“The Blessed gave glory to his Order with all the passion and pride of being a member of it with all his faith and all his strength” (Nicola Gori).
Looking ahead to the canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, who will be raised to the altars during Holy Mass on August 3rd, 2025, as the culminating event of the Jubilee of Youth, his love for the Order of Preachers deserves special mention, as Nicola Gori highlights in his book Sulla via dell’amore. Studio su un carteggio di Pier Giorgio Frassati con un amico (On the path of love. Study on a correspondence between Pier Giorgio Frassati and a friend,” from the Dominican Family Notebooks collection, where he writes: “Like Saint Dominic, contemplative in action and preacher of the Gospel in every place and situation, the Blessed gave glory to his Order, with all the passion and pride of being a member of it, with all his faith and all his strength.”
Pier Giorgio Frassati’s first contact with the Order was in 1918, and he joined as a lay member in 1922, “a thoughtful choice and certainly not improvised because professing as a tertiary in an Order is not like entering just any association. It requires a strong, precise, and consistent Christian commitment to life, prayer, and relationships,” emphasizes Gori, who recalls that after his profession, a new path began for him in imitation of St. Dominic and other Dominican figures, such as St. Catherine of Siena, whose Dialogue on Divine Providence and Life he often read; St. Thomas Aquinas, whose Summa Theologica he began to read systematically; and Fra Jerome Savonarola, from whom he took his religious name, Jerome.
“I am writing to you with St. Thomas Aquinas’ beautiful book open before me, and when I read those sublime thoughts, I always think of you, who were the first to instill in me the desire to know the great truths contained in this work written to exalt and glorify Divine Providence,” wrote Pier Giorgio in a letter dated March 1923 to his friend Antonio Villani, to whom, in August of the same year, he expressed his joy at his desire to enter the Third Order, of which he was already a member: “I am very happy that you want to be part of the great family of St. Dominic (…). I hope you will take the habit in the magnificent church in Turin, and then I will be with you to give you a brotherly embrace (…) you who are already united to me by the bonds of brotherhood through the Blood of N.S.G.C. (Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo, Our Lord Jesus Christ, editorial note), you will be doubly so because we have Saint Dominic as our common father,” we read in the letter, included in the book by his sister Luciana Frassati, Lettere di Pier Giorgio Frassati (Letters of Pier Giorgio Frassati), signed by Pier Giorgio with his religious name, “Fra Girolamo” (“Brother Jerome”), with which he often signed his letters.
Luciana Frassati, who adds some comments to her brother’s letters in her book, writes that there is no need to comment on this letter, since “Pier Giorgio’s own voice reconfirms, but with much more richness and warmth,” what has already been said about his affiliation with the Third Order of Saint Dominic.
Letters published in Luciana Frassati’s book Lettere di Pier Giorgio Frassati, from which the quotations in this article were taken.
S. Croce, 26 marzo 1923
Carissimo Villani, Grazie della tua lettera e delle buone parole ivi contenute.
Ti scrivo mentre ho dinanzi aperto quel bel libro di S. Tommaso d’Aquino e quando leggo quei sublimi concetti, penso sempre a te che sei stato il primo ad infondere in me il desiderio di conoscere le grandi verità contenute in questa opera scritta per esaltare, glorificare la Divina Provvidenza.
In questi giorni in cui nella tranquillità di questa casa noi ci raccogliamo per pregare, pregherò anche per te, e tu prega molto per me, affinchè, se purtroppo nella vita terrena dovremo stare lontani per le esigenze della nostra carriera, almeno nel giorno in cui il Signore vorrà, ci ritroveremo insieme nella nostra vera Patria a cantare le lodi di Dio.
Appena tornato a Torino se la buona volontà non mi mancherà, riprenderò gli studi perchè avrei intenzione di dare il colloquio di Grassi e poi a luglio Termotecnica Idraulica e chimica metallurgica. Anzi se tu hai qualche appunto riguardante queste materie ti prego di portarmeli quando verrai a Torino.
Pochi giorni fa ho dato l’esame di disegno di macchine ho preso 60%, non mi meritavo di più non avendo fatto io i disegni, e di chimica applicata. Quest’ultimo esame è andato bene sul principio e poi non tanto in fine e così ho avuto 65%; pazienza un’altra volta studierò di più e così mi meriterò più bei voti.
E tu cosa fai? Hai sempre molto da fare?
Credo che rimpiangerai la vita universitaria con le sue buone attrattive.
Addio caro Villani ed arrivederci presto.
Auguri di buona Pasqua a tutti i tuoi e a te in particolare in G. C. Fra Girolamo
E tu cosa fai di bello?
S. Croce, March 26th, 1923
Dearest Villani, Thank you for your letter and for your kind words.
I am writing to you with St. Thomas Aquinas’ beautiful book open before me, and when I read those sublime thoughts, I always think of you, who were the first to instill in me the desire to know the great truths contained in this work written to exalt and glorify Divine Providence.
