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Blessed Biographies: Carlo Acutis, Future Patron Saint of the Internet

Carlo Acutis is now Blessed Carlo Acutis!

Carlo Acutis was beatified in Assisi on Saturday, October 10. The Catholic Church now has its first “Blessed” who loved Super Mario and Pokémon, but not as much as he loved the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Speaking of Super Mario, Blessed Carlo has now cleared the second level (of sainthood)! Not that canonization is a video game, but "computer geek" Carlo Acutis would probably appreciate the reference. 

"Jesus is my great friend and the Eucharist my highway to Heaven" - quote by Carlo Acutis, Servant of God  

Blessed Carlo Acutis, Future Patron Saint of the Internet - BIOGRAPHY

Want to read the book? Read the full biography of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the book below, along with some other "Blesseds": 

 


Blessed Carlo's Secret to Holiness

There's a path to holiness that has worked  over and over. It's the same path that allowed  Saint Thérèse of Lisieux  to become a Saint and Doctor of the Church, despite having lived only to the age of 24. 

You never know how many years you'll have, so the time is always NOW to become a Saint. 

So what is the quickest, surest path to Heaven and Sainthood? It's the same path that Carlo Acutis, Servant of God, took in his short life. 

Despite his short life, Carlo  Acutis brought the Gospel to entirely new places and into entirely new forms. For this, he may one day be called the Patron Saint of the Internet and possibly even social media.

What was Carlo's secret? It was what he chose to be the single goal and objective of his short life. Check out one of his great quotes below.

Read below to find out more about this young man's incredible, albeit short, life:


Blessed Carlo Acutis: Born to a Lukewarm Family

Not too long ago, it seems, Carlo Acutis was born in London on May 3, 1991. His parents, Andrea and Antonia, were there on business. They returned home in September to Milan. 

"Madame, your son is special!" Carlo's mother often heard this remark from the parish priest, teachers, classmates, and even the porter of their building on Via Ariosto, where they moved in 1994. 

The boy's exceptional qualities were due to a very special friendship. Out of nowhere it seemed, as Carlo's family did not assiduously attend church, Carlo developed a great friendship with Jesus. 

Carlo's mother,  Antonia Acutis,  recalls how little Carlo could not pass in front of a church without asking to go in and greet Jesus. She was surprised to discover her son reading saint biographies and the Bible, and even more surprised when her son began asking questions of such depth and profundity that she was unable to answer:

I was perplexed by his devotion. He was so small and so sure. I understood that it was his thing, but that he was also calling me. So I began my journey of rapprochement with faith. I followed him."

At the age of seven and q uite on his own , Charles asked to receive First Holy Communion. After questioning the precocious boy, Monsignor Pasquale Macchi guaranteed his maturity and level of Christian formation. However, he made a single recommendation: the celebration should take place in a place free from distractions. As such, on June 16, 1998, Carlo received the Eucharist in silence of the Bernaga monastery, near Lecco. 

“As a little boy, especially after his First Communion, he never missed his daily appointment with the Holy Mass and the Rosary, followed by a moment of Eucharistic adoration,” recalls Carlo's mother.

Blessed Carlo Acutis: United to the Eucharist from a Young Age

Carlo first attended school with the Marcelline Sisters. He received his secondary education at the hands of the Jesuits at the Leo XIII Classical Lyceum. The Classical Lyceum is the oldest form of public secondary school in Italy, as well as the most rigorous. The  Liceo classico  was for a time the only path to university-level studies. 

Carlo thrived in this environment, becoming a young, affectionate and brilliant young man. 

Ever since boyhood and especially following that First Communion, Carlo's life revolved around a fixed point: daily Mass. "The Eucharist," he said, "is my highway to Heaven." He also frequently received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As an adolescent, he added to his spiritual regimen a Daily Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration. 

He spoke thus of Eucharistic Adoration: "If we get in front of the sun, we get sun tans ... but when we get in front of Jesus in the Eucharist, we become Saints." 


But how does even a Saint survive high school these days? And with holiness intact?

Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in High School?

