EAO, 12 September 22022 -- A young Italian, born in London, UK (1991) and who died in Milan, Italy (2006), Carlo Acutis was beatified two years ago in Assisi. Like Saint Dominic Savio, Carlo fell in love with Jesus and Mary. But as a digital native he was also deeply involved in the digital apostolate on the internet. Unfortunately, his life story, message and spiritual/apostolic model is not yet well known in the EAO region. The Liturgical commemoration of Blessed Carlo Acutis is on October 12, his mortal remains are in the Franciscan city of Assisi, Italy.
Carlo was an only child and, in many regards, just an ordinary teenager. He was a computer-loving, internet-savvy person who loved playing football and video games. He died of leukemia at 15 years of age in Milan, Italy. By many he is suggested as a 'Patron Saint of the Internet', due to his apostolate on the 'net' creating the 'Eucharistic Miracles' website and assisting many local Catholic organization website as programmer.
What can we learn from this Dominic Savio-like holy teenager?
Blessed Carlo strikes us with his dynamic and straightforward following of Jesus:
"My life plan is always to be close to Jesus"
His consistent Eucharist centered life:
"Eucharist is my highway to heaven!"
His generosity and attention to the poor:
"He used his first savings to buy a sleeping bag for a homeless man he would often see on his way to Mass. His small acts of generosity and kindness inspired Rajesh, his family’s house cleaner, who was then a Hindu, to be baptised into the Catholic Church in 1999."
As Pope Francis writes in the Apostolic Exhortation 'Christ is Alive' (2019, n. 105-106), “Carlo was well aware that the whole apparatus of communications, advertising and social networking can be used to lull us, to make us addicted to consumerism and buying the latest thing on the market... Yet he knew how to use the new communications technology to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values and beauty. Carlo didn’t fall into the trap."
His concrete passion to communicate Jesus-Eucharist to all, brought him to develop a multi-lingual website on 'Eucharistic Miracles' in not less than 20 languages: English, Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Russian, Hungarian, Croatian, Dutch, Polish, Vietnamese, Filipino - Tagalog, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Swahili, Urdu, Arabic and Hindi. A large collection of Eucharist-related miracles from all continents. A variety of beautiful visual 'panels' are available for any local print-out and exhibition.
The Salesian Congregation is making a world-wide effort in formation within the digital continent. May this young 'Dominic Savio'-like model help the Salesian Youth Movement and also the 'not-so-young' Salesians to take courage to be more present with an apostolic spirit in the digital space.
Blessed Carlo Acutis, pray for us!
Blessed Carlo Acutis - useful digital platform
Video
- Music (Life-story, ITA, 5 minutes)
- Testimonial of Rajesh (conversion in 1999)
- I'm with you (EWTN video on demand, 25 minutes)
Salesian Formation in the Digital Environment (2022)
