Pope Francis made a surprise announcement at his General Assembly on 20 November 2024 (World Children’s Day) that two young and inspiring Catholics – Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati – would be canonised during the Jubilee Year of 2025.
It was later confirmed that Acutis’ canonisation would occur during the Church’s Jubilee of Teenagers between 25 and 27 April 2025, and Frassati’s canonisation would take place during the Jubilee of Youth between 28 July and 3 August 2025.
These two young soon-to-be saints have already made an impact on Australian youth as models of Christ’s message delivered through human form. Interestingly, both died within a week of being diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.
Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991-2006)
“The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis was born to Italian parents on 3 May 1991 in London.
His savvy web-coding skills, and modern relatability through his enjoyment of PlayStation games such as Halo, Pokémon and Mario, have made him popular among today’s young Catholics.
He created a website and through his research catalogued Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions around the world, in order to evangelise to people and highlight the true mystery of Jesus’ presence during Mass.
Blessed Carlo Acutis died within a week of being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia on 12 October 2006 in Monza, Italy. He was only 15 years old. He was beatified by Pope Francis on 10 October 2020 and will become the first millennial saint in April 2025.
First-class relics of St Padre Pio di Pietrelcina, St Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Carlo Acutis; as well as a second-class relic of St Anthony of Padua were deposited in Our Lady of the Angels Parish Rouse Hill’s adjacent St Francis chapel. Image: Visual eyes/ Diocese of Parramatta.
A reflection on his life and upcoming sainthood
On 5 October this year, a first-class relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis was among four new relics deposited in the St Francis Chapel at Our Lady of the Angels in Rouse Hill, bringing the number of holy relics in the parish to seven.
The event drew hundreds of Catholics to the parish for a special Mass, which was celebrated by the Bishop of Parramatta, Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv.
Erica, a youth leader in the parish, reflected on what the canonisation of Blessed Carlo Acutis means to her.
“Blessed Carlo Acutis is an incredible inspiration to many, but for me personally, he is a driving force for my positive change in my prayer life,” she said.
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
“Visiting Assisi and his resting place as part of my World Youth Day pilgrimage allowed me to deepen my relationship with the soon-to-be-saint, learning about his life and profound love for the Holy Eucharist.”
When Erica discovered that the parish, her “second home”, would receive the relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis, she was “overjoyed”.
“It is another avenue that allows my faith, and I am sure many other fellow parishioners, to be taken to a deeper level, having a constant presence of his life and his contribution to the faith through knowledge of Eucharistic miracles,” she said.
“I knew that this would benefit the community drastically as it is a fairly vibrant, young and active community – qualities that reflect Blessed Carlo Acutis,” she said.
“As his canonisation approaches, the relic – a tremendous gift – allows his legacy to continue to inspire the youth to draw closer to God. I am grateful to witness and be a part of this spiritual enrichment in our community.”
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925)
“To live without faith, without a heritage to defend, without battling constantly for truth, is not to live but to ‘get along’; we must never just ‘get along’.”
Young people may recall that the body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati came to visit for World Youth Day in 2008, where a coffin containing his remains was exposed in St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney in a special area surrounded by the four flowery panels, which had been painted by his mother.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati lived more than century ago, but he was described by Saint John Paul II as a “Man of the Beatitudes” – a global patron for World Youth Days, world youth, young adults, athletes, and “ordinary people”.
Pier Giorgio Frassati. Image: Luciana Frassati/ Wikimedia Commons
Pope Francis echoed St John Paul II by noting Frassati “was a young man filled with a joy that swept everything along with it, a joy that overcame many difficulties in his life”.
According to Pope Francis’ Christus Vivit, Frassati said he had wanted to return the love of Jesus that he received in Holy Communion by visiting and helping the poor.
He was an avid mountaineer who often climbed with his friends, a great swimmer and athlete, who also engaged in many social activities.
He died at the age of 24 from polio, while in charitable service to the people who were sick and dying in his community.
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
A reflection on the patron of world youth
Catholic Youth Parramatta (CYP) is dedicated to connecting young people with the Catholic Church and its ministries, helping them to feel sustained and inspired by God’s love, and to authentically live out their call to community and mission in the Church and in the world.
CYP Manager Eleanor Bonwick said the canonisation of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, the patron of World Youth Days, will inspire this and the next generation of World Youth Day leaders.
“Pope Francis’ decision to canonise these two remarkable saints is a profound source of hope,” Eleanor said.
“Young people can take comfort in knowing that Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, our brothers in faith, also faced pressures and challenges similar to those we encounter today on our journey toward holiness.
“It is truly a joy to welcome these new saints as role models and intercessors who walk with us.”
