Frassati - Chapter of Sydney

Today is the great Feast Day of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati! 👍🏻

Well in just over a week Australia will go to the polls to decide upon the makeup of the 47th Parliament of Australia. This one could say is the most important election we have been faced with.

Australians over the last 2 years have been locked up in their own homes. They have had medicines forced upon them in direct contravention to their own personal wishes and the relative need for them to begin with. They have had their jobs taken away from them. They have had their families and livelihoods to provide for them taken away from them. The very people elected to serve them and to ensure the circumstances for their good future and their flourishing have deserted them. Whilst we are still able and for the sake of our country we should make an informed vote on Saturday the 21st of May. Drawing dicks on your ballot paper, writing inappropriate messages, and wasting your vote via “donkey voting” helps nobody, least of all your country.

Where we stand now is that we have entered the first week of what is called “pre-poll”, where you can vote early before Election Day. A pre-poll voting booth near you will be open from 8am-8pm, Monday to Friday, leading right up to Election Day on Saturday the 21st of May.
There were 16,419,543 registered electors at the last federal election in 2019, 4,908,831 of those voted at a pre-poll voting booth. This year, I joined that near on 30% of voters who voted before Election Day. Whether at pre-poll or on Election Day, you will be confronted with the same view we had; a brown cardboard booth in which you make your vote, a small green ballot paper to vote for your lower house Member of Parliament, and finally a metre long white ballot paper to vote for your upper house Senators for your state. This is the means in which we have been given to look after our country, no it is not ideal, democracy never is, but it is the means we have been given. Do it and do it well.

If you don’t know how to vote, learn here; https://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/How_to_Vote/
If you don’t know where you can vote, find out here; https://www.aec.gov.au/election/voting.htm
If you don’t know who your candidates are, view them here; https://www.aec.gov.au/election/candidates.htm

We are also encouraging you all to join us and the good folk out at Catholic Central, for their 2022 Federal Election Rosary Novena. You can find more details about this through their Facebook Event page here; https://fb.me/e/mAEUOda4p

Yours in BPGF, God Bless you from all of us here at the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney! 👍

It is always great to see our Patron adorn the walls of our Churches right across this country. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati here hangs beside St Thomas Aquinas within Holy Rosary Parish, Watson, Canberra. We thank the Parish Priest Father Mannes OP, for having him there. We know that he prays for you and your parishioners, just as we in the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney do as well. God Bless! 👍🏻

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, pray for us.
St Dominic, pray for us.
St Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, pray for us.

Hey everyone, after 3 years since our last Christus Rex Pilgrimage, it is with great anticipation that we have been waiting for this announcement; the Christus Rex Society has announced that the 2022 Christus Rex Pilgrimage will be on this year, from Thursday the 27th of October, to Monday the 31st of October.

The three day pilgrimage is held annually on the weekend leading up to the traditional Feast of Christ the King from St Patrick’s Cathedral Ballarat on the Friday morning, to Sacred Heart Cathedral Bendigo on the Sunday afternoon.

Registrations for tickets will be will open for the Feast of Whitsunday, on Sunday the 5th of June 2022.

To find out more information about the pilgrimage and how you can attend with us, please go to the official link below;
https://fb.me/e/mZEUOaAYC

Hey everyone, this last Sunday yesterday was an important day in the life of the Church. First and foremost, it was the Blessed Feast of St Joseph the Worker, further to this it was also the Day of the Lord in Eastertide known as “Good Shepherd Sunday”, and finally as it was the 1st of May, it was the first day of the month dedicated to Mary as Mother of God and of the Church. This Blessed trifecta of celebrations are nothing short of a divine miracle gift from Holy Mother Church, and in a very special way, a recommendation of hers that we honour especially the Holy Family of Nazareth. The “Bark of Peter” is leaking souls daily due to its own infidelity to God, may we plug those holes and win souls for Christ, Our Lady, and St Joseph!

