THE Frassati Fraternity in Australia, based in Brisbane’s Annerly Ekibin parish, has built a community of faithful Catholic men.
For 10 years, it has reached out to guide young men under the patronage of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.
The fraternity recently held its first muster since its formation in 2011; the muster was a time to come together, count their blessings, pray for the future, and rally current and past members.
“The muster was a busy and rewarding experience,” long-time member Luke Moloney said.
“The Frassati Fraternity has now been in existence for 10 years, and people have come and gone.
“What is permanent is our love for Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Our Lady and our devotion to Our Lord.”
Thirty men gathered at Bestbrook, near Warwick, on October 4 for a night of camping, with dinner together followed by the Rosary around the camp bonfire.
“Spending good time together around the bonfire has become a common Frassati practice, even a tradition, over the years,” Mr Moloney said.
On the Saturday, the young men were altar servers, statue-bearers and escorts for the statue of Our Lady of Fatima for the procession around Brisbane’s CBD under the guidance of Oratory Father Adrian Sharp and Brother Tyson King.
“Such public witnesses to the faith draws strongly upon the example set by Blessed Pier Giorgio, who would accompany both the Blessed Sacrament and the statue of Our Lady around the streets of Turin in the time of the rise of Mussolini’s fascists in Italy,” Mr Moloney said.
“This was a time where public demonstrations of the faith could be risky, yet he never wavered.”
That night saw more than 100 Frassati families and friends gather for a spit roast at the Frassati houses.
Since 2011, many children have come from Frassati marriages and “it was wonderful to see this brought into focus through this community gathering”.
Sunday, the final day of the muster, had 40 play in the weekly game of touch football and return together to watch the National Rugby League grand final.
“Thank you for all the support and prayers which have been provided by numerous people over the years,” Mr Moloney said.
“Please continue to pray and support us as we continue the work of creating faithful Catholic men.”
