Letter from the Pastor
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October 1, 2023In this second year of our National Eucharistic Revival, our concentration this year is our parish. Yesterday we gathered at the Marian Shrine for our countywide celebration of the gift of the Eucharist.
Today in our parish, we begin a weeklong celebration of the Eucharistic miracles that have taken place over the centuries. Today at 1:00 PM in the Church, there will be a talk about a very special young man, Blessed Carlo Acutis. The display of the Eucharistic miracles in Toner Hall was designed and compiled by Blessed Carlo.
Blessed Carlo Acutis was beatified in 2020. He was 15 when he died of leukemia; Carlo had a great love and devotion for the Eucharist. Each day he attended Mass and spent time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. He believed, as he put it, “the Eucharist is my highway to heaven.” And he wanted to share this with others, through online social media.
He was born in London on May 3, 1991 to wealthy Italian parents and he returned to Italy not long after his birth. Although his family was not very active Catholics, Carlo was fascinated by the Faith. Devoted to Our Lady from a young age, Carlo made the effort to recite the Rosary daily and, after receiving his First Holy Communion, Blessed Carlo made it a point to spend time in prayer before the Tabernacle.
Carlo was exceptionally compassionate and mature even as a child. When bullies at school picked on classmates with disabilities, it was Carlo who stepped up to defend them. He also worried for friends who were suffering through their parents’ divorces, and made a point of inviting them to his home and offering his support.
Although he might have been somewhat unusual in his youthful zeal for the Faith, Carlo was also very much a teenager; he played video games and soccer and was very interested in movies. He was by all accounts a “computer geek” who studied college textbooks on the subject as early as age 9. But Carlo recognized that his talents and interests in the field must be used for the good.
Carlo used his tech-savvy for the good of others. He developed websites for his high school and nearby parishes. He created a website that cataloged all the major Eucharistic miracles ever recorded.
Carlo was diagnosed with leukemia and died in 2016. In his youthful innocence he told his doctors that he knew others were suffering worse than he. He said, “I offer to the Lord the sufferings that I will have to undergo for the pope and for the Church.” Although he wanted to make a pilgrimage to the sites of the Eucharistic miracles he helped others come to learn about, his declining health made it impossible. Carlo had a special devotion and love for St. Francis and the town of Assisi, Carlo’s body made one last pilgrimage there for burial after his death on Oct. 12, 2006. His heart is enshrined in the altar at Assisi.
Many began calling for his canonization not long after his death. Just before his death at 15, Carlo said, “I’m happy to die, because I’ve lived my life without wasting even a minute of it doing things that wouldn’t have pleased God.” “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan,” he was known to say.
At the display downstairs, we have a first class relic of Blessed Carlo; his hair. This is a special grace for our parish. Please avail yourself, come downstairs during the week and read of the 187 miracles that Blessed Carlo gathered together. By God’s grace and Holy Will, Blessed Carlo will be the first “Millennial” Saint.The exhibit will be open:
Sun, Oct 1: 1 PM - 7 PM
Mon, Oct 2 to Fri, Oct 6: 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM and 5 PM - 8 PM
Sat, Oct 7: 1 PM - 7 PM
Sun, Oct 8: 10 AM - 3 PM
This event is FREE & groups are welcome.
