Carlo Acutis: A Modern-Day Saint

When we think about saints, most of us either think of an adult figure or someone from the past. Carlo Acutis proves both of these conclusions are wrong.

Not only is he a modern teenager, who loved video games and technology, but he lived quite recently. He died in October of 2006. He was a modern teenager who did everyday teenage things, yet there was something different about him. For example, instead of spending money on a new video game, he bought a sleeping bag for a homeless man. This is one of many generous acts that Carlo Acutis did. In his daily life, he loved to pray the Rosary and would defend kids who were bullied, especially those with disabilities.

You might be thinking, “Oh, this is just a good kid doing good stuff. What makes him so special?” A little boy had a very deadly pancreatic disease. The little boy touched a relic of Carlo Acutis and was cured of his disease! On February 21, 2020, Pope Francis certified his miracle and approved to start Acutis’ beatification process. Even before he died, he predicted in a video, “When I weigh 70 kilos, I am destined to die. When he passed away, he was buried in Assisi, where he was asked to be buried, because of his love for St. Francis of Assissi. After he died, his mother was blessed with two twins and she thinks Carlo did so on his behalf. Another thing that people said about him was that he was a very caring person and wanted the good in everyone to shine. Miraculously, his body is in a complete state, meaning all his organs have been preserved. Although he has passed on and now resides in heaven as a priest (which he wanted to be), he lives on in our lives as a modern saint who was buried in jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers.