‘God’s Influencer’ Carlo Acutis Is About To Become The First Millennial Saint
While it may seem unbelievable to some, it wouldn't be to Acutis.
Design: YourTango When someone thinks of saints that the Catholic Church has canonized, they most likely think of men and women who lived hundreds if not thousands of years ago. Chances are the image that comes to mind is not that of a teenager who would be a millennial now if he were still alive.
Nevertheless, Pope Francis made the ultimate decision to canonize the Catholic Church’s first ever millennial saint, a decision Pope Leo is expected to follow through with in fairly swift order.
Carlo Acutis, a boy who died at the age of 15, is set to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.
As Peter Stanford pointed out when writing for The Independent, younger generations seem to be pulling away from religion. This wasn’t true for Carlo Acutis, whose faith was a light to him until he passed away at a tragically young age.
According to his website, Acutis was born in London on May 3, 1991. He was baptized at the Church of Our Lady of Dolours before moving to Milan, Italy, with his parents. He lived quite an extraordinary and devout life.
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During Acutis’ life, he spent a good bit of time on the computer. While this is normal for any young person, Acutis set different standards for himself, only allowing himself to spend an hour per day on the device, Stanford reported. During that time, he made his local parish’s newsletter, created websites dedicated to miracles traced to the Eucharist or the Virgin Mary, and wrote about his thoughts on theology extensively. It is this activity that led to him being called “God’s influencer.”
Per his website, in October of 2006, Acutis fell seriously ill. What was initially assumed to be the flu was diagnosed as Leukemia within days of the onset of symptoms. Just two days after his diagnosis, Acutis requested the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion as he believed he would not live much longer. He was declared brain dead one day later, and his heart stopped beating the next day.
After his death, Acutis was presented as a candidate for canonization.
Acutis did a lot of good throughout his life. In addition to his technological efforts, he was known for giving possessions away to the poor and needy, the University of Notre Dame’s Timothy P. O’Malley wrote. Recipients of his charitable acts attended his funeral.
Of course, performing good deeds isn’t quite enough to be made a saint. As Stanford said, “To be declared a saint, there has to be evidence presented that praying to the candidate had precipitated two separate miraculous events.” While it might seem shocking for someone who lived such a short and relatively anonymous life, people have come forward claiming miracles have taken place after praying to Acutis.
In 2020, a young boy from Brazil named Mattheus Vianna was cured of what Stanford termed a “rare disease.” The Vatican came to the conclusion that this miraculous turn of events came about after prayers were said “via Carlo Acutis.” There was no other logical explanation for Vianna’s sudden healing given by his medical team.
Similarly, in 2024, a woman in Florence who had a brain bleed that was thought to be terminal was allegedly spared after prayers were said to Acutis.
Whether you believe in the supposed miracles performed in Acutis’ name, the truth is he probably would have.
Not everyone is Catholic, and there may even be members of the Catholic Church who question the sainthood of someone so young. However, there is no doubt that Acutis would have believed it himself.
In her book, "My Son Carlo," Acutis’ mother, Antonia Salzano, quoted some of Acutis’ theological musings. Speaking of the life of Jesus, he stated, “And so we have before us a miracle which leaves us in awe and which leaves us truly surprised.”
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
