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 Blessed Carlo Acutis Memorial Corpus Christi Catholic Church Westminster, England Photo Credit: Andy Scott (CC BY-SA 4.0) In 2022, while researching an article on Saint Dominic Savio, I was first introduced to Carlo Acutis, a young man who died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. In reading about him, he had devoted his life to the Church and to the Holy Eucharist. Described as a “computer geek”, he worked for four years to create a website to document Eucharistic miracles around the world. He also supported friends suffering various hardships, defended disabled students tormented by bullies, and worked to help the homeless and destitute in his hometown of Milan. Carlo was devoted to Saint Francis of Assisi. Following his death, per his wishes, he was entombed at the Iglesia de Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi in the “Chapel of the Stripping” of Saint Francis. During his life, Carlo revered several younger saints, including Bernadette Soubirous, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, and Dominic Savio. It can now be acclaimed the Carlo Acutis will be one of these great young saints. 
 Stamps Depicting Young Saints: Left: Saint Dominic Savio (Centenary of Death Issue), Scott 221 (1957) Middle: Saint Bernadette (Centenary of Apparition at Lourdes), Scott 238 (1958) Right: Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto (Centenary of Apparition at Fatima, Scott 1652 (2017) In a decree issued on May 23, Pope Francis approved the miraculous healing of a 21-year-old girl from Costa Rica whose mother prayed to Blessed Carlo to intercede for her daughter. The recognition of the miracle paves the way for Blessed Carlo to be canonized, perhaps as soon as next year (during the Jubilee Year of 2025). Valeria Valverde was seriously injured in a bicycle accident while studying in Florence in 2022. After the accident and following brain surgery, her family was told that her situation was “very critical” and that she could die. Six days after the accident, Valeria’s mother traveled to Assisi to pray for the healing of her daughter at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis. She left a note at the tomb with her prayer. That same day, Valeria began to breathe on her own. She soon recovered the use of her upper limbs and partly recovered her speech. Shortly thereafter, she left the intensive care unit, and further tests then showed that the hemorrhagic contusion in her brain had completely disappeared. In September 2022, two months after her accident, Valeria and her mother made another pilgrimage to Carlo’s tomb in Assisi. The National Catholic Register and Vatican News articles presented in the references below provide additional details regarding Blessed Carlo Acutis, including his life and upcoming canonization. REFERENCES: |
