BLESSED FRANCIS FAÀ DI BRUNO

Blessed Francis Faà di Bruno

He was born on March 29, 1825 in Alessandria, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and later attached to Italy. He was the youngest child of Marchesse Luigi Faa di Bruno and Lady Carolina Sappa de’ Milanesi. First he entered the Royal Army. He then left the army and went to Paris to study mathematics under Augustine Cauchy and Urbain Le Verrier, who jointly discovered the planet Neptune. After study he worked as the professor of mathematics in Turin and he was conferred Doctor of Science by the University of Paris. In Turin he became a close friend of St. John Bosco.
He later became a priest at the age of 51 years with the support of pope Pius-IX. To help domestic servants and un-married mothers he founded an organization called Minim Sisters of St. Zita in the year 1881. He also founded a refuge for the rehabilitation of prostitutes.
He made many important contributions to mathematics. He died on March 27, 1888 in Italy. He was beatified by Pope John Paul-II on March 27