Carlo Acutis was born in London to a wealthy Italian family and was a computer whizz kid who used his skills to create an online exhibit about eucharistic miracles
A British-born teenager nicknamed a “digital disciple” for his computing prowess will be declared the first millennial saint on Sunday. Carlo Acutis entered the world on May 3, 1991, in London to an affluent Italian household, with his father being half English.
The youngster was raised in Milan, where his remarkable spiritual journey began following his First Communion at just seven years old. He faithfully attended daily Mass, recited the rosary and took part in eucharistic adoration.
While he embraced typical pastimes for someone his age – rambling, gaming, and larking about with mates – he also instructed catechism at his local parish and reached out to those without homes.
Carlo harnessed his technological expertise to develop a digital exhibition showcasing over 100 eucharistic miracles acknowledged by the church across numerous centuries, highlighting the actual presence of Christ that Catholics believe exists within the blessed bread and wine, reports the Mirror.
However, at 15 he fell ill in October 2006, and just 10 days afterwards, he passed away from acute leukaemia at a hospital in northern Italy. His remains were subsequently moved to an Assisi graveyard as Carlo had requested, owing to his devotion to the hometown medieval saint, St Francis.
Following his passing, young Catholics have journeyed in their millions to Assisi, where through a glass-fronted tomb they can observe the young Acutis, clad in denim, Nike trainers and a jumper, his hands folded around a Rosary. Those unable to attend in person can observe the activity via a webcam directed at his tomb, a degree of online access not even granted to pontiffs interred in St. Peter’s Basilica.
His journey towards sainthood commenced over a decade ago through the efforts of a collective of clergy and companions, officially launching shortly after Pope Francis assumed his papal role in 2013.
Carlo was proclaimed “blessed” in 2020 following the Vatican’s acknowledgement of a miraculous healing through Acutis’ intercession – a Brazilian child who recovered in a “scientifically inexplainable” manner.
Last year, the church cleared his path to sainthood by crediting him with a second miracle – the complete recovery of a Costa Rican student in Italy from severe head trauma sustained in a cycling accident after her mother prayed at Acutis’ tomb.
Pope Leo, originally from Chicago, will proclaim Acutis a saint on Sunday during his inaugural canonisation ceremony, alongside another beloved Italian, Pier Giorgio Frassati. Both ceremonies had been planned for earlier this year but were delayed following Pope Francis’ death in April.
It was Francis who had passionately championed the Acutis sainthood proceedings, believing that the church required someone like him to draw young Catholics to worship while confronting both the opportunities and dangers of the digital era. Carlo demonstrated remarkable computer aptitude well before social media emerged, devouring university-level programming and coding manuals while still a child.
However, he restricted his gaming to just one hour weekly, seemingly recognising long before TikTok arrived that human connections trumped digital interactions.
“Carlo was well aware that the whole apparatus of communications, advertising and social networking can be used to lull us, to make us addicted to consumerism and buying the latest thing on the market,” Francis wrote in a 2019 document. “Yet he knew how to use the new communications technology to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values and beauty.”
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