On September 7, 2025, Carlo Acutis was named the first millennial saint, canonized by Pope Leo XIV alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati. Known as “God’s Influencer” and the “patron saint of the Internet,” Acutis stands for a new kind of holiness — one that speaks directly to the digital generation.
Acutis was born on May 3, 1991 in London and died on October 12, 2006 in Italy at age 15. He was an English-born Italian Catholic teenager who taught himself programming and created an online exhibition of over 150 Eucharistic miracles, making the material accessible worldwide.
Carlo Acutis displayed a strong commitment to helping others from an early age. He stood up for bullied classmates and used his own money to buy necessities for people experiencing poverty. He also dedicated his time to assisting the elderly, disabled, and refugees in his community. His devotion to Catholicism influenced his parents to become practicing Catholics.
Pope Francis declared Acutis “venerable” in 2018. Following the recognition of his first miracle, the recovery of a boy with a malformed pancreas, Acutis was beatified in 2020. The healing was deemed medically inexplicable after the boy’s mother prayed for Carlo’s intercession and had him touch a relic of Carlo. In May 2024, Pope Francis recognized a second miracle. A woman suffered a serious brain hemorrhage with doctors giving her a low chance of survival, but after her mother prayed at Acutis’s tomb, all traces of the hemorrhage vanished.
Pope Leo called Acutis “a teenager from our own day,” who “cultivated [his] love for God and for their brothers and sisters through simple acts…Carlo Acutis [is] an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”
At SHP, Acutis story resonates deeply. Sister Ann McGowan, a retired RSCJ nun at Oakwood said, “he was a regular teenager,” part of today’s culture, but with this “deep spiritual side.” He “enjoyed all the things teenagers enjoy” but still “went to Mass every day,” said McGowan, “he had this great devotion to the Eucharist and the Rosary.”
Acutis showed that “God does work through people your age” — that there is “no obstacle through God,” said McGowan. “God must have touched his heart in a special way…God was like a magnet for him.” He “gives students an idea that it’s possible to be a part of today’s culture and take their spiritual life seriously.” She believes his example could inspire students to “do extra” and “connect with God a little more,” especially during this Advent season.
That same message echoes in SHP’s student ministry groups. Victoria Carolina Mendoza-Cardenas ‘26, one of the student leaders for Campus Ministry, said they try to “invite people into faith” by creating inclusive spaces. “We try to welcome everybody into the faith and try to thoughtfully plan out our liturgies so everyone can feel included.”
Charlotte Butcher ‘26, another Campus Ministry leader, explained that while faith clashes with some modern values, it is still important to “try each day to incorporate [Catholic] values little by little.”
As Advent begins on December 1, Carlo Acutis’s example encourages everyday choices of prayer, service, discipline, and kindness.
