Blessed Carlo Acutis was born on May 13, 1992 in London, England. Soon after, his family moved to Milan, Italy. He attended various Catholic schools, and had private tutors. He was an only child, but was extremely close to a cousin about his age who lived nearby. For the most part, Carlo could have been described like any other kid of his time. He loved soccer, video games, computers, movies, concerts, friends, and family.
But he loved God more.
His intense piety and commitment to prayer overflowed into virtuous acts and an unrelenting courage to catechize anyone he could, which put him on the fast track to Sainthood after his death in 2006. His canonization is slated for 2025 now that a second miracle has been approved. You can read more about him below, or check out our favorite resources.
Blessed Carlo Acutis Resources
Blessed Carlo Acutis Novena for families
A Mom reflection on carlo acutis
Carlo acutis paper laptop printable craft
blessed carlo acutis pumpkin craft
Blessed Carlo Acutis coloring sheet
PRAYER
Carlo loved to play soccer and video games, just like most youth living around the turn of the 21st century. He was given a PlayStation when he was 9. But, he learned quickly to be careful about his time spent with the beloved console after seeing clearly how addicted his friends were to gaming. He limited his video game time to about an hour a week.
His self-control gave him time to pray the rosary frequently, go to daily Mass across the street from his school, sit in Adoration, and study the Saints. He lamented that there were endless lines to get into soccer games and other popular sports and concerts, but no such clamoring to receive Christ at Mass or to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration. He made a comparison between Adoration and tanning in the sun. He wrote, “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven…[When people sit in the sun, they become tan], but when they sit before the Eucharistic Jesus, they become saints.”
He was particularly devoted to St. Michael the Archangel, and he deeply appreciated the commitment to communication of the founder of the Pauline order, St. James Alberione.
CARE FOR THE POOR
His rich prayer life fueled his day-to-day interactions with others, especially the poor. According to his mother, Carlo used to run her Tupperware dishes full of freshly-made food out to the homeless in the streets of Milan. He gave them his pocket change, and he insisted on having just one pair of shoes so that he’d have more money to offer.
Carlo not only fed the poor, he stood up for those who needed it. He defended kids who were being bullied, especially anyone who had a disability. He saw the image of God in every person, but he particularly noticed those who most needed help. His teachers often recognized his ease in looking out for classmates who didn’t find their place among their peers, always gently drawing out the shy or picked on, or tutoring those who struggled with their studies.
Carlo defended the dignity of all human life. He knew that because God created each one of us, we are each worthy of love and respect. He used that understanding to courageously fight for those who needed assistance in any way, whether they were tiny babies still waiting to be born, or friends whose parents were getting a divorce. He offered his words, what he had, and who he was to protect them.
The way he treated other people led friends and family to want to know Jesus the way he did. He treated others so well, and talked so much to other people about his Catholic faith that some of the people who listened to him and loved him started listening to and loving God, too.
COMPUTER PROGRAMMING AND WEB DESIGN
As much as he reached out to the poor right in front of him, Carlo also wanted to reach the poor in spirit. Having studied Eucharistic miracles, Carlo began to believe that if he could put the science of those miracles before people who had lost faith, they would come back to the Church, back to Christ.
At the age of 8, Carlo could read and understand computer engineering books meant for college students. He loved computers, and he saw a fantastic opportunity to use technology to catechize a world he felt had forgotten Christ. He first used his knowledge to help out his parish, creating a website for them. Again and again, others approached him for more website creation.
As he continued getting better at website design, he began a journey to catalog Eucharistic miracles across the world and put them onto a website and into an exhibition. He asked his parents to turn their family vacations into pilgrimages to the holy sites of these miracles. Carlo also cultivated information on Mary, angels and demons, and Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. His website, The Eucharistic Miracles of the World, continues to be updated and added to today.
LEUKEMIA
When he was 15 and in the middle of designing a website for the Franciscans and putting together the Eucharistic Miracle exhibition, he began to get a few aches and pains and some bruises he and his family attributed to his active participation in sports. But when he started having trouble with his throat, his parents took him to a doctor. After a few more appointments, it was determined that Carlo had an aggressive and very painful form of Leukemia. Instead of being in Rome for the first unveiling of his exhibition or at his school for the launch of the website he had just completed, he was immediately admitted into a hospital that specialized in care for children and youth with cancer. When they arrived, he told his mother, “I’m not getting out of here alive. Prepare yourself.”
The day he died was only 12 days after the first visit to the doctor. He offered up his sufferings for the Pope and the Church, but when asked, believed that others suffered more than him. His final words to his mother were: “Mom, don’t be afraid. Since Jesus became a man, death has become the passage towards life, and we don’t need to flee it. Let us prepare ourselves to experience something extraordinary in the eternal life.”
INTERCESSION
His mother recounted that people who knew him immediately began to pray for his intercession after his death, and they encouraged others to do so as well. It seems that Carlo was quickly with God in heaven after his death, and his approved canonization should happen sometime in 2025. While his parents received word from others of countless graces and healings attributed to their son’s intercession, two investigated miracles placed Carlo on the path toward recognized Sainthood. The first was a miraculous healing of a birth defect of a 3-year-old boy, and the second was another miraculous healing of a 21-year-old college student who had been in a bike accident.
RESOURCES
As we look forward to his 2025 canonization, there are great ways to find out more about him, ask for his intercession, explore his research, imitate his Saintly qualities, and encourage your kids to have a devotion to him. We’ve created a family novena that can be printed or (Coming Soon!) listened to on YouTube while you’re driving. There’s a Saint pumpkin craft, a computer craft, a coloring page, and an unofficial Lego BrickHeadz all in the works that we’ll add as they’re completed. Below, we’ve also put together a small collection of some of our favorite resources.
More Blessed Carlo Acutis Activities
Prayer
Our Carlo Acutis Novena for families in a free printable PDF
Books:
Blessed Carlo Acutis: The Amazing Discovery of a Teenager in Heaven
Religious Items:
Carlo Acutis’s favorite quotes on downloadable stickers!
Crafts:
Carlo Acutis Computer Craft for kids
Carlo Acutis unofficial Lego BrickHeadz build – Coming Soon!
Information Resources:
Carlo Acutis research guide for older kids
Active and original Carlo Acutis Euchatist Miracle site
Vatican Canonization Announcement
Videos:
Interview with Carlo Acutis’s Mother
BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR OUR RESEARCH ON CARLO
- Photos of Carlo Acutis in this blog are from the photo download available on http://www.carloacutis.com/en/association/download
- https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/46048/who-was-carlo-acutis-a-cna-explainer
- https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger/november-2021/blessed-carlo-the-first-millennial-saint/
- https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger/november-2021/blessed-carlo-the-first-millennial-saint/?
- https://insidethevatican.com/news/saint-of-the-day-bl-carlo-acutis/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrKu2BhDkARIsAD7GBovNefGDX8PMBJmdK1v9EYMANfwM6UlIor60Tzwf0YqFC_Q2b_b45FAaAqVXEALw_wcB
- https://www.ncregister.com/features/blessed-carlo-acutis-parish-chicago-canonization
- https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-05/pope-francis-saints-decrees-miracle-acutis-allamano.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Acutis
- https://aleteia.org/2022/10/12/why-bl-carlo-acutis-limited-his-video-game-time
- https://www.ksbw.com/article/saint-carlo-acutis-pope-millennial/61470452
- “My Son Carlo” by Anotnia Salzano Acutis and Paolo Rodari
