Born into a wealthy family in Turin, Italy, Pier was known for his devotion and piety. He was dedicated to works of social action, charity, prayer and community, and was an active member in multiple Catholic youth and student groups. Despite his family’s wealth and power, his father never gave his children too much spending money. That aside, Pier would often donate his money to people more “needy” than him. When he died of polio at age 24, his family was surprised to see the streets lined with thousands of mourners as the procession passed by. Soon after his death poor people from all over the city petitioned the Archbishop to begin his cause for canonization. JPII called him “The Man of the Beatitudes.”
