Saint of the Day: Bl. Francis Faà di Bruno

Mathematician and friend of Saint John Bosco

Priest and Founder (1825-1888)

His life

+ Francesco was born in a turbulent time in Italian history, as the nation struggled for unity and the temporal power of the papacy was fading away.

+ After a brief military career, Francis pursued studies in mathematics and astronomy, eventually receiving a doctorate from the University of Paris. He later spent time teaching topography and trigonometry in Turin.

+ Celebrated for his mind and giving spirit, he founded a number of charitable societies to benefit single working women and built a church in Turin dedicated to the memory of soldiers who died for the unification of Italy.

+ Saint John Bosco convinced Francis to become a priest and he was ordained in Rome at the age of fifty-one. He continued his charitable works and established a new congregation of sisters—the Minim Sisters of our Lady of Suffrage—to care for the poor.

+ Francis continued to teach geometry and mathematics; he is credited with a number of mathematical and geometric discoveries, including the celebrated “Faà di Bruno Formula.”

+ Blessed Francis Faà di Bruno died on March 27, 1888, and was beatified in 1988.

For prayer and reflection

“A life woven with hope was the life of Bl. Francesco Faà di Bruno, whom I had the joy to raise to the honors of the altar on 25 September 1988. Impelled by the inner desire to cooperate in the salvation of his brethren, he was concerned with their final destiny. Humanity's ultimate goal is the meeting with God, a meeting that one needs to prepare for from now on with a constant ascetical effort, rejecting evil and doing good.”—Pope Saint John Paul II

Prayer

We humbly ask you, almighty God,
that at the intercession of blessed Francis
you may multiply your gifts among us
and order our days in peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.