Carlo Acutis
Italian Catholic saint
Feast: 12 October (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
The Vatican record
- 5 July 2018 — Heroic virtue declared — title Venerable (decree list, 2018)
- 21 February 2020 — Miracle through their intercession approved (decree list, 2020)
- 23 May 2024 — Miracle through their intercession approved (decree list, 2024)
Who they were
Carlo Acutis was born in London on 3 May 1991 to Italian parents, who moved to Milan a few months later. A gifted teenager with computers, he used that skill for his faith, helping his family put together an exhibition on the Eucharistic miracles recognised around the world, which has since been shown in parishes around the world. He went to Mass as often as he could, and brought his parents with him.
He was diagnosed with leukaemia as a teenager and died in Monza on 12 October 2006, aged fifteen. His body lies in a glass tomb in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi. He is the first saint of the millennial generation.
The miracles
Mattheus Vianna — Campo Grande, Brazil — 12 October 2013
A boy of nearly four was born with an annular pancreas, a defect that left him unable to keep food down; he weighed about 20 pounds and lived largely on nutritional shakes. At a prayer service where a relic of Carlo was venerated, he asked to stop vomiting so much. His healing began at once, and doctors later found the organ itself had changed.
Valeria Valverde — Florence, Italy — 2022
A 21-year-old student from Costa Rica suffered a severe head injury in a bicycle accident in Florence and was close to death. Six days later her mother prayed at Carlo's tomb in Assisi. That same day Valeria began breathing on her own, the next day she regained movement in her arms and part of her speech, and she needed only a week of physical therapy. Two months after the accident, on 2 September 2022, she and her mother made a pilgrimage to Assisi to give thanks.
Why that counted as sanctity
On 5 July 2018 the Church declared that this life showed the Christian virtues to a heroic degree, and gave the title Venerable. The case of Mattheus Vianna was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 21 February 2020, opening the way to beatification. Beatification followed on 10 October 2020. The case of Valeria Valverde was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 23 May 2024, opening the way to canonisation. Canonisation followed on 7 September 2025 by Leo XIV.
Connected on this site
- Aloysius Gonzaga Saint Influenced them
- Dominic Savio Saint Influenced them
- Tarcisius Saint Influenced them
- Pier Giorgio Frassati Saint“Acutis was canonised on 7 September 2025, alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - decrees of 5 Jul 2018, 21 Feb 2020 and 23 May 2024
- Holy See - homily of Pope Leo XIV at the canonisation, 7 Sep 2025
- EWTN News / CNA - Who was Carlo Acutis? An explainer
- EWTN News / CNA - the miracle attributed to Carlo Acutis' prayers
- EWTN News / CNA - Pope Francis recognises the miracle for canonisation
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — promulgated decrees (causesanti.va), summarised in our own words
- Wikidata Q2939142 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Carlo Acutis (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.