Dear Agathians:

When we think of a saint, most of us do not think of a jeans wearing, backpack carrying, videogame loving, computer programming, teenage boy.  But that’s exactly who the Church just beatified on Saturday, October 10th, in Assisi.  And all of us, young and old, can learn a thing or two from this “next-door saint.”

 Carlo Acutis was only 15 years old when he died of leukemia in 2006.  But his short life on earth was so well spent that, not long after his death, people began to petition for his canonization.  In 2018, Pope Francis confirmed his life of heroic virtue and declared him a Venerable.  In 2019, when a Brazilian boy was cured from a rare disease through his intercession, Carlo was set to be declared a Blessed.  When he is canonized, he would be the first “millennial saint.”

Like Christ, who became like us in all things but sin (Hebrews 2:17, 4:15), Carlo Acutis looked and acted like any teenage boy of our time.  He loved to play video games and made ridiculous videos with his camcorder.  But he was also diligent in his study and taught himself computer codes from a textbook.  He put his computer skills to good use by running websites for Catholic organizations and creating a website documenting and cataloguing Eucharistic miracles around the world.

Born to wealthy parents, Carlo was generous to those around him who were less fortunate.  He genuinely cared for schoolmates who were bullied and whose parents were divorced.  He truly believed that any ordinary person could live an extraordinary life if God is at the center of our life.  “We are all born as originals,” he said, “but many die as photocopies.”  His love for the Eucharist and the Rosary gave him the strength to offer his suffering for the Pope and the Church (which he declared publicly in a video).

Like all of us, who must now adapt to life during a pandemic, our Heavenly Father also seems to be adapting by giving us this “cyber apostle” to remind us that holiness is possible for all ages and under all circumstances.  As Blessed Carlo Acutis said, “the only thing we must really fear is sin…  Find God and you will find the meaning of your life.”

— Fr. Vincentius Do, Pastor