On May 23, Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the Italian teenager who passed away at 15 and was beatified in Assisi in 2020. This new decree paves the way for Carlo, who had a profound love for the Eucharist, to be declared a saint.
The Press Office of the Holy See announced this morning that Pope Francis will convene a Consistory—on a date yet to be determined—during which Carlo Acutis, along with Blesseds Giuseppe Allamano, Marie-Léonie Paradis, and Elena Guerra, will be canonized.
The launch of the World Wide Web in 1991 marked a technical achievement that would forever change human lives.
The same year the World Wide Web was launched, a boy named Carlo Acutis was born in Italy. He would go on to harness this groundbreaking technology to impact others' lives profoundly. Carlo epitomized a typical 90s kid, enjoying his PlayStation and the vast new opportunities provided by the internet.
However, he was also deeply religious. By eleven, he had created a website that cataloged Eucharistic miracles, merging his technical skills with his devout faith.
Courtney Mares, Journalist and author of "Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers," explained, "Carlo didn't understand why some of his peers didn't have the same understanding and devotion to the Eucharist. He asked his parents why we see people lining up for soccer games or rock concerts, long lines, big crowds. But we don't see people lining up to see the Blessed Sacrament. For two years, Carlo worked with his family to produce an exhibition on Eucharistic miracles throughout history and around the world, and this premiered during the year of the Eucharist proclaimed by Pope John Paul II."
Antonia Salzano, the mother of Carlo Acutis, notes that after his first communion at age 7, Carlo never missed an opportunity to receive the Eucharist, drawing strength from it to live a life of integrity. This profound connection to Christ also gave him the fortitude to accept his terminal diagnosis when his doctor unexpectedly delivered it.
Antonia shared with EWTN, "Carlo when they told him that he had leukemia, that it was a disease that he could even die of, he smiled, [and] said: "The Lord gave me a beautiful alarm clock." As if to say my time has come. Then he said, "I'm not coming out of this alive, but Mom, I'll give you many signs, don't worry."
Carlo died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15.
"Certainly," Antonia continued, "many people remember this funeral. It seemed more like a feast than a funeral, but I think the festivity was because Carlo ended up in heaven immediately. He had asked the Lord: 'I offer my sufferings for the Pope and the Church to not go to Purgatory, [but] to go directly to Heaven,' and therefore I believe that the Lord listened to Him."
At Carlo's beatification in Assisi on October 10, 2020, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the Pontifical Legate for the Basilica of St. Francis and Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi, emphasized one aspect about Carlo.
"Even as a child — his family members testify to us — he felt the need," Vallini said, "for faith and had his eyes turned to Jesus. His love for the Eucharist founded and kept alive his relationship with God. He often said, 'The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.' He attended Holy Mass every day and remained in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament for a long time. Carlo said, 'You go straight to Heaven if you approach the Eucharist every day!' Jesus was for him: Friend, Teacher, and Savior; He was the strength of his life and the purpose of everything he did."
Born in London and raised in Milan, Carlo Acutis is now entombed in the Church of St. Mary Major and the Sanctuary of the Spogliazione in Assisi's old town. "Spogliazione," which translates to "divesting," refers to St. Francis of Assisi's renunciation of wealth.
Fr. Carlos Acácio Gonçalves Ferreira is the rector of the Sanctuary of the Spogliazione. He shared with EWTN what he has learned in this role as rector, "I, as usual, am saying that Carlo is my little teacher because he is teaching me so much, above all to rediscover two great treasures of my life: the Eucharist and love for the Virgin Mary. Another thing that comes to me is his totality in God. For him, there was no halfway; it was all or nothing. When he said before he died that he didn't mind dying so young because he hadn't lost even a minute of his life doing things that don't please God, he said: 'To always be close to Jesus, that's my life plan.' And this strikes me very much."
"Another great phrase," Mares shared, "from Carlo that sums up his devotion to the Eucharist is: 'the people who place themselves in front of the sun get a tan, while people who place themselves in front of the Eucharist become Saints.'"
Carlo Acutis not only changed his mother's life, who found her way back to God through her son, but he is also a role model for many young Christians today because he showed that even simple actions can have a big impact.
"Carlo believed," Mares continued, "that the best time to pray was during Mass right after the consecration. He said this was the best time to pray, and he liked to speak to Jesus and ask for grace. And people in his parish commented. They were struck seeing this 9, 10-year-old little boy and how reverently he went up to receive communion. He would sit and pray in silence and kneel before the Tabernacle in prayer."
Mares highlighted that Carlo Acutis' short life is also a challenge for every Catholic. It poses an important question: "If we really believe that Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist, why don't we make every effort that we can to try to pray in front of the Tabernacle and to receive the Blessed Sacrament as often as we can?"
Adapted by Jacob Stein
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