In 1991 the “World Wide Web” became a thing, Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” topped the Billboard charts, and Carlo Acutis was born to Italian parents living in London.
Acutis spent years fascinated by Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions. And sticking with his millennial spirit, he created a comprehensive website to catalogue his interests in detail. Unfortunately, he died from leukemia at the age of 15.
After being beatified in 2020, Blessed Acutis’ work on Eucharistic miracles is the centerpiece of the diocesan Eucharist Miracles display that has been hosted at various parishes during the Eucharistic Revival.
On July 1, 2024, Pope Francis along with the Consistory of Cardinals approved Blessed Carlo Acutis’ cause for sainthood. Blessed Carlo will become the first saint from Generation Y, those born between 1981 and 1996. Not only is this an exciting time for the Church, but also an exciting time for millennials.
“His canonization tells our teens that holiness is possible! Sainthood is not just for people from long ago of a different age, but for us right now. This was a teen who played video games and created a website. He was buried in jeans, a quarter-zip, and Nikes,” reflected Francine Costantini, diocesan director for youth ministry.
“The young Church needs to see examples of young people with heroic faith in this millennium, so they can know it is possible and celebrated,” she continued.
In 2022, the diocesan Youth Ministry Office launched the Blessed Carlo Institute for Youth Ministers. It is a four-day, three-night experience of formation that includes classes, ministry workshops, off-campus excursions, daily Mass, and more.
In January of 2023, the diocesan youth conference, CLE 2:16, hosted the relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia, who was also known for his devotion to the Eucharist as the "Bishop of the Abandoned Tabernacle."
Recently, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released “Listen, Teach, Send: A National Pastoral Framework for Ministries with Youth and with Young Adults.” Within the pages, the document refers to Blessed Carlo as a modern-day example of the Lord speaking to young people.
Costantini shared this document with the Diocesan Youth Advisory Council members, who meet regularly and act as the voice of youth to Bishop Malesic. As she noted, “The teens immediately started talking excitedly about the upcoming canonizations. They said it helped them feel seen and heard by the Church.”
While a date for Blessed Carlo’s canonization has yet to be determined, the excitement it is creating is already being felt within the diocese, especially among our young people.