On Sunday, September 7, 2025, the Catholic Church will make history by canonizing Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old computer prodigy who died in 2006 and is set to become the first millennial saint. The ceremony, taking place in Rome, marks the inaugural canonization of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate and has captured the imagination of Catholics around the world—especially the young and digitally savvy.
Acutis, born in London on May 3, 1991, to Italian parents, spent most of his childhood in Milan. Despite coming from a family that wasn’t particularly devout, he developed an intense religious devotion early on. As reported by the Associated Press, he attended Mass daily, brought food and sleeping bags to the homeless, and was known for his compassion toward bullied children. His mother, Antonia Salzano Acutis, fondly remembered, “He gave away all his toys, always with a smile.” She recalled him, at age nine, helping the homeless on the streets and questioning, “I have everything, these people have nothing, is that fair?”
But Acutis was not just a model of charity—he was also a technological wunderkind. Well before the rise of social media, he was reading college-level programming textbooks and building websites, skills rare for his age. According to Catholic News Agency, he created a digital exhibition documenting 196 so-called Eucharistic miracles worldwide, making the mysteries of the faith accessible in nearly 20 languages. This digital project, still available today, is widely regarded as his most significant legacy.
His unique blend of piety and technical acumen earned Acutis the nickname “Cyber Apostle.” As Pope Francis wrote in a 2019 document, “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.”
Despite his gifts, Acutis lived a life marked by humility and self-discipline. He famously limited himself to one hour of video games per week, a fact that both impresses and baffles his young admirers. “He played video games for like only one hour a week, which I don’t think I can do,” said David Cameron, a nine-year-old at Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish in Chicago, as reported by the Associated Press. The parish, notably the first in the United States to bear Acutis’ name, has been celebrating his upcoming canonization with comic books, classroom discussions, and banners bearing his image.
Acutis’ life was tragically cut short in October 2006 when he died of acute leukemia in Monza, northern Italy. His final wish was to be buried in Assisi, the home of St. Francis, and his tomb there has become a major pilgrimage destination. Millions have flocked to see the teenager, dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers, and a sweatshirt, his hands clasped around a rosary. For those unable to make the journey, a webcam streams a live view of his tomb—an unprecedented level of digital access for a Catholic saint.
The road to sainthood in the Catholic Church is long and complex, typically requiring evidence of a virtuous life and at least two miracles attributed to the individual’s intercession. Acutis was beatified in 2020 by Pope Francis after the Vatican recognized the miraculous healing of a Brazilian child with a rare pancreatic malformation. In 2024, a second miracle was attributed to him: the recovery of Costa Rican student Valeria Valverde, who suffered severe head trauma in a bicycle accident. According to the Catholic News Agency, Valverde’s mother visited Acutis’ tomb and prayed for her daughter’s healing; months later, Valverde had recovered, sealing Acutis’ path to sainthood.
The upcoming canonization will not only elevate Acutis but also Pier Giorgio Frassati, another young Italian known for his social and spiritual commitments, who died in 1925. The event coincides with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Holy Year, which has drawn over 24 million visitors to Rome, and will be followed by the canonization of seven others in October, including Pierre To Rot, who will become the first saint from Papua New Guinea.
Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native, inherited the sainthood cause from Pope Francis, who had championed Acutis as the relatable, modern-day role model the church needed. Leo XIV has also highlighted technology, including artificial intelligence, as a central challenge for the church and humanity today. The Vatican’s campaign to promote Acutis as a saint for the digital age has been both strategic and effective, drawing millions of young Catholics to his story. Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a historian at the University of Notre Dame, explained to the Associated Press, “Canonization is about marketing. Which stories are going to get told? Who is going to get remembered through this amazingly efficient way of remembering holy people?”
For many, Acutis represents the “saint next door”—an ordinary teen who loved animals, played soccer, and attended school, but who also brought extraordinary faith and charity to his daily life. Sona Harrison, an eighth grader at St. John Berchmans’ school, summed up his appeal: “I feel like he’s a lot more relatable, and I definitely feel like I’m closer to God when I read about him.”
In the lead-up to the canonization, excitement is palpable. Over 800 people are expected to travel by special train from Assisi to Rome for the ceremony, and parishes worldwide are planning celebrations. The Vatican has confirmed that the event will be livestreamed, ensuring that Acutis’ global following can participate, no matter where they are.
Ultimately, Carlo Acutis’ story is one of faith meeting the modern world—where compassion, humility, and a knack for technology converge. As the Catholic Church prepares to recognize its first millennial saint, it does so with an eye toward the future and a hope that Acutis’ example will inspire generations to come.