Carlo was convinced that he would not grow old. "I will die young," he often repeated. This is perhaps why he filled his days with such a whirlwind of activity, teaching the boys from the catechism, feeding the poor at the Caritas cafeteria, and spending time with the children of the oratory. 

While still achieving excellent grades in high school and between all his charity work, Carlo still found time to play the saxophone, play football, design computer programs, and, like any other red-blooded teenager, play video games. 

He was naturally inclined toward computer science and was even considered brilliant by practicing engineers who encountered his technical intuition and savvy. Carlo's interests ranged from computer programming to editing films, from creating websites to writing periodicals. 

His classmates looked to him, not only for advice or help, but also because of his way of putting people at ease. Carlo seemed to have a way with people from all backgrounds.
Carlo's friendly face was a common sight in his neighborhood. He befriended everybody, including the gatekeepers, janitors, and other domestic servants that worked in his neighborhood. These workers were often non-Europeans with Muslim and Hindu backgrounds. Carlo told everybody about his love for Christ, and people couldn't help but listen and share in his joy. One such domestic worker was Rajesh, a Hindu and Brahmin. A friendship developed between Rajesh and Carlo. The friendship was of such a profound nature that Rajesh converted to Catholicism. 

This is what Rajesh had to say about his friend, Carlo: 

He told me that I would have been happier if I had approached Jesus. I was baptized Christian because it was he who so affected me with his profound faith, his charity, and his purity. I have always considered it out of the ordinary because a boy so young, so handsome, and so rich, normally prefers to have a different life.

Speaking of Carlo's affluence, he was careful never to waste money. He was known to donate sleeping bags to the homeless on his way to Mass in Santa Maria Segreta. He also donated to the Capuchins of Viale Piave for the service of meals to the homeless.


Carlo never hid what made him most happy ...

Carlo was always inviting his friends to go with him to Mass. For his friends to become reconciled to God, this was the source of his joy. Carlo wrote the following in his journal:

Sadness is the gaze turned towards oneself, happiness is the gaze turned towards God. Conversion is nothing but moving the gaze from the bottom to the top. A simple movement of the eyes is enough.


“With the intensity of his spiritual life, Carlo fully and generously lived his fifteen years of life, leaving a profound impact on those who knew him.  He was an expert with computers, he read books on computer engineering and left everyone in awe, but he put his gift at the service of others and used it to help his friends,” Carlos mother said.[2]  

Blessed Carlo Acutis: The Texture of His Spiritual Life and Devotions

Holiness was its true goal, but not just for him alone. To all, he gave his toolkit for sainthood: daily Mass, Communion, Rosary, Scripture, Eucharistic adoration, weekly Confession, and the willingness to give up something for others.  Charles also regularly offered up his sacrifices and prayed for the reparation of sins and offenses committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which he felt alive and throbbing in the consecrated Host.  

Carlo often prayed for the Pope, then John Paul II, and with a degree of passion that astonished his parish priest. Those who met the young man were left with an indelible impression that Jesus is, as ever was, the only one who can satisfy the heart of man. 

It is impossible to talk about Carlo without mentioning his strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. He was fascinated by the apparitions in Lourdes and Fatima, and often spoke about  Saint Bernadette Soubirous and the Little Shepherds of Fatima.  Our Lady's  messages of conversion, penance, and prayer - a ll this was lived concretely in his daily life .  In a world hardened against the great truths of the Faith, Carlo shook consciences and invited us to look toward Heaven. In the family, in the school, in the midst of society, Carlo was a witness to eternity. 

To quote Carlo: "Our aim has to be the infinite and not the finite. The Infinite is our homeland. We have always been expected in Heaven." [3]

Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Missionary of New Media

Carlo created several notable websites, one dedicated to young saints. He had a keen interest in those who were able to achieve holiness quickly. The website even included included a section where one could  discover how many friends they had in heaven.  Such an affable young man, he found friends even in Heaven


Carlo demonstrated an amazing zeal and maturity for missionary work given his age, possibly due to another of his great friends in Heaven ...

