This fall, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati was canonized by Pope Leo XIV. This marked a meaningful moment for a particular program at the University of Notre Dame. The Frassati Internship, one of the Alliance of Catholic Education’s prominent summer programs, is deeply inspired by Frassati’s life.
The internship offers a transformative seven-week summer experience for students eager to engage with the intersection of professional development and service. Participating undergraduates, called Malpass Fellows, are provided an opportunity to receive mentorship and develop business skills, while working with philanthropic foundations and living in a community with their peers.
“Unlike other professional internships, the Frassati Internship is dedicated to the holistic formation of students who participate,” program director Mike Comuniello said.
Interns are put into an environment tailored to support ongoing formation into whatever career path they pursue.
“In addition to offering a rich, fully-funded internship experience, Frassati interns are challenged to wrestle with questions of discernment, vocation, and what it means to live an integrated life,” Comuniello said.
Malpass Fellow CJ Pasquale had the opportunity to attend the Canonization Mass of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati in Rome this semester.
“It truly showed me how someone’s acts of care and service can have such a widespread effect on people, as tens of thousands of people from all over the world came to see him be honored,” he said.
As a finance and accounting intern for Seton Catholic Schools, Pasquale collaborated with a passionate team to serve underprivileged families and build community.
“My office did a fantastic job showing me and the other Frassati Interns the true impact of the organization’s work by taking us to their schools and to meet the students we were serving,” Pasquale said.
Comuniello said that what he admires most about St. Frassati was the way he valued an integrated life. The Saint's example of a balanced way of living is intended to be reflected throughout the experience.
“He would celebrate with his friends and then invite them to the Eucharist; he would rock climb and pray at the summit; he pursued his engineering education with vigor, but never let it get in the way of his relationship with his family or Christ,” he said.
“One of my favorite aspects of the program was the close-knit community I found, both within the internship cohort and at my placement organization,” Malpass Fellow Patrick Dolan said.
Dolan worked at the Aim Higher Foundation in St. Paul, Minn., as part of his internship experience. The foundation is committed to helping children from low-income families receive an education from one of 80 K-8 Catholic schools. His projects also directly contributed to donor engagement and board meeting initiatives, illustrating the impact that one can make through the program.
“Verso L’Alto” or “To the Heights” is the motto of the Frassati Internship. Dolan explained that the logo of the Aim Higher Foundation is a mountain, underscoring its commitment to help students achieve their full potential and goals.
“Simply put, these mottos encapsulate the mission of the Frassati Internship: encouraging both ourselves and others to aim higher in all aspects of our life,” he said.
The Frassati Internship has a presence in five archdioceses, offering internship opportunities in marketing, financial auditing, analytics, data system management and many more.
“This experience showed me that there are countless ways, like through nonprofits, foundations, and community work, to advance the mission of Catholic education,” Dolan said.
