A Saint for a Modern Generation
1.4 billion Catholics around the world celebrated Sept.7 as Blessed Carlo Acutis, a millennial, was canonized to sainthood by Pope Leo XIV. The mass took place at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and was attended by thousands of people, including the Acutis family, making this a unique occasion.
Not only is St. Carlo Acutis the first millennial saint, it’s rare for a saint’s family members to still be alive when they are canonized. St. Carlo’s parents are the first to attend their child’s canonization since St. Maria Goretti in 1950.
Michele Acutis, younger brother to St. Carlo, took part in the mass by reading one of the chosen passages from the bible. Michele Acutis was born along with his twin sister Francesca, four years after St. Carlo’s passing.
Deyna Michelle is a sophomore at Santa Monica College (SMC), studying psychology and child development. She grew up in the Catholic church, attending Bishop Conaty Our Lady of Loretto all girls school in west Los Angeles.
Attending mass Sunday morning, she described the atmosphere saying, “Everyone seemed to be much more joyous than usual.”
She also noticed her mothers excitement throughout the day. “She lit up candles around the house, and on her altar as well, to celebrate. Overall we were very happy and respectful about his canonization.” Michelle said.
With many of those in the younger generations not feeling a connection to the thousands year old traditions of the church, Michelle said, “This gives room for those who want to become young priests, maybe altar servers, or whatever you want to be within the church community, the room to grow and learn.”
Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson oversees Saint Monica Catholic Church (SMCC), in Santa Monica, California. He believes Pope Francis played a large part in giving the church a new image for a modern world.
“He (Pope Francis) told pastors, go out to the periphery. Don't just sit there and wait for people to come to you. Go out to the people who are separated, and disconnected, and tell them about the love of God. He said, every parish should be like a hospital in a battlefield. When people come, don't ask questions, just take care of them.” said Msgr. Torgerson.
SMCC has already seen their youth program attendance double since Pope Francis’s leadership over the church. Leaders within the faith community are hoping that the canonization of the young saint, which was championed by the late Pope Francis, will further help bring millennials and Generation Z back into pews and back to their faith.
“Young people need other young people as models for their life. You don't look for people three times your age to give you an example of how to live your life, you look for people your own age. Your friends, the people around you, your classmates, those are the people with the most influence, so I think Pope Francis felt it would be good to have a young person as a model for other young people.” said Msgr. Torgerson.
St. Carlo was born in London on May 3, 1991 and began evangelizing the Catholic faith online as a teenager through his website called Miracoli Eucaristici (Miracles of the Eucharist). The site’s aim was to collect and preserve information about miracles around the world, giving everyone access at the click of a mouse.
Even though his death from Leukemia occurred in 2006, before the rise of social media, he became known as ‘Gods Influencer’ and ‘The Social Saint’ for his tech savvy evangelization.
The excitement of St. Carlo’s canonization has influenced a new trend on social media. Young Tik Tok users connected to Catholic youth groups and organizations taking turns sharing the patron saints they chose during their confirmation process.
Catholic confirmation happens between the ages of 7-16, depending on the Diocese. Following a child's baptism, confirmation is a young person's opportunity to choose for themselves whether or not to dedicate their life to the Catholic faith. Additionally, it has become a tradition since the reformation for each candidate to choose a saint they believe emulates their personal virtues and seek their intercession as a spiritual guide.
Catholic social media influencers also took the opportunity to clarify a common misconception that Catholics pray to saints. One influencer that goes by @talkwithkrystal said, “An intercessory prayer is just like asking a friend to pray for you. We ask the saints to pray for us to Jesus Christ because all miracles come from Jesus.”
To be canonized, a saint must be connected to two miracles that are investigated and confirmed by the Vatican.
The first miracle was the healing of a young Brazilian boy named Matheus Vianna in 2013 who was cured of a rare pancreatic disorder. His mother had prayed with a relic of St. Acutis that had visited a parish in their hometown. This miracle allowed for his beatification to Blessed Carlo Acutis.
The second miracle allowing for canonization occurred in 2022. Valeria Valverde, a young woman studying in Florence, Italy, was given little chance of survival by doctors after sustaining a severe head injury in a bicycle accident. Her mother Liliana visited St. Carlo’s tomb, praying for Valverde’s recovery and upon returning her daughter underwent a recovery that doctors could not explain.
Valerie Maxwell, a student at SMC who is studying psychology to become a middle school counselor, grew up attending Catholic mass at Good Shepherd church in Beverly Hills. She volunteers with the parish’s young adult group as well as at the Jewish Family Service LA, SOVA Valley food pantry.
Recently, Maxwell was inspired to start an SMC club called, ‘The Religion Club’, which aims to bring students of all different religions together for prayer, and different outdoor activities.
“St. Carlo is really inspiring. It’s beautiful how he was able to listen to himself and listen to God, and use his talents to spread the word of God. There’s such a divide between religions, this really makes me want to help bring people together,” she said.
St. Carlo is buried in the Shrine of Renunciation at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy. The young saint requested to be buried in this location because much like St. Francis, he shared a love for serving the poor, and of animals. His family would attend mass at this basilica on special occasions through his childhood. At rest in a glass tomb, wearing jeans and sneakers as he did in his daily life, visitors can visit the saint to pray and reflect.