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OUR PROJECT AND OUR PATRON or, Laying down the Gauntlet Our Project: Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Catholic Men’s Quarterly, a publication that takes seriously the words of Blessed Pier Giorgio found on our front cover. “To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth, that is not living, but existing.” With these words of a great, if relatively unknown, Catholic man of the 20th century, we will begin each issue. For these words, better than any we could come up with, exemplify the mission of this magazine. We seek to understand the Faith, to defend it against unjust and untruthful attack and to live it more fully. And, in the process, we hope to help others do the same. In these times, in which Catholicism is held in such low regard by many outside the confines of the Church and her doctrines are held so loosely by many of us “inside,” a journal such as this is surely needed. In these times, in the wake of the scandal involving priests and young men and boys, when many Catholic men are confused and disoriented, a journal such as this is surely needed. And, in these times in which anti-Catholicism is, as one scholar has noted, the “last acceptable prejudice,” a journal such as this is surely needed. The dominant message we get from many mainstream media outlets is that the Catholic Church is a medieval institution that has obstructed science and progress and murdered millions. How tragic; tragic because untrue. That the average man on the street is unaware of the great legacy of truth, beauty and goodness that is the patrimony of every Catholic is a problem that must be addressed. So, let’s address it. It is our hope that the Catholic Men’s Quarterly will be informative, inspirational, entertaining and educational. Specifically, we hope to inform you of the glorious achievements of Catholicism, both in the past and in the present, educate you as to the reasonableness of Church teaching, introduce you to heroic Catholic men and to outstanding destinations and defend the Faith against unjust attack. And, oh yes, one more thing. We hope to make you laugh as well. We hope you enjoy the magazine and tell your friends about us. Laying Down the Gauntlet: The famous Catholic television personality of the mid 20th century Archbishop Fulton Sheen noted that there weren’t many people that hated the Catholic Church, but there were many that hated what they thought was the Catholic Church. Although today we suspect that there are more who genuinely hate Her because they hate the traditional morality which she upholds, what he said two generations ago with regard to the ignorance of non-Catholics concerning the Faith, is sadly true of many Catholics today. American Catholics, no less than non-Catholics, are woefully uninformed as to the actual teachings or reasons for the teachings of the Church. They are blissfully unaware of the sound historical claims of the Church to be that one founded by Christ. We believe that, by and large, it is not their fault. There has been a crisis in the Church in the United States for many years. The priest scandal is merely one manifestation of it. If you are one of these many uninformed Catholics, if you are lapsed or lazy, disgruntled or disgusted, take this as a challenge. Before you dismiss the Catholic Church out of hand, ask yourself how well you know Her. For that decision you make, to cling to or abandon the Faith of your fathers, will have tremendous consequences both for yourself and your children and your children’s children. Think of it. For how many hundreds of years, if not more than a thousand, has your family been Catholic? Think of the persecution your ancestors may very well have endured for the Faith. Perhaps there are martyrs in your bloodline. For generation after generation, the Faith has been preserved and passed along intact to the young…until now. With you, it all stops. And for what? Everyone, I imagine, has his own reason that is justifiable in his own mind, but I would urge you…before attacking the Church, you should know what you attack, before abandoning the Church, you should know what you abandon, and before embracing the Church, you should know what you embrace. Check it out. If only as a courtesy to your long-dead ancestors and not-yet-born descendents, check it out. To borrow the title from a great collection of conversion stories available through Envoy, the outstanding magazine of apologetics, I think you’ll be “surprised by truth.” Our Patron: Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is a man to be emulated. He is the first subject of a recurring series entitled Ecce Homo Catolico, or Behold the Catholic Man. We believe Pier Giorgio to be the ideal patron for this magazine. He was devout but not dainty, prayerful but not preachy or pietistic and charitable but committed to the truth. He was also an outdoorsman, prankster, brother, son, friend, and most importantly, an exemplary model of a Catholic man in the world. The son of an agnostic father prominent in Italian political and journalistic circles, Pier Giorgio was a young man of an intense spirituality that he was unafraid to share with others. He wanted them to share in his joy. However, the charitable actions which were inspired by his faith, he was somewhat reticent to share with others. His family was surprised when, at his funeral, the streets were lined with a “multitude of mourners” unknown to them. Those impoverished mourners, many of whom he had served in his works of charity, were likewise “surprised to learn that the saintly young man they knew was the heir of the Frassati family,” who were members of the upper class. Pier Giorgio was and remains an attractive figure precisely because he seemed to get it, “it” being just how to live the life of a saint while in the world. Nourished by regular reception of the sacraments, devotion to Mary and Eucharistic adoration, this man accomplished more in his life than many of us will in lives three times as long. He was active politically, and, though he carried out the corporal works of mercy in a fashion not often seen today, he also knew that, as a Catholic, he had an obligation to work for social justice. Though the term is often considered a pejorative among many self-styled “conservatives,” Pier Giorgio knew better. Catholic social teaching as found in many of the encyclicals lays out basic principles; it is the task of laymen and women, expert in their field, to strive to implement them. Pier Giorgio is also a Catholic man to admire because he was unafraid to fight, even physically, in defense of his ideals and his friends. “Often he was involved in fights with anticlerical reds first and later with fascists.” That he went toe-to-toe with both extreme “leftists” as well as “rightists” clues us in to a pertinent fact. A truly Catholic sensibility doesn’t fit neatly into either of the simplistic categories denoted by the terms “liberal” or “conservative” as they are used today. Pier Giorgio knew that. How did he know that? He knew his Faith. How did he know his Faith? He studied it. All Catholics should do the same. 
Pier Giorgio was at the same time a man of faith, culture and action. He was inspired by the letters of St. Paul, the sermons of Savonarola and writings of St. Catherine of Siena. He enjoyed theatre, art, and music and could “quote whole chunks of the poet Dante.” And, he loved being outside in God’s creation, particularly among the peaks of the Italian Alps. Perhaps his death is most inspiring, though that is saying something given the quality of his life. But really the two cannot be separated. His way of life led to his early death at the age of 24, for it is thought that he contracted poliomyelitis from the poor sick that he attended. “His last preoccupation was for the poor. On the eve of his death, with a paralyzed hand, he scribbled a message for a friend remembering the injections for Converso,” one of the poor he tended. Pier Giorgio’s life and death are examples for all Catholics, but Catholic men in particular, and young Catholic men most especially. But perhaps in some way he has special significance for us Americans. The day of his death was July 4, 1925. You might even say that he was “born on the fourth of July,” born to eternal life, that is. Ecce Homo Catolico, indeed. Behold the Catholic man. Blessed Pier Giorgio, Pray for us. By John Moorehouse, editor. (Pier Giorgio photograph and information courtesy of Associazione Pier Giorgio Frassati, based in Rome.) |
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