Carlo Acutis, a teenager celebrated for his devotion to the Eucharist and groundbreaking use of technology to share the Catholic faith, will soon become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.
Pilgrims in Washington, D.C. now have the opportunity to venerate a first-class relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis – a strand of his hair – at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, alongside the Shrine’s permanent relic of St. John Paul II.
The Shrine’s exhibit, Transformed by the Eucharist: Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. John Paul II, pairs Acutis’s Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit with quotes and images of St. John Paul II in the Eucharist. The display highlights the shared devotion of these two saints to the Blessed Sacrament.
Thomas Burnford, director of outreach and visitor services at the dhrine, emphasized the significance of relics during a workshop at the Nov. 16 Catechetical Day.
“Earthly remains of the saints are venerated because the saints are living members of Christ, and their bodies, like ours, were temples of the Holy Spirit. These remains will one day be awakened and glorified,” he said. “While the saints were on earth, God bestowed many graces upon His Church through them, and He continues to do so now that they are glorified in God’s presence. In honoring the saints, we honor Christ.”
A saint for the digital age
Born in London on May 3, 1991, Carlo Acutis moved to Milan, Italy, with his family as a child. Described by his mother, Antonia Salzano, as “a normal teenager,” Carlo enjoyed video games and computers while demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to his faith. He used his allowance to purchase sleeping bags for the unhoused and volunteered at soup kitchens.
Acutis was known among his peers as a “computer geek,” with impressive skills in programming languages such as Java and C++. At 14, he designed a website for his parish at Santa Maria Segreta in Milan. Later, he created a website promoting volunteerism, a project that earned him the national award Sarai Volontario (“You Will Be a Volunteer”).
Carlo’s deep love for the Eucharist inspired him to design an online catalog of Eucharistic miracles worldwide and document Marian apparitions recognized by the Catholic Church. Drawing inspiration from Blessed Giacomo Alberione’s media evangelization efforts, Acutis viewed technology as a tool for spreading the Gospel. He spent more than two years developing the website, which launched on Oct. 4, 2006, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, just days before his passing.
A global legacy
Carlo’s website continues to introduce Eucharistic miracles to audiences across the globe, with translations available in 17 languages. A traveling exhibit inspired by his work – including the display at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. – has been shown in thousands of parishes worldwide and remains on tour.
In 2006, Acutis was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Despite his illness, he offered his suffering “for the Pope and for the Church.” He passed away on Oct. 12, 2006. Initially buried in the Ternengo cemetery in Italy’s Piedmont region, Carlo’s remains were relocated in January 2007 to Assisi, the city of St. Francis.
Path to canonization
Carlo Acutis was beatified in October 2020 after the Vatican confirmed the miraculous healing of a Brazilian child with a congenital pancreatic condition through his intercession. Earlier this year, a second miracle – a woman’s recovery from a brain hemorrhage following a bicycle accident – was approved, clearing the way for his canonization.
Pope Francis has praised Carlo as a model for integrating faith and technology, describing him as a young person who “knew how to use the new communications technology to transmit the Gospel” (Christus Vivit).
Pilgrimage to the relic in Washington
Blessed Carlo Acutis will be canonized on April 27, 2025, Divine Mercy Sunday, during the Vatican’s Jubilee of Adolescents. Pilgrims visiting the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington can venerate his first-class relic and reflect on his example of modern holiness.
To venerate the relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis and explore the exhibit, Transformed by the Eucharist, visit the Saint John Paul II Shrine at 3900 Harewood Road, N.E., Washington. It is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is plenty of free parking.
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