Students Collect Books to Send to Guatemala

November 30, 2017

Gaby Yabut (L) and Janelle Padilla (R) with photos of students in Guatemala to whom they are sending books as part of "The Frigate Project."

SPRING, Texas – Two Frassati Catholic students are on a mission to help students in Guatemala travel the world, solve mysteries, and explore deep space. How do they plan to make all of this possible? Books.

Gaby Yabut ’21 and Janelle Padilla ’21 started "The Frigate Project" after Yabut heard a priest, Father Joe Perez, speak at her home parish, Sts. Simon and Jude in The Woodlands.

"I attended a mass at St. Simon and Jude and Father Joe Perez was the priest delivering the homily,” she said. “He talked about how he assisted a school in Guatemala and how they were low on resources for the students. I have always loved to read, so when I heard this, I immediately wanted to help Father in any way I could. I reached out to Janelle and she was immediately on board."

Over the summer, the two partnered with Christ the Good Shepherd Parish in Spring and organized a two-week drive. The project was a success, and both agreed to explore ways to keep collecting books going forward.

When the semester began, the two freshmen partnered with the Frassati Catholic Acts of Mercy Club, with an emphasis on living the Corporal Works of Mercy through the project.

"We partnered with the Acts of Mercy Club because one of the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy is to give alms to the poor," said Yabut. “The school in Guatemala serves the lower income families and does not receive an adequate amount of resources, unlike other schools."

The project’s name comes from a famous Emily Dickinson poem, “There is no Frigate like a Book.”

“Like a frigate,” Padilla said, "Books can take us anywhere and everywhere."

The mission of the project and the Acts of Mercy Club encourages students to follow in the footsteps of the school’s patron, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.

"Blessed Pier Giorgio was a servant of the poor, which relates to the Corporal Work of Mercy: giving alms to the poor," said Yabut. "We hope that through this project, we are fulfilling an act of mercy and being servants of the poor."

About Frassati Catholic High School: Founded in 2013, Frassati Catholic High School serves the families and parishes in the north Houston area of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Administered by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation from Nashville, TN, Frassati Catholic High School prepares students to walk on the path of true happiness through a robust college-preparatory curriculum rooted in the Catholic faith. The school currently serves students in grades 9-12. For more information about Frassati Catholic High School, contact Kyle Smith, director of communications, at 832-616-3227.