Blessed Carlo Acutis was born in England, in 1991. Shortly after his birth, his Italian parents moved to Milan, Italy. Even as a young boy, Carlo loved his Catholic faith. He loved going to Mass, visiting shrines, learning about saints, and especially learning about Eucharistic miracles.
Carlo was very similar to other children born at this time. He enjoyed soccer, video games, and the Internet. Carlo combined his interest in the Internet with his love of Eucharistic miracles and built a website that catalogued over 150 Eucharistic miracles, in 20 different languages! You can still visit this website today!
Carlo was always looking for ways to get closer to God. Some ways he did this were by visiting churches, receiving the sacraments, and making little sacrifices to Our Lord, like only spending one hour a week playing video games.
Carlo loved to help people in his community too. He helped protect kids who were bullied, he gave food and clothing to the poor, and he visited the elderly, the disabled, and refugees from other countries. He inspired his parents to take their Catholic faith more seriously.
When Carlo was 15, he became very ill. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He offered his suffering for Pope Benedict XVI and the Church. In a few days, he was in coma, and shortly after that he died.
Pope Francis beatified Carlo in 2020 and will canonize him in 2025. Carlo is buried in Assisi, Italy and is called the patron saint of the internet. He is also called the first millennial saint.
Let us ask Carlo to show us how to be saints in our modern world, and how to use modern technology to bring the good news of Christ Jesus to others.