Saint Carlo Acutis was a young Italian, a computer genius and a deeply devout Catholic, whose life has become a source of inspiration worldwide for his modern approach to faith and his devotion to the Eucharist.
Childhood and Youth
● Birth and family: Carlo was born on May 3th 1991 in London to Italian parents (Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano), who were working there at the time. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Milan.
● Exceptional piety: From a very early age, he showed a deep interest in the spiritual life. It was his Polish nanny, Beata Anna Sperczyńska, who introduced Carlo Acutis to the faith and to prayer when he was a young boy. When she was 21 and working in Italy, she looked after Carlo from the age of two to five. It was she who taught him his first prayer (“Angel of God, my guardian…”), took him to church, prayed the Rosary with him and told him about Jesus.
●  A visit from Purgatory: According to the recollections of Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, Carlo had a very close relationship with his maternal grandfather.
When Carlo was about four or five years old, his maternal grandfather died. Shortly after his death, little Carlo had a vision or an inner experience in which he saw his grandfather – who told him that he was in Purgatory and needed prayers. This moment left a deep impression on little Carlo and also had a great impact on his family. This experience awakened in him a strong awareness of the existence of the afterlife, heaven and Purgatory. Very early on, Carlo began to realise the importance of prayers, sacrifices and
Holy Masses offered for the souls in Purgatory, which became an integral part of his spiritual life.
Although his family were not particularly practising, Carlo insisted on family visits to church, praying the Rosary and reading from the Holy Scriptures or the lives of the saints.
● First Holy Communion: At his own request, Carlo received his First Holy Communion at the age of seven, at the monastery in Bernareggio. From then on, daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration and frequent confession became a firm part of his daily routine.
Interests and technical talent
● Computer expert: Carlo had an extraordinary gift for computer science. He taught himself to programme and was skilled in website design, video editing and computer graphics.
● Virtual exhibition on the Eucharist: He put his talent at the service of the faith. He created and programmed an international exhibition on Eucharistic miracles, which documented hundreds of miracles from around the world. The exhibition has since toured parishes across five continents.
● Helping others: He was multi-talented; he enjoyed playing the saxophone, playing football and video editing. However, he also selflessly devoted his time to the poor, the homeless and his classmates, whom he often defended against bullying.
Illness and death
● Rapid progression of the illness: In October 2006, at the age of just 15, he fell ill with an aggressive form of leukaemia (acute myeloid leukaemia).
● Sacrifice for the Church: He bore his suffering with admirable calm and a smile. He offered up his pain for Pope Benedict XVI and for the Church, saying: “I offer up my suffering for the Lord, for the Pope and for the Church, so that I may not have to go to Purgatory but may go straight to Heaven.”
● Death: He died on 12 October 2006 in Monza, at the San Gerardo Hospital, aged 15. Before his death, he uttered the famous words: “My
highway to heaven is the Eucharist.”
Beatification and canonisation
● Place of pilgrimage: In accordance with his own wishes, he was buried in Assisi, where his remains (resting in a glass-covered tomb in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore) continue to attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world to this day.
● Beatification: On October 10th 2020, Pope Francis declared him Blessed in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi. He thus became the first Blessed from the so-called ‘millennial’ generation, who wore jeans and trainers.
● Feast Day: His liturgical feast day is celebrated on October 12th.
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For the process of beatification and canonisation of St Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church officially recognised two specific miracles that occurred through his intercession:
1. Miracle for beatification (Beatification – 2020)
● The person healed: Matheus Vianna, a Brazilian boy born with a rare and serious developmental abnormality of the digestive tract – an annular pancreas. This condition meant that the boy was unable to keep any food down, was constantly vomiting, was extremely weak, and his condition was life-threatening.
● The course of the miracle: In October 2013, the boy’s mother (Luciana) took part in a novena and prayed for the intercession of the then Venerable Carlo Acutis. Whilst praying in church, Matheus touched a relic (a piece of Carlo’s clothing) and asked not to vomit any more. On the same day, his mother asked her son if he could manage to eat something solid. The boy, who until then had been confined to a liquid diet, ate his meal as normal and did not vomit again. Medical examinations subsequently they confirmed a complete and inexplicable anatomical change in his pancreas without any surgical intervention.
● Approval: This miracle was officially recognized by Pope Francis, enabling Carlo Acutis to be declared Blessed on October 10th 2020.
2. Miracle for canonisation (Canonisation – 2025)
● The person healed: Valeria Valverde, a young student from Costa Rica who was studying in Florence.
● The course of the miracle: In July 2022, she suffered a serious cycling accident, following which she underwent emergency surgery due to massive bleeding in the brain. The doctors gave her only a minimal chance of survival and prepared her family for the worst. Her mother (Liliana) immediately set out on a pilgrimage to Assisi to St Charles’s tomb, where she fervently implored St Charles to intercede for her daughter’s healing. On the day of her mother’s pilgrimage, Valeria began to breathe spontaneously without the aid of machines. The following days brought a rapid improvement – CT scans showed that the haemorrhage had completely disappeared and the girl miraculously returned to her normal life without any lasting effects.
● Approval: Pope Francis signed the decree approving this second miracle in May 2024, thereby paving the way for his official canonization, which was completed by Pope Leo XIV on September 7th 2025.
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Saint Carlo Acutis left behind a profound spiritual legacy. His thoughts are simple yet exceptionally apt. Here are his most famous quotations and reflections, organised by theme:
On the Eucharist and faith
● “The Eucharist is my motorway to heaven.”
● “The more we receive the Eucharist, the more we become like Jesus, so that we may experience heaven whilst still here on earth.”
● “When we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints.”
● “Find God and you will find the meaning of your life.”
On the meaning of life and holiness
● “We are all born as originals, but many die as photocopies.”
● “Our goal must be the infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. They have been waiting for us in heaven for all eternity.”
● “Life is truly beautiful only if we manage to put God first.”
● “Not I, but God.”
● “The only thing we really need to fear is sin.”
On Joy and Sorrow
● “Sorrow is looking inwards; happiness is looking towards God.”
● “I have lived my life without wasting even a single minute on things that displease God.” (Words spoken before his death)
On prayer and spiritual struggle
● “Constantly ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel must become your best friend. ”
● “Our soul is like a hot-air balloon. If there is any mortal sin within it, the soul will fall to the ground. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is like the fire beneath the balloon, enabling it to rise again.”
● “The Rosary is the shortest staircase by which we ascend to heaven.”
Through his life, Carlo demonstrated that holiness is not reserved solely for the chosen few, but can be attained in everyday life – whilst playing football, programming, studying, or spending time with friends.