A young Italian computer whiz the Venerable Carlo Acutis, is the first millennial to be proclaimed “Blessed”.
He was beatified in Assisi, Italy on Saturday.
Acutis, who was only 15 when he died of leukemia, devoted his life to spreading the faith on the internet. He died in Milan in 2006.
“To be always united with Jesus, this is my life program,” the young Acutis wrote at the age of seven.
He offered his suffering for the pope and the Church.
His beatification Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi was celebrated by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the pontifical legate for the Basilica.
The young millennial’s heart, which now serves as a relic, was placed near the altar of the church.
In his homily, Vallini praised Acutis for using the internet “in service of the Gospel, to reach as many people as possible.”
“Since he was a child … he had his gaze turned to Jesus. Love for the Eucharist was the foundation that kept alive his relationship with God.”
“He often said ‘The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.”
“Carlo felt a strong need to help people discover that God is close to us and that it is beautiful to be with him to enjoy his friendship and his grace,” Vallini said.
One of the ways Acutis used his technology skills was to develop a website archiving Eucharistic miracles.
He was designated “Venerable” after Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to him involving healing a Brazilian boy who suffered a rare pancreatic disease.
Acutis’s body, dressed in the casual clothes he wore in daily life, is currently displayed in a glass tomb in Assisi’s Sanctuary of the Spoliation in the Church of St. Mary Major.
It will be on display until October 17 for veneration.
Another verified miracle attributed to the young computer whiz will be needed before Acutis becomes formally hailed as the “patron saint of the internet.”
Pope Francis has issued an apostolic letter declaring October 12 as Acutis’s feast day.
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