Carlo's efforts were that of a true missionary: to reach as many people as possible and to introduce them to the beauty and joy of friendship with Jesus. Carlo took as his model St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, who committed himself to bring the Gospel to every corner of the globe even to the point of martyrdom.  

Carlo was inspired by the works of fellow Italian Blessed James Alberione, who was himself also inspired by the Apostle Paul. Blessed James was the Founder of the Paulines and the Daughters of St. Paul. Both Blessed James and the religious societies he founded are recognized for putting new forms of media at the service of the Gospel.

The Eucharist

Carlo maintained his curiosity without succumbing to mainstream interests: "All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies." To move towards this destination and not “die as photocopies,”  Carlo said that our compass has to be the Word of God. The Eucharist was his true north. Carlo put the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the center of his life and he called it "my highway to heaven." (3)

In 2002, Carlo accompanied his parents to listen to a priest friend speak at a presentation of the Little Eucharistic Catechism. He was fascinated by what he learned. 

Carlo had an idea ...

He would create an exhibition on Eucharistic miracles.  He said, "They must be able to see." Carlo wanted people to understand that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist by showing the moments throughout history when the Eucharist visibly became flesh and blood. 

This was the confluence of all of Carlo's great loves: He wanted people to encounter the Eucharist and be reconciled to God by renewing the Miracle of the True Prescence. Carlo wanted to show people that the Eucharist truly is his great friend, Jesus. 

Carlo immediately set to work by documenting the Eucharist miracles himself. He began dragging his parents across Europe to gather photographs of the miracles, themselves. 

After two and a half years, the exhibition was ready. He had cataloged all the Eucharistic miracles in world history. Immediately, dioceses across the world began requesting the exhibit (www.miracolieucaristici.org). 



Carlo had 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.[4] He created not only a website to house this virtual museum, but panel presentations, as well, that have traveled around the world.

According to the introductory panel, “In the United States alone, thanks to assistance from the Knights of Columbus, The Cardinal Newman Society and The Real Presence Association, with the support of Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, it has been hosted in thousands of parishes and more than 100 universities.” 

Carlo's exhibit soon crisscrossed the globe. It would reach all the places that he would never get to visit in life

Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Death Too Soon

In early October 2006, Carlo fell ill. He had just completed a video, a labor of love, with the students of the Leo XIII high school. A few days later, he was being wheeled into the hospital of  San Gerardo in Monza, Italy, a hospital founded by Saint Gerard, himself.  


Carlo soon received his diagnosis ... 

Crossing the threshold of the hospital, Carlo said to his mother: "From here I do not go out anymore!"

The diagnosis was acute promyelocytic leukemia.  A few days earlier, Carlo told his parents: "I offer what I will have to suffer to the Lord for the Pope and for the Church, to skip Purgatory and go straight to Heaven." 

Shortly after receiving his diagnosis,  Carlo died on October 12, 2006. He died with a radiant smile on his face and  offering his life for the Pope and for the Church. 

He was buried in Assisi, the city of Saint Francis. On the day of his funeral, the church and the churchyard was flooded with his many friends and admirers. His mother describes the scene: "I have never seen people like this before." People filled the grieving mother's ears with stories about what Carlo had done, stories she had never heard. 

What was so special about Blessed Carlo Acutis? The Impact of a Life

Having already reached so many through his international exhibit and internet ministry, Carlo's death had an immediate impact. Thousands of letters and emails reached the family. 

Carlo's exhibit of Eucharistic miracles has reached the ends of the earth many times over, presented in Russia, Latin America, and even China. In the United States, thanks to the help of the Knights of Columbus, it has been hosted by thousands of parishes and hundreds of universities.

What was so special about Carlo? 

He welcomed and loved Jesus as a friend, while still living deeply immersed in the world of today, mastering  computer programming, film editing, website creation, and even editing comics by the age of 15 . Despite being immersed in media so fraught with temptation, the Gospel thrived at his touch and to such an extent that he will probably become the Patron of the Internet. 

Carlo remains an inspiration, especially to teenagers who struggle to be both holy and “normal,” while remaining unique as an individual. 

