Assisi, a small town in Italy, is famous for St. Francis and for St. Clare. Recently, another person has been added to these amazing saints: Carlo Acutis, a millennial teenager who will be canonized on April 27 this year. Carlo had only 15 years to develop his way to holiness and he did it! Born in 1991 in London to Italian parents, he completed his earthly Pilgrimage of Hope on October 12, 2006, in Monza, Italy, suffering from a very aggressive form of leukemia. Before his death, he asked his parents if he could be buried in Assisi where his beloved saint, St. Francis, is buried. Indeed, he was buried there, and now his body, which is in a glass coffin, is in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, the very spot where St. Francis renounced his worldly possessions centuries ago. Last year, over one million people prayed at Carlo’s tomb, where his body, clad in jeans, a sweatshirt and sneakers, lies in view. He was declared blessed or beatified in 2020.
For many young pilgrims, Carlo offers a relatable path to holiness. “Carlo is like the kids. He’s a near-saint of our time, who can show teens that it’s possible to love Jesus while being a regular youth” – said one of the pilgrims. Carlo’s happy image, usually in a red polo shirt and carrying a backpack, is now as popular in souvenir shops as St. Francis is in his simple brown habit.
Both the Catholic Church and his family describe Carlo as an exceptionally devout but otherwise regular Italian boy, who is working miracles after his untimely death precisely by drawing youth to faith when most of his contemporaries are abandoning organized religion.
Carlo was born into a quite wealthy family, but his parents weren’t practicing Catholics when he was born. Carlo’s mother, Antonia Acutis, testified about him: “Carlo wasn’t an alien, he was a normal person. But if it’s illuminated by the light of Christ, a life becomes extraordinary.” She stressed that one of her son’s favorite phrases was: “Everyone is born an original, but many die photocopies.”
Although Carlo was a normal boy, at a young age he developed a precocious interest in faith, such as wanting to enter every church to “say hi” to Jesus and Mary. Later, he started attending Mass, adoring the Blessed Sacrament and praying the Rosary daily – while also entertaining his friends with jokes who were less interested in religion.
Carlo’s mother also testified that “Carlo was a witness, a silent witness through the value of friendship, through the value of generosity, helping his classmates in school, defending the teens who were bullied.”
Carlo often helped the homeless and was uninterested in the trappings common for a wealthy child in Milan, one of Europe’s fashion and business capitals. He asked his parents to donate to the poor what they would have spent for a second pair of sneakers for him, and he insisted that he wanted to teach catechism at his parish instead of going on skiing holidays at fancy resorts like his peers.
Fr. Enzo Fortunato from Rome said that there were many similarities between Carlo and St. Francis. “St. Francis left the churches and went to the squares to preach. Carlo Acutis prophetically realized that today the public squares are online, on the Web. That’s where youth are, that’s where people are, so he lived and brought the Gospel in those squares. That’s one of the reasons why he will become the patron of the web, internet and social media.”
Carlo was particularly devout to the Eucharist and wanted to share the Catholic belief that Jesus is literally present in it. Carlo created an online exhibit about miracles where the Eucharistic bread and wine became flesh and blood throughout the centuries. It’s been used in thousands of parishes worldwide.
One fact speaks very loudly about his apostolic engagement. Carlo’s parents employed a Brahmin immigrant from Mauritius, Rajesh Mohur, to work in their household. He and Carlo became friends. In time, after speaking with Carlo about Christianity, Rajesh asked to be baptized. A friend of Rajesh also converted and was baptized after meeting with Carlo and hearing him speak about the faith. The third person who received baptism because of the support of Carlo was Rajesh ‘s mother who came to visit her son from Mauritius.
We can learn more about Carlo Acutis when we see the new film, “Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality.” For three days, April 27-29, 2025, it will be shown in 945 theaters across the United States. Once the first 5,000 tickets are sold, the film has been guaranteed an additional three days in theaters. In the next week or so, we will be selling tickets for this movie in our narthex.
We, and especially the young, gained a new saint, a new supporter, a saint who lived his life to the fullest. Carlo Acutis enjoyed his 15 years of life not by collecting things for himself but by giving himself to others, inspired and strengthened by the Gospel.
St. Carlo Acutis, pray for us!
Fr. Mark Jurzyk