On Tuesday, Father Frank Pileggi, OSFS, celebrated his 90th birthday. While Father Frank was never my teacher, he was a very visible and popular member of the faculty at Northeast Catholic High School in the 1980s when I was a student. He was one of the teachers and priests that all of the students seemed to know because he seemed to know all of us. Whether in the classroom, the lunchroom or walking down the hallway, Father Pileggi addressed us all as “my friend.” He might see you in the cafeteria and ask: “My friend, how are the French fries today?” In the library he would gently remind you, “Please be quiet, my friend, the other guys are trying to study.” In the classroom, he could be heard telling the students, “My friends, take out a pencil for today’s quiz.” Everyone was a friend to Father Pileggi.
When I joined the Oblates and later lived with Father Frank at Salesianum School, I saw that the friendship continued with a new generation and a new school. Even when he was not in the classroom, Father Frank was teaching us about charity, friendship and faith. He made friends with everyone he encountered and helped students, faculty and staff experience God’s friendship. As a dedicated son of Saint Francis de Sales, Father Frank was showing us the Salesian approach to friendship.
In the Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Francis de Sales tells us that true friendship demands real communication. Our associations with others should be mutual, reciprocal and virtuous. The best relationships recognize the goodness and grace in one another. They sift through the weakness and wrongdoings of life and support each other in rebuilding and reconnecting when relationships are broken.
During the Easter Season, the church presents Jesus the Good Shepherd as a true friend. The Scriptures tell us that the sheep ignore the sounds and shouts of strangers and follow the gentle voice of Jesus. Because of this special relationship, we can enter through the eternal gate and “share in the joys of heaven, so that the humble flock may reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter).”
Father Pileggi has spent his Oblate life seeing God in everyone, recognizing the presence of God in each person. My hope and prayer is that all of us may follow his example – the example of a good shepherd, a good friend.
