Frassati Society hopes to bring performance about namesake to parishes, schools

ANN ARBOR — Student, writer, activist, devout Catholic: Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati had an amazing, albeit short, life.

Growing up in fascist Italy, Frassati (1901-1925) was a Catholic activist, speaking out for the needs of the poor and the rights of Italy’s Catholics in the face of Mussolini’s rising power.

Many don’t know Frassati’s story, which is why the Frassati Society of Detroit’s “Shady Characters” are putting on a play about the life of the young Catholic hero.

Marco DeCapite founded the Detroit chapter of the society in 2003 after moving to Detroit from Denver, which has its own Frassati chapter.

“We started as a young adult society,” said DeCapite, who works as adjunct to the moderator of the curia for technology for the Archdiocese of Detroit. “During one of our retreats, we went to Illinois and met a guy who had a French version of the play. We originally ‘Google translated’ the play and cleaned it up a bit. Then, we had Theresa Jordon from Marygrove College translate the play for us, and that’s this version.”

Outside of playing at the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament in Farmington Hills for cloistered Dominican nuns, the society’s first performance of The Life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was Jan. 9 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Ann Arbor.

An estimated 175 people attended the performance, and the group is hoping to schedule more showings in the future.

The play details Frassati’s relationship with his family, balancing his faith with family duty in the midst of political and social turmoil. Throughout the play, Pier Giorgio shows great care for the poor, even at the expense of his social, and physical, well-being.

“For our second official show, I was really pleased; the cast was phenomenal with all the traveling and getting ready,” play director Michelle Kuhar said. “I feel the family relationship was really stressed. All of our families aren’t perfect, but we’re growing toward holiness.

“This is our second writing of the play. We want people to see the joy Pier Giorgio gave others. This saint had so much joy.”

The lives of saints and holy people have been depicted in many forms of arts, but a live play has the special ability to capture what truly made such people great, Kuhar said: their emotion for one another.

“Because you’re right in front of the audience, you feel the emotion is real,” Kuhar said. “You see the reality in front of us, you can see how much these people really cared for one another.”

The Frassati Society of Detroit has done many other activities to encourage young Catholics to socialize and encourage faith-filled friendships, but for now the group’s main focus is the play.

The play is a way for people to learn more about Pier Giorgio Frassati and provide an example of what the Frassati Society does, according to Matthew Hill, a member since 2003, who played Frassati’s father for the Jan. 9 show.

“I joined the Frassati Society through a friendship with Marco, doing things like rosary and praise and worship,” said Hill, who will be moving to Escanaba to discern becoming a priest for the Diocese of Marquette.

“I enjoy the ability to do ordinary types of things with people who share in your beliefs. It’s a group of friends whose relationship with each other encourages people to be good Catholics in today’s society.”

The Frassati Society doesn’t have any more plays scheduled, but DeCapite is encouraging parishes and groups around the Archdiocese of Detroit and beyond to consider hosting the group and learning more about a young man who loved to share his faith with those around him.

“We at the Frassati Society of Detroit are continuing to promote the play, looking into how Pier Giorgio’s life is an inspiration to young adults,” DeCapite said. “This is kind of a rediscovery of his life, showing that you can be an outspoken Catholic in today’s world.”

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Frassati Society

To contact The Frassati Society of Detroit about staging a performance of The Life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, visit frassatidetroit.org.