma -