Carlo Acutis: The Millennial Saint

Early Life and Birth (1991)

Carlo Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, at the Portland Clinic in London, England, to Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano, members of wealthy Italian families. His father's family worked in the Italian insurance industry and his mother's ran a publishing company. His baptism took place on May 18, 1991, in the Church of Our Lady of Dolours, Chelsea.

On September 8, 1991, Carlo returned to Milan with his parents, where he would spend the remainder of his short but remarkable life. Even as a young child, Carlo displayed remarkable compassion and awareness of others, taking particular interest in the foreign caretakers during his walks to school and greeting them personally each morning.

Childhood and Education

Carlo attended the local Parco Pagani nursery school in Milan. Acutis attended his first primary school in September 1997, the San Carlo Institute in Milan; but as the school was at a distance from their home, three months later he transferred to the Marcelline Tommaseo Institute, run by the Sisters of St. Marcellina.

Even as a young child, Carlo displayed remarkable compassion and awareness of others. During his walks to school, he took particular interest in the foreign caretakers of the different homes along his route; learning their names and stopping to greet them personally each morning. This early demonstration of empathy would become a defining characteristic throughout his life.

Upon completing middle school, Acutis went on to the Jesuit Instituto Leone XIII high school. Although he was an average student, he liked to read and pursued other academic areas independently, including computer science and teaching himself the saxophone.

Spiritual Development and Faith Journey

Carlo's spiritual journey began early and was marked by an extraordinary devotion that seemed to emerge naturally rather than being imposed by his family environment. From a young age, Carlo had a special love for God, even though his parents weren't especially devout.

From the day he received his First Communion at the age of 7, he never missed an appointment with daily Holy Mass. He always tried, either before or after the Eucharistic celebration, to pause before the Tabernacle to adore the Lord, always truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. This daily commitment to the Eucharist would become the cornerstone of his spiritual life.

Our Lady was his great confidant and he never failed to honour her by reciting the Holy Rosary every day. Devoted to Our Lady from a young age, Carlo made the effort to recite the Rosary daily and, after his first Communion at age 7, also strove to receive the Eucharist daily and to attend confession weekly.

Influence on Others' Faith

Carlo's authentic faith had a profound impact on those around him, including his own family and household staff. His mother said she had been to Mass only for her First Communion, her confirmation, and her wedding but young Carlo's unique and unexplained devotion led to her deep conversion. The priest promoting his cause for sainthood noted that Carlo "managed to drag his relatives, his parents to Mass every day. It was not the other way around; it was not his parents bringing the little boy to Mass, but it was he who managed to get himself to Mass and to convince others to receive Communion daily."

Carlo's witness of faith as a child led adults to convert and be baptized. Rajesh Mohur, who worked for the Acutis family as an au pair when Carlo was young, converted from Hinduism to Catholicism because of Carlo's witness. Carlo taught Mohur how to pray the rosary and told him about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

"Carlo was a very devout soul, even when he was very young. He loved to go to church, to pray, and to learn more about his faith. I was far from the church; I grew up in a secular family, as millions of people do, I suppose. So, having this son who insistently asked me questions about the faith forced me to reflect. That was the reason why I drew closer to the Church" and to the sacraments, his mother explained.

Personality and Character

Carlo was remembered by all who knew him as an exceptionally balanced young person who seamlessly integrated a deep spiritual life with the normal interests of a teenager. Acutis's parish priest said of him that: Carlo was a young man who was exceptionally transparent. He really wanted to progress in loving his parents, God, his classmates, and those who loved him less. He wanted to apply himself in his studies to educate himself in his catechism class as well as in school and computer science.

Academic and Social Life

Rather than waiting for friends to come to him, he is remembered for being a friend to all. He was known for standing up for kids at school who got bullied, especially kids with disabilities. When a friend's parents were getting a divorce, Carlo made a special effort to include his friend in the Acutis' family life.

I would say that he was a quiet child by nature, living in the context of a peaceful family... There was never any sign of this in Carlo: he was a child who integrated harmoniously in the classroom, docile, with whom the teacher was happy. His parents too were very polite and unpretentious, reserved people.