During these days, when we gather in the tranquility of this house to pray, I will also pray for you, and you pray hard for me, so that if, sadly, we must remain apart in this earthly life because of the demands of our careers, at least on the day when the Lord wills it, we will be reunited in our true homeland to sing the praises of God.
As soon as I come back to Turin, if I have the willpower, I will resume my studies because I intend to do Grassi’s interview and then, in July, Thermotechnics, Hydraulics, and Metallurgical Chemistry. In fact, if you have any notes on these subjects, please bring them to me when you come to Turin.
A few days ago, I took the machine design exam and got 60%. I didn’t deserve more because I didn’t do the drawings myself. I also took the applied chemistry exam. The latter went well at the beginning but not so well at the end, so I got 65%. Never mind, I’ll study harder next time and get better grades.
What are you up to? Are you always busy?
I imagine that you will miss university life with all its attractions.
Farewell, dear Villani, and see you soon.
Easter greetings to all your family and to you in particular, G. C. Brother Jerome
And what good things are you up to?
Pollone, 31 agosto 1923
Carissimo, Rispondo ora alle tue 2 lettere per le ragioni che tu ben conosci. La parte prima della tua ultima lettera è al quanto misteriosa; non riesco a capire bene il significato di certi periodi; te ne chiederò spiegazione poi a voce.
Sono contentissimo che tu voglia far parte della grande famiglia di San Domenico, dove, come dice Dante «Ben s’impingua se non si vaneggia». Gli obblighi sono piccolissimi altrimenti dovresti capire che io non potrei appartenere ad un ordine che obbligasse molto.
Quando il Santo istituì il terz’ordine lo istituì come una milizia per combattere contro gli eretici ed allora avevano delle regole molto severe, seguiva quasi l’antica regola del primo ordine, ma ora è stata trasformata non v’è più rimasta traccia di obblighi severi. Bisognerebbe recitare ogni giorno l’Ufficio Domenicano della Madonna oppure il Rosario, ma anche questo senza commettere alcun peccato mortale se deliberatamente tu un giorno o parecchi giorni lo tralasciassi di recitare.
Spero che tu faccia la vestizione nel magnifico tempio di Torino ed allora sarò vicino a te per darti l’abbraccio fraterno; poichè tu che già sei a me legato dai vincoli della fratellanza per il Sangue di N.S.G.C. lo sarai doppiamente anche per avere comune con me per Padre San Domenico.
Mi piacerebbe molto che tu assumessi il nome di Fra Girolamo, non perchè è il nome che io ho come figlio di San Domenico, ma perchè mi ricorda una figura a me cara e certamente anche a te, che hai comune a me gli stessi sentimenti contro i corrotti costumi, la figura di Girolamo Savonarola, di cui io molto indegnamente porto il nome. Ammiratore fervente di questo frate, morto da santo sul patibolo, ho voluto nel farmi terziario prenderlo come modello, ma purtroppo sono ben lungi da imitarlo. Pensaci e poi scrivimi le tue idee in proposito.
In quanto a Genova non ho ancora deciso nulla.
Ti ringrazio anche a nome dei miei delle buone parole che in questi momenti giungono così gradite specialmente quando vengono non solo pensate ma sentite col cuore che come il tuo so vicino a me in queste ore.
Ossequi ai tuoi a te mille cose in G. C. Fra Girolamo
Pollone, August 31st, 1923
My dearest, I am now replying to your two letters for reasons you are well aware of. The first part of your last letter is somewhat mysterious; I cannot quite understand the meaning of certain passages; I will ask you to explain them to me in person.
I am delighted that you want to be part of the great family of St. Dominic, where, as Dante says, “Ben s’impingua se non si si vaneggia” (One gains much if one does not stray into vanity). There are very few obligations, for as you must certainly understand that I could not belong to an order that imposes many obligations.
When the Saint established the Third Order, he established it as a militia to fight against heretics, and at that time they had very strict rules, following closely the ancient Rule of the First Order, but now it has been transformed and there is no longer any trace of strict obligations. One should recite the Dominican Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Rosary every day, but even if one deliberately omits to recite it for one or several days, one does not commit a mortal sin.
I hope that you will make your profession in the magnificent church in Turin, and then I will be close to you to give you a brotherly embrace; for you who are already bound to me by the bonds of brotherhood through the Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, you will be doubly so because we have Saint Dominic as our common father.
I would very much like you to take the name of Bro Jerome, not because it is the name I have as a son of St. Dominic, but because it reminds me of a figure dear to me and certainly to you too, who share my feelings against corrupt customs, the figure of Jerome Savonarola, whose name I very unworthily bear. As a fervent admirer of this friar, who died a saint on the scaffold, I wanted to take him as my model when I became a tertiary, but alas, I am far from imitating him. Think about it and then write to me with your thoughts on the matter.
As for Genoa, I have not yet decided anything.
I thank you also on behalf of my family for your kind words, which are so welcome at this time, especially when they come not only from the mind but from the heart, which I know is close to mine at this moment.My best regards to your family and a thousand greetings in G. C. Brother Jerome
