A London priest last night told how Carlo Acutis’s mother captivated up to 700 parishioners with an “electric” speech about her son’s message of love.
Father Dominic Robinson predicted that London-born Carlo, who died in 2006 aged 15, would become a “saint for millennials” by attracting a new generation of young believers.
The parish priest at Farm Street Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mayfair, central London, heard Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, address his congregation last summer.
He said it was standing room only when she told him that he was an ordinary teenager who lived to spread kindness by helping others.
“It was standing room only,” he said. ‘There were many young people in their twenties or younger.
“The atmosphere was really electric. You really get the sense that people are coming to faith and spirituality, with a commitment to something really tangible through the life of this young man.’
Carlo (pictured) was a devout Christian when he was alive and attended mass daily.
Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano (pictured), refers to her late son as her “savior”, as Carlo taught him more and more about his faith and credits him with his conversion to Christianity.
Carlo (pictured) was raised first by an Irish nanny and then by a Polish one. They claim that he was partly inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, who was born in the same city where he buried Carlo.
Cardinal Agostino Vallini, center, in the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy, during Carlo’s beatification ceremony, one of the steps toward sainthood.
“It was the millennial generation of committed Catholics, who also brought their friends because they were really inspired by the life of this young millennial man,” Father Robinson said.
‘He stood for something that was completely against the culture and yet was very much part of the culture.
“As his mother told us last night, he was a computer expert and spent a lot of time online.”
Father Robinson added that the congregation was moved by the fact that Carlo was as vulnerable as they were and had been born in the city where they lived.
‘Carlo was bullied at school I think, born and baptized in central London.
“There’s definitely something about being local: someone you know, someone who grew up in the same place as you, who went to school in the same place.”
But he said that even when the future saint was alive, those around him felt that his life would serve a much greater purpose.
‘When he fell ill, he had the strong feeling that this life was not the only thing important. There was a dimension that was beyond.
‘He was very committed to the Catholic faith: adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, prayer and adoration.
‘At the same time, he did a lot of volunteer work and worked with homeless people,’ so he put his faith into action. He was kind to others.
‘He stood for authenticity and integrity and also cared for the weakest.
‘So in a sense he really knew Jesus as his brother, as his friend, as the one he worshiped.
“Also the one that gives us a model of life, which goes against many of the values of society.”
Father Robinson added: ‘There is a lot of talk about Christianity and organized religion being in decline.
‘But there are green signs and signs of real enthusiasm among young people. They look for something that goes against the ethics of wealth creation and careerism.’
Carlo (pictured) would be only the second Briton to be canonized in almost 50 years, after Cardinal John Henry Newman was made a saint last year.
Carlo (pictured as a baby) was also an incredibly intelligent child: he said his first word at three months, started talking at five months, and wrote at four years old.
Carlo also helped the homeless and stood up for his bullied classmates at school. In the photo: young Carlo with his dog at Christmas.
Carlo Acutis photographed smiling at the camera while sporting a 1990s AC Milan home kit.
Almost 20 years after Carlo’s death, Pope Francis has recognized a miracle attributed to Carlo – after his death – where the mother of a Costa Rican woman involved in a serious bicycle accident prayed before his glass coffin and left a note asking that she be cured in 2022.
The same day her daughter began to breathe independently and 10 days later she was discharged from intensive care because the hemorrhage in her brain had completely disappeared.
Pope Francis now signed a decree that paves the way for Acutis to become a saint because the Vatican says Carlo also interceded from heaven in 2013 to cure a Brazilian boy suffering from a rare pancreatic disease.
When Carlo died shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia, he told his parents, “I am happy to die because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on things that would not have pleased God.”
Carlo died in Monza, Italy, after moving to Milan as a child, but was born in London to mother Antonia Salzano and father Andrea Acutis.
His mother said her son was dedicated to supporting his classmates who were struggling with life, defending disabled friends who were being bullied and bringing food to homeless people throughout the city.
Since his death, Carlo has gained followers around the world and his body was moved to the Church of Saint Mary Major, Assisi, where it is currently on display.
He has been given the nicknames “God’s influencer” and “the patron saint of the Internet” due to his devotion to promoting the work of Christ online before he died.