Over two weekends, two local parishes hosted an international exhibition and first-class relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis, who is set to become the first millennial saint.
The exhibition, “The Eucharistic Miracles of the World,” and relic, a strand of Carlo Acutis’ hair, were on display at Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Rouse Hill, on 29-30 June 2024 before it made its way to St Canice’s Church, Katoomba, part of Mary of the Cross MacKillop Parish, Upper Blue Mountains, on 5-7 July 2024.
A view of “The Eucharistic Miracles of the World” exhibition, collated by Blessed Carlo Acutis at St Canice’s Church, Katoomba, Upper Blue Mountains Parish in July 2024. Image: Beckie Lee/Supplied
Fr Carlos Walker IVE from Our Lady of the Angels was asked whether he was interested in hosting the exhibition and relic at his parish. He then booked in the visit accordingly.
“We could sense that people would respond to the invitation but, personally, I never imagined that people would come in such huge numbers. With permission, we shared the relic and exhibition with both Santa Sophia Catholic College, Box Hill, and Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) Primary School, with the church hosting them during the weekend.
Parish Priest Fr Carlos Walker IVE with the first-class relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis during the visit of the relic to Santa Sophia Catholic College, Box Hill in June 2024. Image: Santa Sophia Catholic College/Supplied
“The flow of people never stopped during the whole weekend. It was particularly poignant to see people with serious ailments come to venerate the relic.”
Mary Gale from Upper Blue Mountains Parish said they are blessed to have an Adoration chapel that is open from Monday to Friday 24 hours a day. This is how they heard about the international exhibition and relic.
“Often times, the exhibition will visit parishes that have Adoration chapels available. Because we are part of an informal network of Adoration Chapel coordinators, we heard about Blessed Carlo’s relic and exhibition and were able to sign up through this.”
A view of “The Eucharistic Miracles of the World” exhibition, collated by Blessed Carlo Acutis at St Canice’s Church, Katoomba, Upper Blue Mountains Parish in July 2024. Image: Beckie Lee/Supplied
Blessed Carlo Acutis was a Catholic Italian teenager who passed away from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. He had a special devotion to the Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and designed websites and used social media to share his faith.
In early July, Pope Francis approved Blessed Carlo Acutis for canonisation. He will become the first saint from Generation Y (or millennials) and will likely be proclaimed a saint during the 2025 Jubilee, possibly alongside other canonisations.
Because of his youth, Carlo’s story has become popular with young Catholics.
“The OLA Primary students were engaged as they saw a youth just like them about to be declared a saint,” said Rachel Vecchio-Ruggeri, Acting Leader of Formation and Mission at Santa Sophia.
“The secondary students, in particular, were very moved by this visit, with many of them expressing appreciation for the opportunity and returning to visit multiple times during recess and lunch. It prompted deep discussion about Blessed Carlo’s life, and also Eucharistic miracles,” she said.
Students are seen during a visit of the first-class relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis to Santa Sophia Catholic College, Box Hill, in June 2024. Image: Santa Sophia Catholic College/Supplied
Fr Carlos said, “God raises saints for our edification, to serve as role models. To see such a down–to–earth young man being canonised is a great inspiration for all of us, and especially for the young. Additionally, his devotion to the Eucharist may well bring about a revival of love for the Eucharist.”
Mary shared similar sentiments: “Blessed Carlo was a young man who was a pioneer in using the online space to evangelise about the gift of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. His canonisation will hopefully inspire many young people to come to know this gift more deeply and take advantage of the digital age in sharing the love of Christ for the world.”
The exhibition is composed of approximately 150 posters each with pictures of a Eucharist Miracle from 22 countries, all recognised by the Catholic Church. Each post has a simple description and some detailed information to read which makes it engaging to all ages and levels of understanding. A relic, a strand of Carlo Acutis’ hair, also accompanies the exhibition.
A view of the first-class relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis at Santa Sophia Catholic College, Box Hill, in June 2024. Image: Santa Sophia Catholic College/Supplied
Both Rouse Hill and Upper Blue Mountains parishes felt privileged to have been blessed with the opportunity to host the exhibition and relic.
“Blessed Carlo’s devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist resonates with the devotional life of our parish and many of our parishioners. The Eucharist is at the heart of what we believe as Catholics worldwide and what makes us feel close to the person of Blessed Carlo even though he lived and died in another country on the other side of the world,” said Mary.
In reference to feedback he received from the parish about the exhibition and relic, Fr Carlos said, “We received so many messages expressing gratitude. We responded to each saying we are grateful to God and to Blessed Carlo for this special grace we received.”
Beckie Lee is a freelance journalist and contributor to Catholic Outlook.