Firstly, the Feast of St Joseph the Worker; we commemorate St Joseph as patron of all workers. Work was given to us by God as a result of the Fall, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.” – Genesis 3:19. A relatively modern Feast introduced by Venerable Pope Pius XII in 1955, as an affront to the raging communists and their 1st of May, “May Day celebrations” for international workers. We are reminded of the inherent dignity of human work and the law of labour, and we have in St Joseph the Worker, our model. Now and always; “Ite ad Joseph” (Go to Joseph). We are also recommended to consecrate ourselves to St Joseph, Fr Donald Calloway’s Consecration to St Joseph is a mighty blessing for this and we recommend it to you all! St Joseph has an infinite power of intercession, as St Thomas Aquinas tells us. He provides everything we ask of him, as St Teresa of Avila tells us. We are called to be other Josephs, ambassadors of his, and we shouldn’t put it off, we ought to do it now, quickly, and without delay.

The Prayer to St Joseph the Worker, by Pope St Pius X;
O Glorious, St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations, to work with gratitude and joy, in a spirit of penance for the remission of my sins, considering it an honour to employ and develop by means of labor the gifts received from God, to work with order, peace, moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties, to work above all with purity of intention and detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account that I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all through Mary, after your example, O Patriarch, St. Joseph. Such shall be my watchword in life and in death. Amen.

Secondly, “Good Shepherd Sunday” we also commemorated the Good Shepherd St John told us about in the Gospel reading; “I am the good shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know me. As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep.” – Gospel of St John Chapter 10, Verse 14-15. Like every good shepherd, He herds his flock to His paddock and tends to their needs, and ensures their survival. Like lambs not to the slaughter but to the sunny hills we go.

Finally, our 1st of May, the month dedicated to Our Lady Mother of God and of the Church. We are exhorted by our Holy Father Pope Francis, to pray daily the Holy Rosary for peace. May our statues of Mary be adorned with flowers now and always, may our families pray the Rosary together daily, may our Miraculous Medals (Medals of the Immaculate Conception) and our Brown Scapulars of Our Lady of Mt Carmel be worn, and if we haven’t been invested into either one or both of them, may we be so. And if we have not consecrated ourselves to Our Lady, might we do that also. This is the month of Mary, and may we give it to her wholeheartedly!

Jesus the Good Shepherd, have mercy on us!
Mary the Mother of God and of the Church, pray for us!
St Joseph the Worker, pray for us!
Holy Family of Nazareth, pray for us!
St Louis De Montfort, pray for us!

God Bless and yours in BPGF, from the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney lads!

The Divine Office? What it is and why we should pray it.

Simply put, it is the book of Psalms from the Sacred Scriptures, as well as the universal and canonical prayer of the Church. For us laymen and women, it is the Sacrifice of Praise owed to God, however is not obligatory to us, unlike that of priests and religious.

Why do we pray the more traditional Canonical Hours found in the “Breviarium Romanum” (Roman Breviary) or “Breviarium Monasticum” (Monastic Breviary)? Well multiple reasons, but here are a few;
- The Canonical Hour of Prime was suppressed from the new “Liturgy of the Hours”, without much explanation.
- The obligation for priests and religious to improve their understanding of the liturgy, which was called for in the Documents of Vatican II, has largely been ignored and as a result the new “Hours” meets the lay faithful on that standard.
- The Psalms are no longer distributed across a week, but a month instead, subsequently resulting in for the first time in Christian history, the full set of 150 Psalms not being contained within the Canonical Hours of the Church.
- The more traditional Canonical Hours contain more of the Church’s ancient traditions than that of the “Hours”. In a way, it serves as an effective means of bridging that liturgical gap.
- The traditional Canonical Hours generally have side-by-side Latin and vernacular translations, Latin being the universal language of the Church. The modern “Hours” however it is more difficult to find this.
- The traditional Office has the benefit of using hieratic/sacral liturgical English, whereas the modern “Liturgy of the Hours” does not.
- The traditional Office contains liturgical hymns with appropriate doxologies. The modern “Hours” render these optional, with the choice given to relevant authorities to replace them with non-liturgical hymns.
- The modern “Hours” were developed using the 1928 Anglican Common Prayer Book as a reference point, in relation to which verses should be redacted from the Canonical Hours.
- The “Hours” have been deformed to the extent that the emotional response of individuals to the Sacred Scriptures, namely the Psalms, determine their presence in the liturgy;
\ Psalms 57/58, 82/83, and 108/109 have been suppressed from the psalter cycle entirely.
\ Psalms 77/78, 104/105, and 105/106 have been relegated to Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter ONLY, because of their emphasis on Old Testament salvation, despite of it being a forerunner to the New.
\ The following Psalms had verses suppressed from the Canonical Hours; 5, 20/21, 27/28, 30/31, 34/35, 39/40, 53/54, 54/55, 55/56, 58/59, 62/63, 68/69, 78/79, 109/110, 136/137, 138/139, 139/140, 140/141, and 142/143.