Carlo wrote that "We are all born as originals, but many die as photocopies." He survived the Xerox machine of modernity and the internet and actually thrived within it. In doing so, he showed each of us the path forward, giving us a means to navigate: O ur Compass, he said, has to be the Word of God, which we have to keep constantly before us.  Also,  "Our Goal must be the infinite, not the finite. The Infinite is our homeland. We have always been expected in Heaven."  

Just after five years of canonical norms, the Diocese of Milan immediately started the process of beatification.  On Thursday, November 24, 2016, Cardinal Angelo Scola closed the diocesesan phase in the canonization process.[4]  The next stage in the canonization process is to send all the biographical works accumulated,  perhaps even this one,  to Rome to be reviewed by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints. If approved, the cause for Carlo Acutis will proceed and the Holy Father can declare him “Venerable.”

If you encounter any miracles due to Carlo's intercession or if you can share stories of his impact, especially on youth, please comment below or contact me directly! 

Please also remember to share the story of this amazing young man!



Blessed Carlo Acutis, Future Patron Saint of the Internet - BIOGRAPHY

Want to read the book? Read the full biography of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the book below, along with some other "Blesseds": 

 


Blessed Carlo Acutis: Footnotes

[1] " The Saint of the Month: Blessed Carlo Acutis, possible future patron of the web,"  Parrocchia Santa Maria Assunta
[2] " Italy moved by teen who offers life for the Church and the Pope," Catholic News Agency, Oct 24, 2007.
[3] "Biography,"  The Carlo Acutis Association and the Cause of Beatification of the Servant of God Carlo Acutis, official website.
[4] “Computer geek” takes one more step toward sainthood ,"  by Philip Kosloski, Dec 3, 2016.
- The Official website of the CARLO ACUTIS Association and the Cause of Beatification of the Servant of God Carlo Acutis, "Biography"

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31 Comments

  1. Thanks for posting this. I had not heard of Bl. Carlo before. Also exemplary youth are Bl. Chiara Luce Badano and Ven. Pauline-Marie Jaricot...

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    1. Great! Thanks for the recommendations! I'll look both of these up :)

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  2. What an inspirational story...we will help make his story known.

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    1. That's fantastic - thanks so much, www.CatholicTravelGuide.com!

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  3. a modern Dominic Savio! sanctity is indeed not THAT difficult at all eh... Ven. Carlo, pray for us and especially our young people!

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  4. I can't wait to share this with my 15-year-old computer geek, Vincent. I know that this story will bring him hope, as we live in such a dark time where children feel so alone in any striving to be faithful to God and his Church. How beautiful a witness is the life of Ven. Carlo! I do believe that the Eucharistic Miracle exhibit came to our capital (in Oregon) during a rosary rally!
    Vincent is working on programming an app for the desktop of our family computer which will chronicle the calendar of feasts and saint's days. It will be customizable and include family patronal feasts and such, as well as a chronicle of the old Latin calendar of feasts and saints. Now I have a patron to encourage Vincent through such a holy witness as Ven. Carlo! We live in such a dark time; God knows we must have 'lights' like him to help us see.

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    1. That's awesome! Please do share with Vincent! When he finished his app, I would love to share and promote it on this site. God bless!

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  5. Amazing!!! We can be saints, like him. I can't wait to share this story with the teenagers at my youth group. :)

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    1. Amen! Please do share and God bless! Carlo, pray for us.

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  6. So beautiful to read about Carlo. His example can help strengthen our own faith and journey to reach our Lord with the aim to love and serve his people whilst we can.

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  7. Thank you, very moving, God bless you

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  8. Reading his biography was like seeing myself in a male version which I always loved to have physically but now he is in Spirit with me. Will never forget the day I met him in Spirit as it was on August 26th the world repentance day which his biography was pasted on the wall of my main door by my lil cousin brother who came to live with me to attend school in April which I didn't bother reading thinking it was his study notes. August 26th, I was troubled in mind having nausea over marriage and child welfare issues and and thinking of sorting out the school accounts so I get to work on programming an accounts software for the school even to do school websites where I know very little about software engineering as I did only diploma in Computer Science and after I took a bath to refresh and walked out my eyes caught it and asked my sister friend to pull it out and read it twice while I was breastfeeding my baby and it sits in front of my working bench. I wished for someone like him and now am over joyed seeing him as my spiritual friend who has mastered computer engineering to help me through my paperless project for the school for being a beginner at 32yrs and as a freelancer to gain my first experience working alone and with him.

