A few years ago in Chicago, two parishes were joined together under a new name. The new parish with two church campuses was renamed for Carlo Acutis, an Italian youth who died in 2006 at the age of fifteen.
In an era when teenagers are experiencing high degrees of alienation and depression, Carlo stands out as a young man in love with Jesus Christ, content with life and full of joy.
His maturity was remarkable. He knew who he was, what his life was about, and where he was going. He knew it from the day of his First Communion when he told his mother: “Jesus is my life’s plan.” From that day on, Carlo attended daily Mass and spent time in quiet adoration before the Blessed sacrament. His parents were confounded by their young son’s faith because, at that time, both his father and mother rarely attended church.
Carlo thought that the internet would be a great way to preach the Gospel so he taught himself computer coding and programing when he was in middle school. He was devoted to the extraordinary manifestations of the real presence of Jesus in the holy Eucharist so he set-up a website cataloging and describing more than a hundred and fifty miraculous Eucharistic occurrences throughout the world which he finished just a week before he died.
For his twelfth birthday, Carlo was thrilled to receive a Play Station as a gift. Though he loved playing video games, he told his mother that he would limit himself to one hour a week because he did not want to waste whatever time he had. He knew his own weaknesses and saw too many kids spending hours each day distracted by video games and social media. A few years later, when he was dying and knew it, from his hospital bed he told his mother: “Don’t Worry, mom. I am happy. I’ve not wasted one minute of my life.”
Carlo was moved by the needs of the of the poor. On a cold, dreary day he saw a homeless man dozing without a blanket in one of Milan’s side-streets. He bought a sleeping bag for him with his allowance. This was typical of him as his mother loves to relate. She tells us that Carlo always noticed the poor, talked with street people and did what he could to help them because that’s what Jesus told us to do. He had a heart for the poor.
To be declared a saint, the Catholic Church must confirm two miracles as a result of the proposed saint’s intercession. When a claim is made that a terminally ill person was miraculously healed through the intercession of a holy individual, the Church requires documentation of the event: the person prayed for must have been terminal and the cure had to have been immediate and complete. No half-cures nor convalescence.
In St. Carlo’s case, there were two incredible recoveries attributed to St. Carlo’s intercession. Physicians had given up on a Costa Rican college student who had suffered a terrible bicycle accident and had no chance of surviving. After her mother prayed for Carlo’s intervention, she was completely cured. The second miracle was the cure of a four-year old Brazilian boy who was near death because his pancreas had failed. He was dramatically healed through the intercession of St. Carlo.
Today St. Carlo’s body lies in a simple glass tomb in a church in Assisi where it is displayed in his soccer attire, including sneakers and sweat clothes. However, you don’t have to travel to Italy to experience a closeness to Carlo. You can visit St. Carlo Acutis parish in Chicago and pray in the memorial chapel where his life is celebrated as the first millennial saint.
PRAYER TO ST. CARLO ACUTIS:
Saint Carlo, I am here to remember your great devotion to the presence of Jesus in he Holy Eucharist. After your First Communion you told your mother that Jesus was your life’s plan. Your short life was a testament to that pledge. I remember my own first communion and am grateful for the presence of Jesus in my life. Be with me now and help me to be aware of the great love that Our Lord continues to show us in this Holy Sacrament.
Help me to resist the temptation to lose myself in the internet or waste my life in addiction to video games, pornography, and social media. Rather, like you, help me to share my Faith on-line in wonderful ways that will open up to me and others a fresh appreciation of the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Help me to live my Faith by having a heart for the poor just as you did. St. Carlo Acutis help me to live and breathe the grace of our Savior. With you, I believe that receiving Holy Communion is my highway to heaven. Amen
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Find St. Carlo Acutis parish in Chicago at www.carloacutisparish.org
Official St. Carlo Acutis international website: www.carloacutis-en.org
The canonization of St. Carlo Acutis will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 27, 2025.
(Because of the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the canonization of Blessed Carlo will be rescheduled until sometime after the election of a new pope.)