At the Maternal Heart of Mary Church you will find the traditional Canonical Hours of the Church publicly prayed regularly, during the week and on Sundays. We will also advertise where else you can find these celebrations.

Finally, we leave you with these sage words from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI; “I would like to renew my call to everyone to pray the Psalms… Lauds, Vespers, and Compline. Our relationship with God can only be enriched by our journeying towards Him day after day.”

Yours in BPGF, from the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney lads! 👍

“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest We Forget.”

ANZAC Day is probably one of the most important non-liturgical days of the year, for both our country and our Australian way of life. It was first and foremost a great privilege of ours here at the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney, to get along to the 2022 Sydney ANZAC Day Dawn Service down in Martin Place. We did so in order to meet our civic duty as Australians. We commemorated the ultimate sacrifice that our former fighting men and women made, in protecting the very freedoms that were once the very hallmark of our creed. We might add, the very same freedoms that we as a country willingly sacrificed and gave away ourselves, over the last 2 years. Australia is not the same as it once was, nor will it probably be again. We no longer stand up for what we once did.

After the dawn service, we made our way to the Maternal Heart of Mary Church, for the Annual ANZAC Day Requiem Mass. We prayed specifically for our beloved dead, who died fighting and protecting this great country. Not only in World War I, but in every other war Australia has participated in. This next point is of utmost importance; ANZAC Day does not glorify war. It commemorates that which St John said in his Gospel account Chapter 15, Verse 13; “Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Catholics are neither pacifists nor war-hawks. We do not seek out war in and of itself, but we do understand the need to be always prepared for it.

We would also like to sincerely thank all our friends from Artes Christi, Lest We Forget Australia, RSL Australia, Legacy Australia, and Channel 7, who gave up their own ANZAC Day to put on for the rest of us, a heart moving tribute to Australia’s veterans and their families. We had the pleasure of attending this live at Town Hall also.

Finally, like all good traditions, we passed on that which we received to all our friends in Sydney and surrounds. We went down to the The Australian Heritage Hotel in The Rocks, to play a bit of Two-Up, and sink a few down to honour our fallen war-dead. It was beautiful.

As everyone should, we pray for peace in our world as did Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. We pray always for our great Southern Land of the Holy Ghost, under the Southern Cross. May God Bless you, your family and friends, and all of those we know and don’t know who in some way, shape, or form, have contributed to the national security and defence of this country. We pass on to them our heartfelt thanks as patriotic, loving sons of this country.

Yours in BPGF!

“Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, in die illa tremenda: Quando caeli movendi sunt et terra. Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem. Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo, dum discussio venerit, atque ventura ira. Quando caeli movendi sunt et terra. Dies illa, dies irae, calamitatis et miseriae, dies magna et amara valde. Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis.”

(Deliver me, O Lord, from death eternal on that fearful day, when the heavens and the earth shall be moved, when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. I am made to tremble, and I fear, till the judgment be upon us, and the coming wrath, when the heavens and the earth shall be moved. That day, day of wrath, calamity, and misery, day of great and exceeding bitterness, when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord: and let light perpetual shine upon them.)

We here at the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney want to wish you all a very Blessed Eastertide! 👍

It was a beautiful day in the life of the Church today. We attended the Maternal Heart of Mary Church this afternoon for the Mass of the pre-Sanctified., as well as this evening for the Office of Tenebrae for Holy Saturday (Good Friday).

