Blessed Carlo Acutis is one of two men who will be canonized Sept. 7 by Pope Leo XIV. The teenage mystic, who will be the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint, has captured the imagination of youth around the world. Since he lived his brief life – he died in 2006 at the age of 15 – in today’s world, his story resonates with a generation of Catholic youth who have grown up with technology.
Born in 1991 in London and raised in Milan, Italy, Carlo Acutis has been described as “a normal teenager” with a knack for computers. What was unique was his intense devotion to the Eucharist. He had his first Holy Communion at the age of 7. He was convinced that people wouldn’t be able to stay away from Mass if they knew about the dozens of Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Church. So at age 11, he began to research – leading his parents from shrine to shrine to take pictures for a website that he built and which still remains active: www.miracolieucaristici.org. The content is featured in a traveling exhibition that will be featured at the Diocese of Charlotte’s 2025 Eucharistic Congress on Sept. 5-6.