by Carlo Grigioni - “ I spend my life dedicated to study, I am like a castaway who desperately struggles with the waves, always hoping for a lifeline, and I am so immersed in my studies that they almost surround me, trying to drown me in this struggle to reach the port that would be the exam. ” (Letter to Isidoro Bonini – 29 April 1925)
Thinking about what Pier Giorgio Frassati says to today's students, we like to start with these lines: the impression that our lives revolve around studying, the feeling of being overwhelmed by books, the thought of an approaching test, quiz, or exam. An experience that resonates with anyone who has lived through school or university.
But Frassati's experience as a student suggests much more. Pier Giorgio's academic project was closely tied to his professional ambition: to become a mining engineer to share the daily lives of the most exploited and least protected workers of the time, "his miners." It was therefore not merely an academic or professional choice, but a concrete way to serve "Christ among the miners."
In confirmation of this intention, Louise Rahner, mother of the Jesuit theologians Hugo and Karl, reported these words of hers: “ I want to be able to help my people in every way and […] as a mining engineer I can, by setting a good example, act very effectively ”.
From his letters to friends and his university results, the picture emerges of a normal student, not necessarily excellent, often struggling with handouts and exams, but capable of approaching his studies with dedication. His motivation wasn't the grade itself or a simple interest in the subject, but rather the desire to prepare himself as best as possible for the mission he had set himself.
In fact he writes: “A few days ago, I took the machine drawing exam. I got a 60%, which I didn't deserve, as I hadn't done the drawings myself. I also took the applied chemistry exam. This last exam went well at the beginning, but not so well at the end, so I got a 65%. I'll be patient, I'll study harder next time, and that way I'll earn better grades.” (Letter to Antonio Villani – March 26, 1923).
Words that portray a young man like us: with successes and failures, with setbacks and recoveries, without abandoning his good plans, but with a healthy intention to improve himself exam after exam. What matters is not accumulating grades, but rather directing commitment and effort toward a greater good.
This attitude resonates with what years later would be the "great goal" of Don Lorenzo Milani and the Barbiana School: " to seek knowledge only to use it in the service of others. Knowledge is only useful for sharing. The right goal is to dedicate oneself to others ."
As students of the Catholic Action Student Movement, today we embrace this meaning of our studies. We want to take our academic commitment seriously, not to be at the top of our class, for the sake of knowledge itself, or for a mere personal success, but to learn and acquire tools, ideas, and skills to put at the service of others, starting with the poor and the excluded. We want our hours at school or sitting at a desk studying to be a step toward realizing the more just world we dream of.
Studying, then, is not a sterile obligation to escape, nor a sacrifice in and of itself, but an integral part of our journey of faith. We want the time dedicated to books to become an investment in hope, a tool for change, an opportunity to prepare ourselves to contribute to building a more just and caring world. In this sense, Pier Giorgio Frassati remains for us not only a model of faith and generosity, but also an ideal classmate, who suggests a greater purpose for our daily lives.
Ultimately, looking at Pier Giorgio Frassati, we discover that sainthood isn't achieved far from school, but right there, when a subject that seems arid and an end in itself can be transformed into a gift for others.
Article published on azionecattolica.it