Blessed Carlo Acutis

One of the greatest achievements of humanity is the discovery and continuous development of technology. Cyberspace has become an avenue to reach millions of people in just one click. The document Inter Mirifica of the Second Vatican Council expressed its hope that the Gospel message be proclaimed using technological advancements and breakthroughs. In this context, young people who are the most technologically-engaged are admonished to spread the Good News on various platforms. This is the story of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

“Your Son Is Special!”

Carlo Acutis was born on May 3, 1991 in London. Andrea and Antonia Acutis, Carlo’s parents, were there on business. They returned home to Milan in September the same year. Carlo’s family did not diligently attend church. Surprisingly, young Carlo showed exceptional qualities due to a very special friendship, a great friendship with Jesus.

Antonia, his mother, recalls how little Carlo could not pass a church without going in and greeting his Friend. She was also astonished to discover that her son was reading biographies of saints and the Bible. She was even more surprised when her son started to ask profound questions that she herself was unable to answer. His mother often heard the remark from their parish priest, teachers, classmates and even ordinary people about the boy: “Madame, your son is special!”

At the age of seven, Carlos desired to receive his First Communion. After questioning the boy, their parish priest Monsignor Pasquale Macchi assured his maturity and Christian formation. However, the priest made a single advice: that the celebration be done in a conducive place free from distractions. And so, Carlo received the Eucharist in the silence of Bernaga Monastery, near Lerco, on June 16, 1998. Since then, Carlos never missed attending daily Mass, praying the Rosary and a moment of adoration before the Tabernacle.

A Computer Genius

In many ways, Carlos was a typical teenager. He grew up to be fond of computers and computer games. The teenager was very gifted that both his friends and adults with computer engineering degrees considered him a genius. His ability to understand computers and their secrets which are normally accessible only to those who have degrees had amazed everyone who met him. His interests involved programming, video editing, website creation and editing and laying out small publications. At age fourteen, Carlos created a Eucharistic Miracle display that would tour the world, along with a website. He believed that if people knew that Jesus was truly in the Eucharist, they would turn to God.

Carlo knew he would die young. He predicted the cause of his death and even his weight at the time. His mother recounted, “Carlo always had a sense that he couldn’t waste time.” Carlos did not want to be enslaved by anything, so even though he loved computer games, he allowed himself to play only for an hour a week. The rest of his time was dedicated to good works helping children, the poor and the elderly.

A Holy Life Too Early to End

Early October 2006, Carlo fell ill with flu, so it was thought. A few days later, his condition drastically deteriorated. He was brought to the hospital of San Gerardo in Monza, Italy where he was diagnosed with leukemia. The fifteen-year-old Carlo took the news with utmost calmness, immediately offering all his sufferings for the Pope, the Church, and his own direct entry into heaven (he had a horror of purgatory). “I am happy to die,” he said, “because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things which do not please God.” The young saint died on October 12. He was beatified on October 10, 2020 by Pope Francis.

Five Interesting Facts About Blessed Carlo Acutis

1. Aside from computers, Blessed Carlo Acutis also loved football, Pokémon, action films, and all animals (he had four dogs, two cats and many goldfish as pets).
2. Blessed Carlo Acutis is often called “the saint in jeans”, referring to his saintly remains dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a casual sports top.
3. Blessed Carlo Acutis is one among the ranks of teen Saints and Blessed such as Agnes, Dominic Savio, Rose of Viterbo, and José Sanchez del Rio.
4. Days before he died, Blessed Carlo Acutis told his mother: “I would like to leave this hospital, but I know I will not do so alive. I will give you signs, though, that I am with God.” Exactly four years later, on the anniversary of Carlo’s death, at the age of forty-four, his mother gave birth to the promised “signs”: Carlo’s twin brother and sister.
5. After his beatification in 2020, Blessed Carlo Acutis was dubbed as “the Millennial Saint” and “the patron of the Internet”.

Prayer to Blessed Carlo Acutis

(Official prayer asking for the Beatification andCanonization of the Venerable Carlo Acutis)

Oh Father,who has given us the ardent testimony,of the young Venerable Carlo Acutis,who made the Eucharist the core of his lifeand the strength of his daily commitmentsso that everybody may love You above all else,let him soon becounted among the Blessed and the Saints in Your Church.Confirm my faith,nurture my hope,strengthen my charity,in the image of young Carlowho, growing in these virtues,now lives with You.Grant me the grace that I need…I trust in You, Father,and your Beloved Son Jesus,in the Virgin Mary, our Dearest Mother,and in the intervention of Your Venerable Carlo Acutis.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)