Today was a day of commiseration and commemoration; the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. We heard the Passion account of St John. We prayed the great “Bidding Prayers” of the Church, praying for; Holy Mother Church, the Supreme Pontiff, the faithful and their needs, our politicians, Catechumens, heretics and schismatics, the Jews and for their conversion, as well as for unbelievers. The highlight of the Liturgy was the adoration of the Cross, which we haven’t seen since First Passion Sunday.

“Ecce lignum Crucis, in quo salus mundi pependit.”
(Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the saviour of the world.)
“R: Venite, adoremus.”
(R: Come, let us adore.)

As well as the Mass of the pre-Sanctified, we attended Tenebrae for Holy Saturday, the last of its kind in Holy Week. This was the third in a row, one on nights before Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

“Deus adjuvat me, et Dominus susceptor est animae meae.”
(God is my helper, and the Lord upholdeth my soul.)

God Bless you guys, from the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney lads! 👍

Hey everyone, it was great to see you all tonight out at the Maternal Heart of Mary Church in Lewisham, for the Solemn High Mass of Maundy Thursday. This was the commemorative Mass of the Last Supper and the institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

"Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est."
(Where charity and love are, there is God.)

As part of this Mass of the Last Supper, we got to witness the "Mandatum" (Maundy, or the Washing of the Feet), the stripping of the altars, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar of Repose until midnight, and the singing of Compline for Maundy Thursday.

"Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem."
(Christ became obedient for us unto death.)

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for the traditional Good Friday viewing of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Goodnight and God Bless you, from the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney lads! 👍

Hey guys, it was great to see you all there at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney this morning for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Mass of the Chrism. with Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers, and all the rest of our Archdiocesan shepherds.

We saw all the priests of the Archdiocese make the annual renewal of their priestly vows, as well as the Blessing of the sacred oils used in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Extreme Unction, and Holy Orders, for all the Archdiocesan parishes.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said of "Chrism Masses"; "they thus serve also as an expression of the Church’s unity, guaranteed by the episcopate, and they point to Christ, the true ‘shepherd and guardian’ of our souls." "Oil is the sign of God’s goodness reaching out to touch us." "Thus oil, in its different forms, accompanies us throughout our lives: beginning with the catechumenate and baptism, and continuing right up to the moment when we prepare to meet God, our Judge and Saviour."

"As for you,dearest sons and daughters, pray for your Priests, that the Lord may pour out his gifts abundantly upon them, and keep them faithful as ministers of Christ, the High Priest, so that they may lead you to him, who is the source of salvation. And pray also for me, that I may be faithful to the apostolic office entrusted to me in my lowliness and that in your midst I may be made day by day a living and more perfect image of Christ, the Priest, the Good Shepherd, the Teacher and the Servant of all." - Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP.

We look forward to seeing you all tonight at the Maternal Heart of Mary Church for the 7pm Mass of Maundy Thursday as well as Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar of Repose. God Bless you, from the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney! 👍

It was a beautiful night out at the Parramatta Latin Mass Chaplaincy this evening, for the Office of Tenebrae for Maundy Thursday (Holy Wed). Many thanks to the Fssp Parramatta clergy out in the Diocese of Parramatta, for celebrating this liturgy this evening. The only liturgy of this kind having been celebrated in Sydney and surrounds this evening.

"Traditor autem dedit eis signum, dicens: Quem osculatus fuero, ipse est, tenete eum."
(The traitor gave them a sign, saying: He whom I shall kiss, That same is He: hold Him fast.")

What is the “Office of Tenebrae?”
It is the Divine Office celebration as the name suggests for “Tenebrae” (darkness) of the night before Maundy Thursday (on Holy Wednesday evening), Good Friday (Maundy Thursday evening), and Holy Saturday (on Good Friday evening). The Office of Tenebrae for these three days should be treated as a funeral service or dirge, commemorating the death of Jesus Christ. As Jesus laid in the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights, we to should spend these three nights in solemn prayer.

The next Tenebrae has been delayed and will be celebrated at 7am on the morning of Good Friday. We will let you all know the details for this at some point tomorrow. God Bless you all in BPGF! 👍

Hey everyone, we are now breathing down the neck of the Paschal Triduum, with Tenebrae for Maundy Thursday (on Spy Wednesday evening) this evening starting at 7pm, out at the Parramatta Latin Mass Chaplaincy at 159 Girraween Road, Girraween, NSW, 2145. We would love for you to join us for it!

