In 1991, the launch of the World Wide Web marked a technical achievement that would forever change human lives.

Early Life and Faith of Saint Carlo Acutis

In 1991, the same year the World Wide Web was launched, a boy named Carlo Acutis was born in Italy. He would go on to harness this groundbreaking technology to impact others’ lives profoundly. Carlo epitomized a typical 90s kid, enjoying his PlayStation and the vast new opportunities provided by the internet.

However, he was also deeply religious. By the age of eleven, he had created a website that catalogued Eucharistic miracles, merging his tech skills with his devout faith.

“Carlo didn’t understand why some of his peers didn’t have the same understanding and devotion to the Eucharist,” Author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers” Courtney Mares explains. “He asked his parents, why do we see people lining up for soccer games or rock concerts, long lines, big crowds. But we don’t see people lining up to see the Blessed Sacrament.”

Mares adds, “For two years, Carlo worked with his family to produce an exhibition on Eucharistic miracles throughout history and around the world, and this premiered during the year of the Eucharist proclaimed by Pope John Paul II.” 

Antonia Salzano, the mother of Carlo Acutis, notes that after his first communion at age 7, Carlo never missed an opportunity to receive the Eucharist, drawing strength from It to live a life of integrity. This profound connection to Christ also gave him the fortitude to accept his terminal diagnosis when it was unexpectedly delivered by his doctor. 

Salzano recalls, “Carlo, when they told him that he had leukemia, that it was a disease that he could even die of, he smiled, [and] said: ‘The Lord gave me a beautiful alarm clock.’ As if to say, my time has come. Then he said, “I’m not coming out of this alive, but mom, I’ll give you many signs, don’t worry.”

Carlo died of leukaemia in 2006, at the age of 15.

“Certainly, many people remember this funeral, it seemed more like a feast than a funeral, but indeed I think the festivity was because Carlo then ended up in heaven, immediately,” Carlo’s mother shares. “He had asked the Lord: ‘I offer my sufferings for the Pope and the Church in order to not go to Purgatory, [but] to go directly to Heaven,’ and therefore I believe that the Lord listened to him.”

Legacy and Influence of Saint Carlo Acutis

Born in London and raised in Milan, Carlo Acutis is now entombed in the Church of St. Mary Major and the Sanctuary of the Spogliazione in Assisi’s old town. The term “Spogliazione,” which translates to “divesting,” refers to St. Francis of Assisi’s renunciation of wealth.

Fr. Carlos Acácio Gonçalves Ferreira, former Rector of the “Santuario della Spogliazione,” shares, “I, as usual, am saying that Carlo is my little teacher because he is teaching me so much, above all to rediscover two great treasures of my life: the Eucharist and love for the Virgin Mary. And then, another thing that comes to me so much is his totality in God.”

Father adds, “For him, there was no halfway, it was all or nothing. He said before he died that he didn’t mind dying so young because he hadn’t lost even a minute of his life doing things that don’t please God, and he said: ‘To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.’ And this strikes me very much. And I, too, want that totality in God.”

“Another great phrase from Carlo that sums up his devotion to the Eucharist,” Mares says, “is what Carlo liked to say: ‘the people who place themselves in front of the sun get a tan, while people who place themselves in front of the Eucharist become Saints.’”

Carlo Acutis has not only changed the life of his mother, who has found her way back to God through her son. He is a role model for many young Christians today because he showed that even simple actions can have a big impact.

Mares recalls, “Carlo believed that the best time to pray was during mass right after the consecration. He said: this is the best time to pray, in which he liked to speak to Jesus and to ask for graces. People in his parish commented they were struck seeing this 9, 10 year old little boy and how reverently he went up to receive Communion and how he would sit and pray in silence and kneel before the Tabernacle in prayer.”

A Challenge for All Catholics

But Carlo Acutis’ short life is also a challenge for every Catholic. Because, as Mares notes, it poses an important question:

“If we really believe that Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist, why don’t we make every effort that we can to try to pray in front of the Tabernacle and to receive the Blessed Sacrament as often as we can?”

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Adapted by Jacob Stein. Courtney Mares contributed to this story.

Produced by Alexey Gotovskiy; Camera by Fabio Gonella, Alberto Basile; Video Edited by Alessio di Cintio; Special thanks & Credits: Cristiana Video