St. Carlo Acutis: The Church’s First Millennial Saint

On September 7, Franciscans rejoice, especially with countless young people, as Pope Leo XIV canonizes Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) as the Church’s first millennial saint. Carlo is best known for using technology as means of evangelization and for his deep devotion to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Originally scheduled by Pope Francis to be part of a Jubilee year event for teenagers in April, Carlo will now be canonized together with Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925), a young Italian man celebrated for his joyful spirit, vibrant Catholic faith, and dedication to helping the poor and needy.

Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, the Church's newest saints

Carlo Acutis was born May 3, 1991, in London to Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano, members of prominent Italian families working abroad at the time. By September, they returned to Milan, where Carlo was raised by his parents and nannies. When he was six, he began private Catholic primary school. Neither of Carlo’s parents were churchgoers, but from an early age, he demonstrated a special love for God. His mother testifies that after Carlo received his first communion, he was drawn to the Eucharist and became a daily Mass goer and started bringing her and other relatives to Mass.

Carlo's parents, Andrea and Antonia Acutis, at the tomb of their son Carlo

Carlo also developed a remarkable empathy for others: getting to know personally the foreign domestic workers at the various homes along his route to school and defending children at school who were bullied, especially those with physical challenges. At the same time, Carlo loved life fully, pursuing the typical interests of a young person his age. He threw himself into sports; he also began studying computer science textbooks when he was nine years old and taught himself programming and graphic design.

Carlo also began using his gifts for the larger community: he was confirmed in 2003 and became a catechist in his home parish in Milan, as Italian programs at the time relied largely on leaders in youth groups to deliver religious education to their peers. Then, when he was 14, his pastor asked him to create a webpage for the parish. In September of that year, Carlo began studies at the Jesuit high school in Milan, the Leo XIII Institute. There a priest asked him to create a website to promote volunteering. For this work, he won a national competition: sarai volontario (“you will be a volunteer”).

A view of the playing field at Carlo's high school, the Istituto Leone XIII in Milan (source)

Carlo suddenly fell ill in the fall of 2006. After failing to make progress, he was taken to a specialized clinic where he was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia and passed away in less than two weeks in Monza, a suburb of Milan, on October 12. During these days, his family helped him complete work on a website devoted to Eucharistic miracles he had been working on for the previous two years. He offered his sufferings for the pope and the church. It was one of his Carlo’s last wishes to be buried in Assisi. He spent much of his vacation time there and came to develop a strong bond with St. Francis, especially his respect for all creation and dedication to the poor.

Carlo was originally buried in the Assisi municipal cemetery, but as the cause of his beatification moved forward, his remains were moved in 2019 to the Shrine of the Renunciation of St. Francis in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where they lie in a place of honor today. Carlo Acutis truly belongs to what has been called the “Fourth Order” of St Francis, that vast number of men and women who are not members of one of the orders that bear his name, but whose lives embody his spirit.

Body of Carlo Acutis in the Shrine of the Renunciation, Santa Maria Maggiore, Assisi. Carlo's body is not incorrupt. In preparing his remains for veneration by the public, his internal organs were removed and his face covered with a silicone mask.

Wisdom of Carlo Acutis

The more we receive the Eucharist, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on earth we will have a foretaste of heaven.

All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies.

Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God.

"St. Carlo at the Cross," an 11-foot bronze statue by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz, was unveiled on August 15, 2025. It is installed in the courtyard of Santa Maria Maggiore, Assisi, where St. Carlo Acutis is buried.

Main image: St. Carlo Acutis: The Church’s First Millennial Saint