Letter from the Director
Dear Friend,
The expression “Verso l’alto” can be found
on the bottom of a well-known photo of
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati climbing a
mountain and gazing upward. Literally, the
translation is “toward the top.” Pier Giorgio
actually wrote these words himself on the
back of the photo, which was taken by a
fellow climber on June 7, 1925. Because
of Pier Giorgio’s sudden illness and death
one month later, it turned out to be his last
climb. Although it was never his personal
motto, “Verso l’alto” became representative
of Pier Giorgio’s earthly life—a constant
striving to reach the summit of eternal life.
A new climber usually has a guide to lead
him. The guides are experts who have
climbed extensively. They provide the
novice with lots of information, including:
how to get there, approaches to the peak
or routes, difficulty of the climb, gear
to take, dangers, and other important
information. Frassati did not want to
attempt the path to sanctity alone so he
became a professed member of the Third
Order Dominicans on May 28, 1922, to
imitate the example of Saint Dominic.
He was also devoted to the teachings of
Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Catherine
of Siena.
peers. In this issue, I invite you to read
about how young adults across our country
are following his ascent up the mountain.
Because of you, our friars have well-
formed Dominicans as their guides and are
equipped to guide others in the many
communities they serve as priests,
including college campuses and young
adult fellowships. Yet their impact on our
nation begins even as friars-in-training
at the Dominican House of Studies. As
my brother priest, Father Thomas Joseph
White puts it, “Many people in Washington
are either converting or deepening their
faith because of the work of the young
Dominican student brothers there.”
Thank you for being our partner and
making this possible as we all journey
Verso l’alto!
Father Gabriel Gillen, O.P.
Executive Director
Dominican Friars Foundation
The main piece of gear for safety through
all of climbing history is the rope. The rope
is the safety line that connects partners
together. If the leader falls, his partner, the
belayer, will stop his fall. As Dominicans,
the Rosary is our rope in which we help
one another in our daily lives. Pier Giorgio
always had the Rosary with him and derived
strength from it for his tireless efforts to
build a truly Catholic culture among his
BlackFriars - Volume IV, Issue IV
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