Few families in history have lived to see their child canonised in the Catholic Church – Carlo Acutis’ family did.
On Sunday 7 September, his parents Andrea and Antonia, along with his siblings Francesca and Michele, gathered in St Peter’s Square, Rome, witnessing the extraordinarily rare moment their son officially recognised as a saint, alongside tens of thousands of the faithful and millions more online.
Carlo, who would have been close to 35 years old, became the Church’s first millennial saint. Their presence added a profoundly personal and emotional dimension to the historic celebration.
Antonia has been a steady presence throughout the beatification and canonisation process, giving interviews to share the fruits of goodness her son sowed. Speaking to EWTN’s Chris Stefanick on 2 September, she reflected, “I’m not surprised… He appeared to me in my dreams and said ‘Mama I will be beatified, and then I will be canonised’.”
Antonia Acutis has written many books on her son’s journey to sainthood. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Before delivering his homily recognising two youthful saints – Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati – Pope Leo XIV said, “Let each of us also feel in our hearts what Pier Giorgio and Carlo experienced, namely this love for Jesus Christ, especially in the Eucharist, but also in the poor, in our brothers and sisters.”
Reflecting on Carlo’s formative years, the Pope added:
“Carlo, for his part, encountered Jesus in his family, thanks to his parents, Andrea and Antonia – who are here today with his two siblings, Francesca and Michele – and then at school, and above all in the sacraments celebrated in the parish community.”
“He grew up naturally integrating prayer, sport, study and charity into his days as a child and young man.
“Carlo used to say, ‘In front of the sun, you get a tan. In front of the Eucharist, you become a saint!’
“And again: ‘Sadness is looking at yourself; happiness is looking at God. Conversion is nothing more than shifting your gaze from below to above; a simple movement of the eyes is enough’.”
On St Pier Giorgio Frassati, Pope Leo XIV said faith was not a private devotion, but was “driven by the power of the Gospel and his membership in ecclesial associations”. These included school and church groups such as Catholic Action, the Conferences of Saint Vincent, the FUCI (Italian Catholic University Federation), and the Dominican Third Order.
Through these, Pope Leo said he “bore witness to God with his joy of living and of being a Christian in prayer, friendship and charity”.
“This was so evident that seeing him walking the streets of Turin with carts full of supplies for the poor, his friends renamed him ‘Frassati Impresa Trasporti’ (Frassati Transport Company)!” Pope Leo exclaimed.
“Even today, Pier Giorgio’s life is a beacon for lay spirituality.”
On the significance of both Carlo and Pier Giorgio’s lives, Pope Leo XIV said, “Both Pier Giorgio and Carlo cultivated their love for God and for their brothers and sisters through simple acts, available to everyone: daily Mass, prayer, and especially Eucharistic Adoration.”
He concluded saying, “Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”
“They encourage us with their words: ‘Not I, but God,’ as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: ‘If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end’.”
“This simple but powerful formula of holiness is the type of witness we are called to follow, in order to live fully and meet the Lord in the feast of heaven.”
Let us all be inspired to be saints.
You can read Pope Leo XIV’s full homily on the canonisation of saints on the Vatican website.
