Saturday, March 27
BLESSED FRANCESCO FAA DI BRUNO (Italy, 1825-1888), Soldier, Mathematician, Priest
He was one of the many sainted figures like Don Bosco who emerged in late 19th century
Turin. Son of a marquis, he was well educated and a trained officer in the Sardinian Army
around the time of Italian reunification. He caught the attention of King Vittorio Emanuele
who wanted him to tutor his two young sons. However, the King withdrew the offer because
of strong anti-Catholic feeling at that time. Francesco went to Paris to study astronomy and
mathematics, which was to be his lifelong passion. He studied with the two French scientists
who discovered the planet Neptune. Returning to Italy, he taught math at the University of
Turin but did significant charitable work on the side. Notably, he founded the Society of
St. Zita, originally to assist domestic servants and later, unwed ,others as well. He set up
a hostel for the aged and raised funds for a church to honor soldiers who died in the wars
of reunification. He obtained an age dispensation from Pius IX to study for the priesthood
and was ordained at age 51. He continued to teach but he also shared his inheritance with
the poor and set up a hostel for prostitutes. He published numerous articles on mathematical
theory for leading scientific journals and developed the Faa di Bruno mathematical formula
for the derivative of composite functions in calculus. He was beatified in 1988.
Readings for today's Mass: www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032710.shtml
OR today.
Benedict XVI to the youth of Rome and Lazio on Thursday night:
'Do not waste your life'
Other Page 1 stories: Israeli Premier Netanyahu stands firm on construction in east Jerusalem; India emerges after China as the nation with the most investments in Africa; and brief items on the Pope's audience with the President of Guatemala, and the Vatican reaction to the second New York Times article seeking to implicate the Pope in the cases of two pedophile priests. Also published for the first time are the official Italian translations of John Paul II's April 2001 motu proprio Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela (On protecting the sanctity of Sacraments) and its implementing letter by Cardinal Ratzinger, De delictis gravioribus(Regarding the gravest of sins), which marked a new era in the Church's dealing with sexual abuse of minors by priests. Two other items inside - the support expressed by the bishops of France, and various statements by Italian politicians in support of the Pope.
THE POPE'S DAY
The Holy Father met today with
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (weekly meeting)
- Mons. Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Sainthood
- Mons. Nikola Eterović, Secretary-General of the Bishops' Synod
- H.E. Marius Gabriel Lazurca, Ambassador from Romania, on his farewell visit
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 27/03/2010 16:28]