Chicago, Sep 5 (AP) A Catholic school in the hometown of Pope Leo XIV is abuzz with excitement as fifth graders delve into comic books about Carlo Acutis' life, aptly titled "Digital Disciple." The students engage in creative activities like drawing what they think the teenage Italian tech guru might have had as his cellphone wallpaper, and discuss the alleged miracles attributed to Acutis' intercession. It's all Carlo Acutis, all the time at the Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish and school in Chicago, the first U.S. parish to bear his name. Acutis, who passed away in 2006 at the tender age of 15, is poised to become the first millennial saint.
In recent times, Acutis has soared to near rock star status among young Catholics, amassing a global following that the Catholic Church hasn't witnessed in quite some time. This surge in popularity can be credited to a strategic effort by the Vatican to present the younger faithful with a relatable, modern-day role model—an ordinary teenager who effectively utilized his technological skills to spread the faith. "He's not a towering figure like Mother Teresa or St. John Paul II, but rather a 'saint next door,'" said Rev. Ed Howe, pastor at Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish in Chicago's Northwest Side.
"Many young people today can see themselves in him, realizing they too could be the saint next door," remarked Howe.
Pope Leo XIV's First Canonization Pope Leo XIV, originally from Chicago, will preside over Acutis' canonization ceremony on Sunday, marking his first such occasion. Acutis will be canonized alongside another admired young Italian, Pier Giorgio Frassati. Initial plans for these ceremonies earlier in the year were delayed after Pope Francis' passing in April.
Pope Francis ardently championed Acutis' sainthood process, demonstrating a firm belief that the Church required a figure like Acutis to attract young followers while addressing the opportunities and challenges of the digital era. Acutis was exceptionally adept with computers well before the inception of social media, immersing himself in advanced programming and coding as a child. Although he mastered the digital sphere, he exercised moderation, playing video games for just an hour each week, valuing personal relationships above virtual ones.
"Carlo understood the potential for modern communications, advertising, and social networking to distract us into consumerism and buying the latest market fad," Francis wrote in a 2019 document. "Yet he leveraged these new communication tools for spreading the Gospel and advocating for values and beauty." Pope Leo XIV has since continued to emphasize the role of technology—particularly artificial intelligence—as a pressing global challenge.
A Fast-Track to Sainthood Born in London on May 3, 1991, to a well-off but not particularly religious Catholic family, Acutis soon relocated to Milan and enjoyed a quintessentially happy childhood, marked by deepening religious fervor. In October 2006, at age 15, he suddenly fell ill with acute leukemia and died within days. He was laid to rest in Assisi, famously associated with St. Francis of Assisi.
In a swift process, Acutis was beatified in 2020, with Pope Francis subsequently approving the second miracle required for sainthood last year. Following his death, a multitude of young Catholics have been drawn to Assisi, where they can view Acutis through a glass-sided tomb, adorned in jeans, Nike sneakers, and a sweatshirt, clutching a rosary. For those unable to visit in person, a webcam streams the activity around his tomb, offering a level of internet accessibility even St. Peter's Basilica doesn't afford to popes.
The Ordinary and the Extraordinary Admirers view Acutis as an ordinary youth who accomplished extraordinary deeds, a typical Milan teen who attended school, played soccer, and adored animals. However, he also fed the impoverished, attended daily Mass, and inadvertently led his less-than-devout parents back to the Church.
"When I first read his story, it was quite shocking because, at a young age, he was very drawn to Jesus Christ and would frequently attend Mass,” said Sona Harrison, an eighth grader at St. John Berchmans' school, part of the Acutis parish. "I find him more relatable and feel a closer connection to God when reading about him." Acutis earned the title "God's Influencer" by using technology to spread his faith. His most recognized digital legacy is a website dedicated to documenting "Eucharistic miracles," available in nearly 20 languages. The site details 196 seemingly inexplicable church events linked to the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is the body of Christ.
Acutis was known for spending hours in Eucharistic adoration, a daily practice. "This was the fixed appointment of his day," recalled his mother, Antonia Salzano, in a documentary aired Friday night at the U.S. seminary in Rome.
An Appeal that Serves the Church Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a history professor at the University of Notre Dame, noted that Acutis' overwhelming popularity stemmed from a coordinated church campaign, largely driven by his grief-stricken mother. However, she added that such promotion is not uncommon in the Church's two-millennia history, where saints are often endorsed to meet a particular need at a specific time.
"Recognizing the choices made about which cases progress does not diminish the sanctity of the individuals being honored," Cummings said in a phone interview. She observed that the Acutis phenomenon resonates because he appeals to both young people and the Church institution, utilizing technology positively to promulgate his staunch belief in Eucharistic miracles. This occurs at a time when many Catholics may doubt the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
"Canonization is akin to marketing," said Sprows Cummings, author of "A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics become American." "Which narratives get spotlighted? Who is memorialized through this powerful tradition of honoring holy persons?"
Acutis' legacy remains omnipresent at the parish named after him. During a Mass preceding his canonization, students marched into the chapel beneath an Acutis banner carrying items he might have cherished: a soccer ball, a laptop, and a backpack.
The parish pastor and priest from the Congregation of the Resurrection explored Acutis' life by extracting symbolic items from the backpack: a canned good he might have donated, rosary beads he likely prayed with.
The message resonated well.
"He fed the poor; he took care of them," said 9-year-old David Cameron, who described Acutis as "a great person." A fan of Sonic, Minecraft, and Halo, Cameron found inspiration in Acutis' affinity for video games and was impressed by Acutis' discipline. "He only played video games one hour a week, which I don't think I can do," he admitted. (AP) SKS SCY SCY
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