Vatican City: St. Carlo Acutis (born May 3, 1991, in London, England; died October 12, 2006, in Monza, Italy; beatified October 10, 2020; canonized September 7, 2025; feast day October 12) was an English-born Italian computer programmer and devout Catholic. Acutis is widely admired as ‘the first millennial saint.’
Acutis was only 15 when he died from leukemia. Pope Francis beatified him in 2020, and Pope Leo XIV canonized him in 2025. He is known as the patron saint of the Internet for his creative use of digital tools to teach others about faith.
Early Life
Acutis was born to Italian parents, Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano, while his father worked in banking in London. A few months after his birth, the family moved to Milan, Italy. His parents were not devout Catholics before he was born. His mother later admitted that she had attended mass only a few times before her wedding.
From a young age, Carlo showed a strong interest in Catholicism. He prayed the rosary, attended daily mass after his first communion at age seven, and developed a lifelong devotion to the Eucharist. He often asked to visit the birthplaces of saints and sites of eucharistic miracles.
Acts of kindness and devotion
Carlo Acutis showed kindness and generosity from a young age. He stood up for schoolmates facing bullying and used his own money to help the poor, including providing a sleeping bag for a homeless man. Acutis also helped the elderly, disabled, and refugees. His commitment inspired his parents to practice their faith, and also his mother took theology courses to better answer his questions.
Alongside his faith, Acutis loved technology. Carlo taught himself computer programming and graphic design. He limited his gaming to one hour a week as a form of penance and kept a diary documenting his spiritual and moral development.
At age 11, Carlo Acutis started cataloging eucharistic miracles worldwide. In a 2023 interview, his mother recalled, “He used to say, ‘There are queues in front of a concert, in front of a football match, but I don’t see these queues in front of the Blessed Sacrament.’ So, for him, the Eucharist was the center of his life.”
Acutis built a website that listed over 150 miracles in nearly 20 languages. It included maps, videos, and a virtual museum. This website became a teaching tool for parishes around the world and showed how technology can serve spiritual purposes.
Life cut short at 15
In October 2006, when he was 15, Acutis became ill with what was initially thought to be the flu. He was hospitalized in Milan and diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and offered his suffering for Pope Benedict XVI and the Church.
Later, Acutis was moved to Monza, where he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and fell into a coma, and died on October 12, 2006. His funeral attracted large crowds of people he had helped. He was initially buried in Ternengo, and his remains were later moved to Assisi in January 2007, honoring his devotion to St. Francis of Assisi.
Miracles and Sainthood
The cause for his beatification began in 2012 and gained approval from the Holy See in 2013. Because of his work documenting eucharistic miracles, Acutis was known as the patron saint of the Internet and the first millennial saint.
On July 5, 2018, Pope Francis declared him Venerable. The first verified miracle happened in 2020 when a Brazilian boy born with a malformed pancreas was healed after prayers to Acutis and receiving one of his relics. Acutis was beatified on October 10, 2020.
A second miracle, recognized in May 2024, involved a young woman from Costa Rica who suffered a serious head injury while biking in Florence. Her mother prayed at Acutis’s tomb for her daughter, and the healing occurred within 10 days, leading to his canonization in 2025.
St Carlo Acutis’s life and mission are recounted in the 2023 biography ‘My Son Carlo: Carlo Acutis Through the Eyes of His Mother,’ co-written by his mother and journalist Paolo Rodari. His legacy continues to inspire the faithful, showing the connection between faith, compassion, and technology.
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