Carlo Acutis was born in London on 3rd May 1991. His parents, Andrea and Antonia, were there on business. They returned home in September to Milan, Italy. Carlo's mother often heard that her son was special from the parish priest, teachers, classmates, and even the porter of their building on Via Ariosto, where they moved in 1994. the boy's exceptional qualities were due to a very special friendship. Out of nowhere it seemed, as Carlo's family did not regularly attend church, Carlo developed a great friendship with Jesus.
Carlo's mother, Antonia Acutis, recalls how little Carlo could not pass in front of a church without asking to go in and greet Jesus. She was surprised to discover her son reading saints' biographies and the Bible, and even more surprised when her son began asking questions of such depth and profundity that she was unable to answer: "I was perplexed by his devotion. He was so small and so sure. I understood that it was his thing, but that he was also calling me. So I began my journey of rapprochement with faith. I followed him".
At the age of seven and quite on his own, Carlo asked to receive First Holy Communion. After questioning the precocious boy, the priest attested to his maturity and level of Christian formation. However, he made a single recommendation: the celebration should take place in a place free from distractions. One the 16th June 1998 Carlo received the Eucharist in the silence of the Bernaga Monastery, near Lecco. "As a little boy, especially after his First Communion, he never missed his daily appointment with the Holy Mass and the Rosary, followed by a moment of Eucharistic Adoration," recalls Carlo's mother.
Carlo first attended school with the Marcelline Sisters. He received his secondary education at the hands of the Jesuits. Ever since boyhood and especially following that First Communion, Carlo's life revolved around a fixed point: daily Mass. "The Eucharist " he said, "is my highway to Heaven". He also frequently received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As a adolescent, he added to his spiritual schedule a daily Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration. He spoke thus of Eucharistic Adoration: "If we get in front of the sun, we get sun-tans....but when we get in front of Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints".
SCHOOLDAYS
Carlo was convinced that he would not grow old. "I will die young", he often repeated. This is perhaps why he filled his days with such a whirlwind of activity, teaching the boys from the Catechism, feeding the poor at the Caritas Cafeteria, and spending time with the children of the Oratory. While still achieving excellent grades in high school and between all his charity work, Carlo still found time to play the saxophone, play football and design computer programmes.
He was naturally inclined towards computer science and was even considered brilliant by practicing engineers who encountered his technical intuition and savvy. Carlo's interests ranged from computer programming to editing films, from creating websites to writing periodicals.
His classmates looked to him, not only for advice or help, but also because of his way of putting people at ease. Carlo seemed to have a way with people from all backgrounds.
Carlo's friendly face was a common sight in his neighbourhood. He befriended everybody, included the gatekeepers, janitors, and people that worked in his neighbourhood. These workers were often non-Europeans with Muslim and Hindu backgrounds. Carlo told everybody about his love for Christ, and people couldn't help but listen and share in his joy. One such foreign worker was Rajesh, a Hindu. A friendship developed between Rajesh and Carlo. The friendship was of such a profound nature that Rajesh converted to Catholicism. This is what Rajesh had to say about his friend, Carlo; "He told me that I would have been happier if I had approached Jesus. I was baptized Christian because it was he who so affected me with his profound faith, his charity, and his purity. I have always considered it out of the ordinary because a boy so young and so hansome normally prefers to have a different life".
Carlo was careful never to waste money. He was known to donate sleeping bags to the homeless on his way to mass. He also donated to the Capuchins for the service of meals to the homeless.
Carlo never hid what made him most happy, he was always inviting his friends to go with him to Mass. It was his great source of joy when his friends became reconciled to God. Carlo wrote the following in his journal: "Sadness is the gaze turned towards oneself, happiness is the gaze turned towards God. Conversion is nothing but moving the gaze from the bottom to the top. A simple movement of the eyes is enough."
HIS SPIRITUAL LIFE AND DEVOTIONS
Holiness was his true goal, but not for him alone. To all, he pointed to his route to sainthood: daily Mass, Communion, Rosary, Scripture, Eucharistic Adoration, weekly Confession, and the willingness to give up something for others. Carlo also regularly offered up his sacrifices and prayed for the reparation for sins and offenses committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which he felt alive and throbbing in the Consecrated Host. Carlo often prayed for the Pope, then John Paul 11, with a degree of passion that astonished his parish priest. Those who met the young man were left with an indelible impression that Jesus is the only one who can satisfy the heart of man. Carlo had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. He was fascinated by the apparitions in Lourdes and Fatima, and often spoke about Saint Bernadette Soubirous and the little Shepherds of Fatima. Our Lady's messages of conversion, penance, and prayer - all this was lived concretely in his daily life. In a world hardened against the great truths of the Faith, Carlo shook consciences and invited us to look towards Heaven. In the family, in the school, in the midst of society, Carlo was a witness to eternity. To quote Carlo: "Our aim has to be the infinite and not the finite. The Infinite is our homeland. We have always been expected in Heaven".
