STUART | When Blessed Carlo Acutis formally becomes St. Carlo during a canonization Mass with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican Sunday, Sept. 7, a teacher and students at a local school will be closely watching.
Classrooms at St. Joseph School in Stuart are named for saints, and teacher Chris Francello got permission to make Blessed Carlo their patron, anticipating him eventually becoming a saint. Francello and her students learn about him and find ways to add him to their everyday lives. When the Florida Catholic visited the classroom in April, the students added, “St. Carlo Acutis, pray for us,” when prompted by their teacher.
“A couple times a day, when we pray before snacks and lunch, and before we leave and pray our Act of Contrition, we pray with him,” she said. “We do a lot of readings with him. Lots of different little assignments and things like that throughout the year to keep him on our mind.”
Blessed Carlo, who died in Italy at age 15 from leukemia, was beatified by Pope Francis in 2020. The sunny-faced teen displayed an early attraction to the spiritual life, reciting the rosary and attending Mass daily, serving as a catechist, volunteering at a church soup kitchen and tutoring children with their homework. At the same time, Acutis was known for his enthusiasm for typical teenage interests, such as video games, pets, soccer and music.
As Francello became familiar with Blessed Carlo, she felt a kinship with him through personal ties that she discovered. She was married in 1991, the year he was born. Her daughter was born in 2006, the year Acutis died. He died Oct. 12, her parents’ wedding anniversary.
“I have all these little things that, once I found out about him, the connections are so huge,” she said. “Plus, I love computers. They can attest to that, that we’re always using our computers (which Carlo was known for), and we like to do different computer games and things like that. I love technology and animals, so I have a lot in common.”
Acutis lived a brief life of extraordinary holiness that was marked by a profound devotion to Christ and the Eucharist. His desire to foster awareness of the Blessed Sacrament, along with his formidable computer skills, led him to create a database of Eucharistic miracles throughout the world that can be viewed at www.miracolieucaristici.org. Francello said her third-graders had checked the website to see some of the miracles researched by Acutis.
What is so significant about Blessed Carlo, the teacher said, is that today’s youths can relate to him. He looked like them and loved the things many of them enjoy.
“Just someone who’s relatable to them is so important,” Francello said. “Look at him. He’s a kid. He could be your kid, my kid. What better way to realize that somebody like you could be a saint, do the things that he did, love Jesus the way he loved Jesus.”
Acutis is someone else to ask for intercession and talk to like a friend, she said. Not someone who lived 400 years ago, but who looked and dressed like you. “That’s why I think that, for him, for the church right now, it’s huge.”
Following the death of Pope Francis April 21, the canonization of Blessed Carlo — originally set for April 27 — was postponed. On June 13, the Vatican announced that Acutis would become a saint in September along with fellow Italian Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died at age 24 after contracting polio. Frassati was born in 1901 into a prominent family in Turin, Italy, and was admired for his deep spirituality, love for the poor and enthusiasm for life.
Asked what they had learned about Acutis, the St. Joseph students obviously knew him well: “He liked technology.” “And he wore the same clothes that we do.” “It wasn’t that long ago that he died.” “He liked the same things as us.” “He had a normal life, with a mom, a dad and a dog.” “When he died, at his funeral, the church was filled with people that he helped and his parents and random strangers that liked him.” “He said the Eucharist is the highway to heaven.”
“He’s part of our family,” said Francello, who added that the students were “amazing. They’re joyful, they’re so willing to learn about him, so accepting. We were so lucky this year to have him and for it to be something that’s going to happen. I feel like we’re a part of it. It’s so close to us.”
Her students’ writing projects were displayed on a bulletin board, answering the questions “How can I follow St. Carlo Acutis’ example in my faith?” or “What inspires me about St. Carlo Acutis’ life and love for the Eucharist?”
“That was a great writing project for us,” she said. “We use him for lots of different things. For information, to learn about the Eucharist, and for Jesus. He’s cross-curricular for us.”
For information on St. Joseph School, visit sjcschargers.com,call 772-287-6975 or connect through Facebook and Instagram. For information on all local Catholic schools, visit www.diocesepbschools.org and follow diocesan social media. Catholic News Service contributed to this report.