Just on a side note; indulgences are just one of the innumerable ways in which the Church shows us that She desires the salvation of our souls. What is an indulgence? It is a total or partial remission of the temporal punishment which man would have to suffer either in this or the next life, after the sins have been remitted.

Entering into Holy Week this week, it might be helpful for you to know some of the Indulgences that Holy Mother Church offers to the faithful;

Maundy Thursday;
- If during the solemn reservation of the Blessed Sacrament (at the Altar of Repose), which follows the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, recite or sing the Eucharistic hymn; "Tantum Ergo."
- If you adore the solemnly reserved Blessed Sacrament for half an hour.

Good Friday;
- If you venerate the Cross in the celebration of the Lord’s Passion.
- If you piously participate in the Stations of the Cross.

Holy Saturday;
- If you attend the celebrations of the Easter Vigil at night and renew your baptismal promises, which is part of the liturgy of that Mass.

In order to obtain these Plenary Indulgences and any other, in addition to performing the mentioned specific works, the following conditions must also be fulfilled;

- Detachment from all sin, even venial.

- Sacramental confession, Holy Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. These three conditions can be fulfilled a few days before or after performing the works to gain the indulgence, but it is appropriate that Communion and the prayer take place on the same day that the work is completed.

- A single sacramental confession is sufficient for several plenary indulgences, but frequent sacramental confession is encouraged in order to obtain the grace of deeper conversion and purity of heart.

- For each plenary indulgence that is sought, however, a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father are required.

- The prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father is left up to the choice of the individual, but an Our Father, Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, are suggested.

God Bless you guys, in BPGF!

Blessed Palm Sunday! 👍

It was a beautiful Solemn High Mass this morning out at the Maternal Heart of Mary Church. The rain washed out our Procession, but we sang His sweet song regardless.

"Gloria, laus, et honor tibi sit, Rex Christe Redemptor: Cui puerile decus prompsit hosanna pium."
(Gloriy, praise, and honour to Thee, O King Christ, the Redeemer: to Whom children poured their glad and sweet hosanna's song.)

"Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord."
Done and dusted; Maternal Heart of Mary Church is ready to celebrate the opening of Holy Week and the triumphant entry into His holy city Jerusalem, of Christ our Lord, Messiah and King.

"Let the faithful be invited to take part in the Procession of Palms in greater numbers, thus rendering Christ the King public witness of their love and gratitude."

Tomorrow we will see the Blessing of the Palms, the Procession, the Mass, and the singing of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St Matthew. Truly one of the most impressive ceremonies of the liturgical year.

We hope you can join us all there tomorrow morning at 10:30am for the Sung Mass. God Bless you from the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney lads! 👍

Hey everyone, we would like to share here with you all a Lenten Pastoral letter from 1840, by the first Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Archbishop; +John Bede Polding.

We would first like to formally and officially acknowledge this tireless work of The Saint Bede Studio and The Guild of Archbishop Polding for compiling all of these historical pieces together for us to benefit from today. We extend in a very real way, our prayers and well wishes for the continuing of this good work.

"We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, O Lord, against the justice; Let thy wrath and indignation be turned away, I beseech thee." - Daniel 9:15-16.

"In this manner did Daniel, the prophet of God, supplicate for his people. At the commencement of this solemn season of fasting and prayer, we feel ourselves impelled, on behalf of the flock committed to our pastoral charge, thus to invoke the Mercy of God, that he may have pity and spare."

"And whereas an attachment to sin must ever being displeasing to God, let us most humbly beseech him to move our hearts to sincere repentance. Whilst we offer our prayers, let us not forget that it is our duty to make use of the means of Grace, purchased for us at the price of the blood of Jesus, and apply to our souls in the Holy Sacraments. The Church at all times exhorts sinners not to delay their conversion; it is however more especially during the holy season of Lent she entreats them not to neglect the day of salvation; not to reject the opportunity of presenting their supplication with an humble and contrite heart, at a time when they may be certain of a favourable audience at the throne of Grace. Let this assurance - in addition to the powerful motives which urge the sinner no longer to refuse the Merciful Invitation of his God - let this assurance influence you to commence forthwith the business of conversion."

