09/06/2026
September 06, 2026 - 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends in Christ,
In the coming weeks, the St. Carlo Acutis Eucharistic Adoration Chapel will open, giving people in our area an opportunity to spend more time with our Eucharistic Lord. Today, I want to consider the patron of our chapel, St. Carlo, so that we may all come to know this modern saint better.
Although his parents were from Italy, he was born in London in the year 1991. Carlo was baptized two weeks later, and a few months later the family returned to Milan. At the young age of 7, he received his first Holy Communion, and from that time on never he daily Mass or the daily Rosary. In a certain sense, he was a normal boy who liked playing with his friends, playing sports, and even video games (although no more than the one-hour limit he set on himself each week). But Carlo was also extraordinary in his profound friendship with Jesus. At the age of 7 he wrote: “to always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan”. He was incredibly kind, always seeking to help those around him, whether those struggling in school or the poor on the streets.
At the age of 15, Carlo suddenly became sick. At first, he and his family thought it was merely a common flu. But his condition worsened, and he was diagnosed with leukemia and died just a few days later on October 12, 2006. Six years later, his cause for canonization opened, and on September 7, 2025, he was canonized by Pope Leo XIV in Rome. His feast day is celebrated on October 12th.
What was Carlo’s secret to holiness? It was his great devotion to the Holy Eucharist. He wrote: “standing by before the sun you get a tan…but by standing before the Eucharistic Christ, you become holy”. He said and lived by the idea that: “the Eucharist is my highway to heaven.” His devotion to the Holy Mass and Eucharist had a great impact on those around him, including leading his own parents to return to the practice of their faith. Carlo wanted to spread love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and (at the age of 11!) used his computing skills to
create a website documenting Eucharistic miracles throughout the world. Even today it can be accessed at miracolieucaristici.org
St. Carlo is a great model for all Catholics of the importance of the Eucharist in our lives, and he wanted to share this secret with everyone. As a young teenager, he taught Catechism, and he provided the children a “Kit to become a saint”, a “kit” that can benefit all of us as well:
1) You must want [to be a saint] with all your heart and if you do not desire it yet, you must ask the Lord for it with insistence.
2) Try to go to Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion every day.
3) Remember to recite the Holy Rosary every day.
4) Read a passage of the Holy Scripture every day.
5) If you can, do some moments of Eucharistic Adoration before the Tabernacle where Jesus is truly present, so you will see how your level of holiness will prodigiously increase.
6) If you can, go to confession every week, even for venial sins.
7) Often make resolutions and small sacrifices/spiritual bouquets for the Lord and Our Lady to help others.
8)Continuously ask for help from your Guardian Angel who must become your best friend.
May you and your families have a blessed week. St. Carlo Acutis, pray for us!
Fr. Peter