MISSIONARY OF NEW MEDIA
Carlo created several notable websites, one dedicated to young saints. He had a keen interest in those who were able to achieve holiness quickly. His efforts were that of a true missionary: to reach as many people as possible and to introduce them to the beauty and joy of friendship with Jesus. Carlo took as his model St Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, who committed himself to bring the Gospel to every corner of the globe even to the point of martyrdom. He was inspired by the works of fellow Italian Blessed James Alberione, who was himself also inspired by the Apostle Paul. Blessed James was the Founder of the Paulines and the Daughters of St. Paul. Both Blessed James and the religious societies he founded are recognized for putting new forms of media at the service of the Gospel.
EXHIBITION - WEBSITE ON EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES
Carlo stated; "All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies". To move towards this destination and not "die as photocopies," he said that our compass has to be the word of God. The Eucharist was his true north. He put the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the centre of his life and he called it, "my highway to Heaven." In 2002, when he was eleven, he accompanied his parents to listen to a priest friend speak at a presentation of the Little Eucharistic Catechism. He was fascinated by what he learned and had an idea, he would create an exhibition on Eucharistic Miracles. He said "They must be able to see." Carlo wanted people to understand that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist by showing the moments throughout history when the Eucharist visibly became flesh and blood. This was the confluence of all of Carlo's great loves: He wanted people to encounter the Eucharist and be reconciled to God renewing the Miracle of the True Presence. Carlo wanted to show people that the Eucharist truly is his great friend Jesus. He immediately set to work by documenting the Eucharistic Miracles. He began dragging his parents across Europe to gather photographs of the miracles. After two and a half years, the exhibition was ready. He had catalogued all the Eucharistic Miracles. Immediately, dioceses across the world began requesting the exhibit(see www.miracolieucaristici.org)
Carlo had reached over 136 Eucharistic Miracles that occurred over the centuries in different countries around the world and have been acknowledged by the Church and collected them into a virtual museum. He created not only a website to house this virtual museum, but panel presentations , as well, that have travelled around the world. Carlo's exhibit soon crisscrossed the globe. It would reach all the places that he would never get to visit in life.
ILLNESS AND DEATH
In early October 2006, Carlo fell ill and was brought to the hospital of San Gerardo in Monza, Italy, a hospital founded by Saint Gerald Majella himself. Carlo soon received his diagnosis. Crossing the threshold of the hospital, Carlo said to his mother:"From here I do not go out anymore!" The diagnosis was acute promyelocytic leukaemia. A few days earlier, Carlo told his parents "I offer what I will have to suffer to the Lord for the Pope and for the Church, to skip Purgatory and go straight to Heaven." Shortly after receiving his diagnosis, Carlo died on 12th October 2006. The doctor treating him asked him if he was suffering much pain and he responded: "There are people who suffer much more than me." He was buried in Assisi in accordance with his wishes. He died with a radiant smile on his face and offering his life for the Pope and for the Church. He said "I am happy to die because I lived my life without wasting even a minute of it on anything unpleasing to God."
THE IMPACT OF A LIFE
He was buried in Assisi, the city of St Francis. On the day of his funeral, the Church and the Churchyard were flooded with his many friends and admirers. His mother describes the scene: "I have never seen people like this before." People filled the grieving mother's ears with stories about what Carlo had done, stories she had never heard.
Having already reached so many through his international exhibit and internet ministry, Carlo's death had an immediate impact. Thousands of letters and emails reached the family. Carlo's exhibit of Eucharistic Miracles has reached the ends of the earth, presented in Russia, Latin America, and even China. In the United States, thanks to the help of the Knights of Columbus, it has been hosted by thousands of parishes and hundreds of universities.
What was so special about Carlo? He welcomed and loved Jesus as a friend, while still living deeply immersed in the world of today, mastering computer programming, film editing, and website creation by the age of 15. Despite being immersed in media so fraught with temptation, the Gospel thrived at his touch and to such an extent that he will probably become the Patron of the Internet.
A multitude of people took part in his funeral. Whoever knew him acknowledged that they met a special teenager. Self-confident, lively, passionate about sports and a computing expert, Carlo had an ability to make himself close to those who suffer, friends or acquaintances, in each he saw the face of the One who is the centre of his affection.
Carlo remains an inspiration, especially to teenagers who struggle to be both holy and 'normal', while remaining unique as an individual.
(Taken from The Way of The Immaculate Heart Newsletter June 2019)
