Dear Friends,
This past Sunday, the Church celebrated the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Many are calling him the “first millennial saint,” and indeed, he feels close to us—he wore sneakers, played video games, carried a video recorder, and dressed like any teenager of the early 2000s. Statues often depict him with a laptop in hand, and newspapers highlight his talent for web design. At first glance, he seems like the most “relatable” saint of our time.
But if we stop there, we risk missing what truly made him holy. Carlo’s life was not simply about being a normal teenager who happened to pray a little more. His “normalcy” was infused with extraordinary devotion. At the age of six, he begged to receive his First Communion. From then on, he attended Mass daily. While he owned a video game console, he limited himself to one hour a week—choosing instead to spend his time in prayer and acts of charity. Though his family was well-off, he gave away his clothing, his bicycle, and whatever gifts he received to the poor of Milan. At his funeral, the church was filled with homeless people who had quietly benefitted from his generosity.
Carlo also saw the internet differently than most of us. He didn’t dream of startups, social media influence, or entertainment. He used his skills to create websites cataloguing Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions—reminders that God still breaks into our world in startling, supernatural ways. He believed the internet could be a pathway to holiness, but he was also wary of its dangers, especially pornography and distraction.
