St. Carlo Acutis
- Jan 25
- 3 min read
By: Luis Nava
It is easy for sainthood to be thought of as some distant thing, and sometimes you might
think that many saints cannot be imitated because of the differences between our time period and
theirs, or because they were older (when they began their ministry) and had more independence.
However, St. Carlo Acutis, the Saint in blue jeans, can help us realize that we teens can be saints
today too! Two young Italian saints were recently canonized, and they serve as role models for
all young people. Their names are St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati. You can read
more about St. Frassati here, but this article will focus on St. Carlo Acutis. Despite living only 15
short years, St. Carlo Acutis lived intensely and was extremely devoted to God, thus modeling
what sainthood can look like in the 21st century.
St. Carlo was an ordinary person. He loved dogs, nutella, as well as playing soccer and
video games. These are many of the things we enjoy today, and this shouldn’t surprise us. After
all, he grew up in the ‘90s and early 2000s! He was born in 1991 in London, though his family
moved to Milan soon after his birth. Even though his parents were Catholic, they were not
particularly devout, but St. Carlo’s unwavering Faith led his parents to a profound conversion. St.
Carlo’s testimony came from his strong connection to God and from how he interacted with the
material world around him. For example, despite his love for video games, he “only played
games for an hour a week even though he really wanted to play much more” (Little Flower
Parish). One of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit is self-control, and St. Carlo’s decision to only
play video games for one hour per week demonstrates his love for God – he put God above all
other material things. Similarly, we might consider sacrificing some innocent worldly pleasure
for God. For example, maybe you love scrolling TikTok or Instagram. Consider limiting your
daily time on these apps and offering the sacrifice to God. Any sacrifice, no matter how small, is
pleasing to God.
Instead of binge-watching Netflix, you can follow St. Carlo’s example of using the
internet for good. As we previously mentioned, one of St. Carlo’s great passions was computers,
and he used his skills to create websites. One such website described many Eucharistic Miracles,
and his expansive documentation of the miracles is truly impressive (his site of Eucharistic
Miracles is linked here: https://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/Liste/list.html). In addition to this
website, he also used his technological prowess to construct a website supporting the Jesuit’s
charity work.
Throughout his life, St. Carlo exhibited great love for others. In school, he would defend
his classmates who got picked on, and he was a special friend to those who were disabled. Apart
from being caring towards others, St. Carlo was also a joy-filled person. In her book, My Son
Carlo, St. Carlo’s mother describes how her son “was able to infuse people with tranquility and
peace and warm hearts." As Catholics, we are called to spread God’s love and peace, just like
St. Carlo, but that is difficult to do if we are constantly complaining about school or wearing a frown
on our faces. Now, that does not mean we should be clowns or jesters, simply painting a fake
smile over an unhappy heart. No, we must establish a strong relationship with God, so He can be
our root, strength, and source of peace. If we have that, we will be able to enjoy life and spread a
love of living to others.
St. Carlo had such a deep connection to God, that even when he contracted a fever, just
days before being diagnosed with leukemia, he offered up his suffering, saying, “I offer my
suffering for the pope and for the Church, so as not to go to purgatory but straight to Heaven.”
After being diagnosed and hospitalized, St. Carlo’s Faith remained unshaken. One of the
machines that was used to keep St. Carlo Acutis alive while he was in the hospital caused him
immense pain, yet he offered this pain up too, for the conversion of sinners. We may or may not
be facing life-altering illnesses, but either way, we can learn a lot from St. Acutis. His complete
giving of himself to God in all situations is particularly admirable. Maybe you have a test
coming up, or a regional game on the schedule. You can offer these to God, rejoicing with Him
and thanking Him if it goes well, and trusting in Him if it does not.
St. Carlo Acutis is a role model for all young people, and there are many lessons we can
draw from his short life. St. Carlo Acutis, pray for us!
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