I don't remember how I first heard about Pier Giorgio but in my daily life I am inspired by a stain glass image of him in my university chapel at the Newman Centre at the University of Toronto. In the summer of 2015 I spent 3 months in Tanzania volunteering with the Salesian Sisters at their mission school and I planned to climb Mt Kilimanjaro for the love of mountains and the adventure. I knew the 6 climb on the montian would be particularly challenging because I have asthma and had a brown bone in my foot I was going to have surgery on in the Fall. To prepare, I printed out a picture of Blessed Pier Giorgio climbing up a mountain with "Verso L'alto" and "the higher we go, the better we can hear the voice of Christ" written on it and carried it in my pocket the whole climb. I also asked for his intercession for strength to climb despite the foot pain and asthma and when I reached the summit, I knew I had him and the Blessed Mother to thank for my climbing success! The next summer, my friend and I created our own pilgrimage in Italy and I went to the tomb of Blessed Pier Giorgio to thank him and ask him for his intercession! He is a saint a keep close to my heart in the big adventures and the daily activities hoping that like him I can persever in the Christian life as I onto us studying in university, try to encounter the poor in my city, and pray for my parents conversion like he did! Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, pray for us!
-Virginia-Ann