    Thank you Venerable Carlo for being in Spirit with me. Your friend in Heaven.

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  9. Thanks for sharing Carlo s life. I have not heard about him before. Tears in my eyes reading through..
    Truly inspiring especially for the children who find themselves hard to keep up the faith balancing what is happening around the world..

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    1. Thank you so much - you're welcome! Please share Carlos' story!

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  10. A amazing stroy from Carlo Acutis, can i translated this stories to Indonesia language and share it ?

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  11. it's very inspiring .

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  12. Greetings of Peace and Love!
    Thank you ver much for posting thus helpful and wonderful article on this site. It is very informative and inspiring to read. It really helps me to know more about our beloved soon to be Blessed Carlo Acutis. His undying love for Jesus and intense devotion inspired me to follow his path and become my role model in living a true Christian. To be honest, I was not a good Christian then, I was selfish, closed -minded, quick-tempered, arrogant and bad-ass. (Yes, bad-ass enough that I always confronted those protestant trying to destroy our faith and almost punched their faces) Sounds like St. Nicholas of Smyrna did to Arius. But it's true. Let me narrates you a short story on how I found him.
    I was raised in a Catholic but not so devout family here in the Philippines. Even though we're not so devout, Together with my mother We still find ways to pray the rosary daily. We woke up early in the morning to fulfill our devotion. One day, while I scroll down on my Facebook account. A Catholic page called Aletia English featured this soon to be beautified young man. But the word 'tech-savvy' didn't hooked up my attention. As I thought He's just like an ordinary boy. It was a mistake for my part. My initial interest was focused on medieval era saints and not on modern one.In the next few weeks, His article together with his saintly photo appeared again on my wall this time by a page called Bisayang Katoliko. This time, I was able to open it and learned all his saintly doings and virtues. I felt I was charmed and captivated by his charismatic face and intense faith. That I searched more about him. I searched on Facebook, YouTube and on various websites(until I found yours). He really inspired me a lot. From that day, I always shared his inspiring story to my co-workers. I narrates his life through words in order for them to comprehend well. And encouraged them to do the same. God chose Him to be a Saint in order for us the millennials to relate and inspired. I also found out that I was almost a year older than him. (I was born on May, 17,1990 and Carlo was on May 3,1991). So I considered him as my younger brother and an 'amigo'(Italian word for friend) Right now, I continue to do sharing about his life. I admired him a lot to the point that I used his photo as my phone's wallpaper. I never used someone's photo be be my wallpaper then. I also include him on our prayers so that He will be counted as blessed or a Saint on our church. I pray for him thrice a day. I tried to changed my not so good attitudes because of Him. As I said He's my inspiration on how to live a Holy life
    Please continue to write new articles about Him. In that way, You helped him to inspire more people and draw them closer to God. God bless us all.

    PS: I tried to searched your Facebook account. But sad to say, I never found it.

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing your story about (almost) Blessed Acutis. I hope the stories in these comments will be added to the Vatican's documents for his cause for canonization! Please keep sharing! Also, this page should link to my Facebook page, but try "Scott Smith - Author". Thanks!

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  13. Thank you for your immediate response. Looking forward on Amigo Carlos beatification day. Hopefully, Your article will reach Vatican's hierarchy so that it will be used for Carlo's beatification and hopefully for his cannonization as well. God bless!

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  14. This is an eyes opener for me, though a Christian but fluctuating Christian, raising and falling Christian. Before I can't scroll articles like this, but this one I finished it and the comment as well. The life of Carlo have give me courage to stand and pick my up my Cross daily without looking black, and to approach the young once with love of Jesus Christ.

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  15. Im 54 with two kids. The Blessed Calo has profoundly affected my faith already. I thank God for this gift of this youth.

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    1. Wow - I love hearing stories like this. Thank you!

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