"Dearly Beloved, we exhort you not only to renounce the works of the flesh, but also to bring forth fruits worthy of penance. In bitterness of heart, survey that large period of your life you have passed in neglect of your religious duties. O, in that vast extent are there not numberless crimes to be atoned for? With unfeigned humility and compunction bewail your sins; examine what have been the causes of your transgressions; destroy the root whence spring your evil doings, and in all sincerity disclose to the minister of God the miserable state of your souls. These are the first fruits a penitential spirit will produce - a sincere and humble confession of your sins accompanied by a bitter sorrow for the past and amendment for the future. To these dispositions and good works must be added other works of penance. For this reason the holy fast of Lent has been instituted. Our bodies have been incentives to sin; it is not fitting that they should endure the punishment of sin? By immoderate indulgence of the appetite, guilt has been contracted; is it not right that the appetite should be restrained? In the Sacred Scripture, fasting is frequently mentioned as a just and proper means to atone for sin and to satisfy the Divine Justice."

"Our Saviour strongly recommends fasting to us; his Apostles, and the first Christians rigorously fulfilled the recommendation which had the sanction of his example. During the forty days of Lent, they abstained not only from fresh meat, but also from eggs, butter, and fish. They only broke the fast after sunset, and then took for their meal herbs, roots and bread … happy times of Christian fervour, far different from the degenerate age in which we live!"

"We earnestly exhort all who have attained the age of twenty-one years, to observe the rules of Abstinence and Fasting. Labourers and hard-working men are allowed the usual number of meals; also those who are in a delicate state of health, who, by reason of weakness of constitution or other cause, require a similar dispensation. …Those who are from a reasonable motive require dispensation either from fast or abstinence, will apply to their pastor, who is empowered to grant every necessary dispensation. Let those who cannot apply to their pastor be careful not to be deluded by the love of indulgence, into a groundless decision in favour of their self-love."

"We must do Penance or perish. We pray the Father of Mercies to grant you sincere Repentance, to hear your prayers, and to accept your fast, that, cleansed from all defilement of sin, with pure consciences you may be strengthened by the sacred Body and Blood of his Son unto Eternal Life. The Grace of God be with you. Amen."

+John Bede Polding, pray for us!
A.M.D.G.

https://inthosedayes.blogspot.com/2021/02/lenten-pastoral-1840.html?spref=fb&fbclid=IwAR1yjruucCqTjTWRphttiJAIegENRzaeK9B-qqrIJ0Jrsbv6V-_kFrtY6JM

Two days ago on the 6th of April, was what would have been the 121st Birthday of our Patron; Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati!

"Pier Giorgio knew the drama of the Great War at a very young age; and he declared himself ready to give his life so that the war would end. In 1921 he enthusiastically participated in the newly born "Pax Romana" organization, which united university students from different European nations, with the aim of preparing a future in which war would no longer be a reality."

We here at the Frassati - Chapter of Sydney want to unite ourselves with him in praying for peace in our own time;

"In these tragic and painful moments when your country is trampled under foreign feet, while your adversary occupies your hearths as an enemy of your country, we Catholic students send you an expression of our fraternal love. We have no possibility of changing the sad situation, but we feel within ourselves the entire strength of our Christian love which unites us in brotherhood beyond all national boundaries. Governments today are not heeding the Pope’s warning: “True peace is more a fruit of Christian love for one’s neighbor than it is a fruit of justice,” and they are preparing new wars for the future of all humanity. Modern society is drowning in the sorrows of human passions and it is distancing itself from every ideal of love and peace. Catholics, we and you, must bring the breath of goodness that can only spring from faith in Christ. Brethren, in these new trials and terrible griefs, know that the great Christian family is praying for you; act in such a way that your sufferings and trials might become lighter for you to bear. Since peace cannot return to the world without God, at least may you, as men of good will, cherish in your hearts Him Who in the stable was announced by the Angels as the Savior of Humanity.” - Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Happy birthday Pier Giorgio Frassati!
https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/3034/documents/2022/3/EnglishLetterApril6.2022.pdf