Interests and Hobbies

Acutis loved playing video games such as Halo, Mario, and Pokémon, although his mother claims he limited himself to just one hour of gaming a week to avoid addiction. His mother told CNS, "Carlo led a normal life: He went to school, he played sports, he played video games, although usually just one hour a week because he understood that one could be enslaved by video games."

Carlo loved soccer and video games. He tried to stay disciplined and only played games for an hour a week even though he really wanted to play much more. This self-discipline at such a young age demonstrated his remarkable maturity and understanding of moderation.

The Digital Evangelist

Carlo's passion for technology became a powerful tool for evangelization. People around Acutis considered him a "computer geek" due to his passion for and skill with computers and the internet. He was skilled in Java as well as C++ and often helped others with technical issues.

Carlo was fascinated with computer coding and taught himself some of the basic coding languages, including C and C++. Carlo was very gifted with everything related to the world of computers so that both his friends and adults with computer engineering degrees considered him a genius. Everyone was amazed at his ability to understand the secrets of computers that are normally only accessible to those who have specialized university degrees.

Early Web Development Work

When he was 14, his parish priest asked him to create a webpage for his parish, Santa Maria Segreta in Milan. After this, a priest at his high school asked him to create a website to promote volunteering. For this work, he won a national competition called Sarai volontario (Italian, "You will be a volunteer").

The Eucharistic Miracles Project

Carlo's most significant contribution to the Church was his comprehensive documentation of Eucharistic miracles worldwide. Acutis created a website dedicated to cataloguing each reported Eucharistic miracle in the world and maintaining a list of the approved Marian apparitions of the Catholic Church. Acutis launched the website in 2004 and worked on it for two and a half years, involving his entire family in the project.

One of Carlo's most significant contributions to the Church was the creation of both a portable exhibition and a related website cataloging Eucharistic miracles from around the world. He was able to catalog 187 Eucharistic miracles during a period of two-and-a-half years.

Acutis researched over "136 Eucharistic miracles that occurred over the centuries in different countries around the world, and have been acknowledged by the Church" and collected them into a virtual museum. Besides creating a website to house this virtual museum, he helped create panel presentations that have traveled around the world.

The project was completed just days before his death. It was unveiled on October 4, 2006, the Feast of St. Francis, only days before his death. Because he was hospitalized, Acutis was not able to attend the debut of his exhibition at Rome's Church of San Carlo Borromeo. The exhibition was also presented at his high school, the Leo XIII Institute.

Spiritual Motivation

His spiritual director has attested that Carlo was personally convinced that the scientific evidence from Eucharistic miracles would help people to realize that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist and come back to Mass. Carlo was concerned by people growing distant to the Church and the sacraments and desperately wanted to bring them back.

Character and Service to Others

Carlo's faith was always expressed through concrete service to others, particularly the poor and marginalized. One of the things that most impressed him as a non-Christian was the witness of Carlo's love and concern for the poor — how he interacted with the homeless man who would sit at the entrance of the church and would bring tupperware dishes filled with food out to people living on the streets.

He played soccer with his friends, and an hour later, he would be volunteering at the soup kitchen of the Capuchins and Mother Teresa's nuns for the poor.

Philosophical Insights and Quotes

Carlo articulated profound spiritual insights that would later influence Pope Francis and countless young people around the world. One of his most famous quotes was: "Everyone is born as an original, but many die as a photocopy."

Pope Francis included them in his apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit ("Christ is alive"), addressed to young people. Speaking of Carlo, Francis said, He saw that many young people, wanting to be different, really end up being like everyone else, running after whatever the powerful set before them with the mechanisms of consumerism and distraction.

Illness and Saintly Death (2006)

On October 1, 2006, Acutis developed an inflammation of the throat. His parents took him to a doctor who diagnosed parotitis and dehydration, which a second doctor, a family friend, confirmed. A few days later, Acutis's pain worsened and he had blood in his urine. By Sunday, October 8, Acutis was too weak to get out of bed to go to Mass.

Acutis was taken to a clinic that specialized in blood diseases and was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia. He was given little chance of recovery. He was rushed to intensive care and put on a ventilator. Carlo's heart stopped beating on Thursday October 12, at 6:45 a.m.

