BAY RIDGE — Michael Petruso said an Oct. 16 discussion on the life of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati helped him realize his faith journey is not something to go through alone.
“There are many people who struggle to go through the various battles in life by themselves, not asking for help,” Petruso said. “But Jesus, often times, works through the people he puts in our lives.”
The event, attended by 27 young adults, was held at St. Anselm Church in Bay Ridge and led by Father James Kuroly, the director of the Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Father Kuroly said that there are many lessons people can learn from St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, but the ones he emphasized were having a friendship with Christ, having a passion for the faith, and putting faith into action.
During the event, which the parish’s young adult group organized, Father Kuroly highlighted aspects of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati’s life that many young adults today can relate to, including his devotion to daily Mass and a commitment to evangelization and social activism.
“One of the phrases we often use is ‘normal,’ and Pier Giorgio Frassati would certainly be a very normal person, the way that anyone his age, during his time would be,” Father Kuroly said. “He loved to mountain climb, he loved smoking a pipe with friends, he liked to pull jokes on those friends, but at the same time he was always rooted in his faith and rooted in Christ.”
In addition to the talk, attendees were invited to venerate a relic of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati — a piece of linen from the bed where he died, which Father Kuroly brought from Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary, where he is rector and president.
Sarah Cappiello, a member of St. Anselm’s young adult group, said she was excited that her group sponsored the talk.
“[St. Pier Giorgio Frassati] is a really good example of how we as young Catholics are able to live in the world,” Cappiello said. “A lot of the time, I feel, when we look at the saints, we always think of them as being priests or religious, so he’s a really nice example of how that doesn’t necessarily have to be our calling in life.”
