Three relics of future millennial saint, Carlo Acutis can be found in the church of Sant’Angela Merici in Rome.
They are a piece of Carlo Acutis’ bed; another of the sheet that was used to cover him after his death; and a fragment of one of the sweaters he often wore.
Despite no canonisation date set, it is expected Carlo will officially join the altar of saints in the Holy Year of 2025 and, in the Diocese of Rome, preparations are already underway. Thousands of young people from all over the world do not want to miss this important and special moment at the Vatican.
“Let us wait for the date. We are waiting to see when as it certainly means preparing ourselves also for the Jubilee,” said Fr Alfredo Tedescod, director of youth pastoral care for the Diocese of Rome.
“I would add that on the one hand we might not yet have many clear plans. There is no doubt that we will return to Assisi. But we also have to think about how to propose it to the many teenagers and young people who will flock to Rome during the Jubilee.”
Carlo died of leukaemia at the age of 15 and used the Internet to evangelise. He was a computer genius but, above all, he was a teenager like any other, with hobbies and worries, wearing a sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers. His ordinary nature may be what has made such an impact on millions of young people across all continents.
That’s what Camilla Marzetti highlights. She only learned about Carlo in 2018. But after hearing his story, it changed her life.
“Carlo’s presence is like that of a friend or a college or high school friend. And I always feel him close in everything I do and he really helps me to look at life and everything that happens with a different perspective,” she said.
“He helps me look at everything according to God’s plan. It happens every day, even in the ordinary things. We think that holiness is something far and away from us. That it is extraordinary. It is certainly extraordinary but it is part of what passes for everyday life.”
Carlo was beatified in 2020 in Assisi and there were limitations on the number of attendees due to COVID. But for his canonisation, millions of people are expected to flock to Rome to see the man known as “God’s influencer” be named a saint.