Facing Death with Faith

Even in his final days, Carlo demonstrated remarkable spiritual maturity. Before his death in 2006, he offered his sufferings for Pope Benedict XVIand for the Church, saying: "I offer all of my suffering to the Lord for the pope and for the Church in order not to go to purgatory but to go straight to heaven."

"I am happy to die because I lived my life without wasting even a minute of it on anything unpleasing to God" were among his final words, demonstrating his complete peace with his fate.

Path to Sainthood

On Oct. 12, the cause of beatification and canonization of Charles opens and he becomes a Servant of God. His cause for canonization began in 2013 and he was designated "Venerable" in 2018.

Beatification

Carlo was declared a blessed of the Church on October 10, 2020. When Carlo Acutis became "Blessed Carlo Acutis" in Assisi on October 10, 2020, it was unlike any other beatification in history.

His tomb has been opened and his intact body lies in repose in a glass tomb where he can be venerated by pilgrims until Oct. 17. He is displayed in jeans and a pair of Nikes, the casual clothes he preferred in life.

Miracles Attributed to His Intercession

One notable miracle associated with Carlo involves the inexplicable healing of a young Brazilian boy named Mattheus, who was suffering from a rare pancreatic disorder. The Medical Council of the Congregation for Saints' Causes has expressed a positive opinion on an alleged miracle attributed to the intercession of young Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia at age 15 in 2006... The miracle regards the healing of a gravely ill boy in Brazil.

Canonization

Pope Francis has approved Carlo's canonization, making him the first millennial saint. Two miracles have been attributed to his intercession, including the healing of a young Brazilian boy with a rare pancreatic disorder.

However, Carlo Acutis was scheduled to be canonized on April 25–27, 2025, however, following the 2025 conclave and the election of Pope Leo XIV, his canonization is temporarily paused. As Pope Leo XIVbegins his pontificate, the Church is reassessing ongoing causes, including that of Carlo, before moving forward with any new canonizations.

Legacy and Impact

He has also been dubbed "the first millennial saint," because he is the first person of the millennial generation to have become a candidate for sainthood. Because of his interest in computers and his miracles website, Acutis was popularly called "the patron saint of the Internet" once his cause for sainthood was underway.

Influence on Modern Youth

Today, Blessed Carlo Acutis serves as a model for young people seeking to navigate the complexities of the digital world while remaining faithful to the Gospel. His life reminds us that holiness is attainable for all who seek to follow Christ faithfully, regardless of age or vocation.

The rector for the Sanctuary of Spoliation in Assisi, where Acutis' tomb is located, called him a witness that holiness is attainable for teenagers.

Published Works and Documentation

The biography My Son Carlo: Carlo Acutis Through the Eyes of His Mother, written by his mother and journalist Paolo Rodari, was published in 2023. This provides intimate insights into Carlo's daily life and spiritual development from those who knew him best.

Spiritual Guidelines for Holiness

On his website, Carlo wrote a list of instructions for becoming holy . . . but his very first rule was this: "You must want it with all your heart." This simple yet profound guidance encapsulates his approach to spiritual life - that holiness is accessible to everyone but requires genuine commitment and desire.

Recognition by Church Leadership

Today, Blessed Carlo Acutis serves as a model for young people seeking to navigate the digital world while remaining faithful to the Gospel. His life demonstrates that holiness is possible for everyone who desires it with their whole heart—even gamers, internet users, and ordinary teenagers of the modern age.

Conclusion

Carlo Acutis's brief life of fifteen years demonstrates that holiness is not limited by age, era, or circumstances. His seamless integration of deep Catholic faith with modern technology, his service to others, and his joyful approach to life continue to inspire millions around the world. In his short life, oriented to that encounter with Jesus, was like a light not only to shine on the path of those who knew him, but also of those who will come to know his story.

This is the legacy of Venerable Carlo Acutis: an ordinary, modern kid who watched cartoons and used the internet and wanted holiness with all his heart. This is why the world loves him. Because he shows us that holiness is possible. For every one of us.

His life serves as a beacon for contemporary youth, proving that sanctity and modern life are not incompatible, but rather that technology and worldly engagement can become powerful tools for spreading the Gospel when guided by authentic faith and love for others.