First Millennial Saint in History

Our Capuchin ties to Carlo Acutis

By Casey Kleczek

Every day, hundreds of pilgrims walk the cobbled street of Piazza del Vescovado, surrounded by the lush green Umbrian countryside in the tiny hilltop town of Assisi, Italy to visit what, until recently, was one of Assisi’s lesser-known churches—Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore (the Church of St. Mary Major). They come bearing rosaries and whispering fervent prayers. They come with tears in their eyes to pray before the tomb where a viewing glass reveals the body of a blue-jean and sneaker-wearing 15-year-old—the first millennial to be beatified in the Catholic church, Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Until April 6, 2019, when Carlo Acutis’ body was brought to the sanctuary and venerated at its final resting place, the Church of St. Mary Major was renowned for being the location where St. Francis of Assisi famously renounced his father’s wealth and cast off his clothing in favor of the drab brown habit that would become a sign of his commitment to a life of poverty. Pilgrims with a devotion to St. Francis would come to pray in the Romanesque church, before its stunning rose window and 15th- century frescoes. In recent years, pilgrim visits to the church have been revived by the large numbers of faithful flocking to pray before the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

‘God’s Influencer’

The London-born teenager nicknamed “God’s influencer” for his computer programming skills was, by all accounts, a typical teenager in the modern world. He played video games, collected Pokemon cards, and spent time at the movies and gelaterias with his friends. He loved soccer and skiing. But what made him atypical was the source of his radical holiness and virtue that permeated everything he did.

After Carlo made his First Communion, the Eucharist dictated the orbit of his entire life. While his parents were not practicing Catholics, Carlo was determined to go to Mass and adoration as often as possible. In her biography “My Son Carlo,” Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, described what he said following his First Communion, “To always be united to Jesus: This is my life plan.” From then on, he couldn’t pass a church without stepping inside to “greet Jesus in the tabernacle.”

While his life was punctuated by the typical markers of a pre-teen— classes, homework, social outings, sports, music, video games—it was also punctuated by adoration, daily Mass, and prayer. His witness inspired his parents to return to practicing their Catholic faith, and his au pair to convert to Catholicism and be baptized. Countless classmates, friends, and family members of Carlo have described how Carlo’s witness brought them closer to God, and how he never shied away from the opportunity to speak to someone about the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. As he got older, he once said, “Every minute that passes in vain is a missed opportunity to become more holy.”

When Carlo was 15, he was diagnosed with advanced leukemia. He spent his final days offering up his suffering for the pope and the Church to go straight to heaven. He told his mom, “I am happy to die because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things that do not please God.”

Before dying, Acutis made one final wish—to be buried in Assisi because of his special devotion to St. Francis of Assisi, patron Saint of the poor.

Waves of Pilgrims in Assisi

On April 6, 2019, his body was brought to the Santuario della Spogliazione and venerated at its final resting place. The Capuchins in Assisi are the custodians of Blessed Carlo Acutis and the shrine of the renunciation. They offer Masses and Eucharistic Adoration, and they greet and guide the pilgrims, a ministry that has become increasingly demanding in the last couple of years. In the first year after Bl. Carlo’s beatification, an estimated 117,000 pilgrims visited his tomb. Young Catholics in particular have flocked to his tomb to pray and venerate his legacy, inspired by his relatable witness of holiness in a digital age.

Br. José Maria Vera, a Capuchin Franciscan friar currently studying theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, spent the summer of 2024 studying Italian and volunteering with the Capuchins in Assisi. He would assist in greeting pilgrims, offering directions, or serving as an acolyte for the priests who were celebrating the sacraments. Throughout the summer, Br. José felt a growing kinship with Blessed Carlo Acutis he hadn’t had before coming to Assisi.

“I had known why he was given the title Blessed, and his life story, but I think when I was there I got to know more about his spirituality and I really came to appreciate that.”

Acutis had a strong devotion to St. Francis of Assisi, and aspired to his radical devotion to those in need. When he was five years old, he brought his piggy bank to the Capuchin friars in Milan and asked them to give it to the poor. As a teen he volunteered with the friars to serve the homeless at one of their soup kitchens. He used his savings to buy sleeping bags and hot drinks for the homeless he encountered.

“I felt a tangible connection with my own Franciscan spirituality in my innermost being.” - Br. José Maria Vera, OFM Cap.

"Carlo had a special bond with Saint Francis and he carried Assisi in his heart,” writes Carlo’s mother Antonio in her biography My Son Carlo. He said that the city where he felt happiest was Assisi because here something special was breathed that one did not breathe in other cities.”

And this too is something Br. José came to appreciate during his time. “There is something special about the city of Assisi,” explains Br. José. “I felt a tangible connection with my own Franciscan spirituality in my innermost being. I think the city provides a unique place for a person to reflect, to meditate, not only on the life of Francis, but also on Christ and how, through him, a person can find their true self. The environment made a big impact on my spiritual life during my time there.”

Blessed Carlo Acutis will be canonized on April 27 during the Jubilee of Teenagers in Rome. On November 20, 2024, when Pope Francis announced during the general audience that Blessed Carlo Acutis would be canonized, church bells echoed through the streets of Assisi to celebrate. “Assisi rejoices at this important news,” said the Most Rev. Domenico Sorrentino, Bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino and of Foligno in a press release. “The Church, and especially young people, feel that Carlo is a ray of light, as were St. Francis and St. Clare in whose footsteps he came to sanctify himself and now rests.”

Ed. note: The article was written prior to the passing of Pope Francis and the subsequent postponement of the canonization of Carlo Acutis.