Image Credit: carloacutis.com

On September 7th, Pope Leo XIV will canonize Carlo Acutis, and the Catholics are excitedly preparing to revere this remarkable young millennial as a saint! This Eucharist-loving, Nutella-eating, computer-whiz of a teenager teaches us that holiness is possible for everyone, even in modern times. Whether you have already befriended St. Carlo Acutis or are just starting to become acquainted with him, we’ve selected 15 of the coolest facts about him (one for every year of his life) so you can learn more about our newest young saint!

1. Carlo Acutis was an Italian born in England

Although we all know Carlo Acutis as an Italian saint, he was actually born in London, England, on May 3, 1991. Because of this, he could speak English, although he did not do so often. Interestingly, he also has English in his heritage because one of his grandmothers was half English. Carlo was baptized on May 18 in the Church of Our Lady of Dolours in London and given the full name Carlo Maria Antonio.

Image Credit: carloacutis.com

2. He loved Nutella

Saints can have a sweet tooth! Carlo Acutis especially enjoyed Nutella, the decadent hazelnut chocolate spread that was invented in Italy by the Ferrero company in the 1960s. He also really enjoyed having ice cream with his friends.

3. Carlo Acutis had a deep devotion to Our Lady

He chose the best as his only lady: “The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life.” When he was a little boy, Carlo Acutis loved to leave flowers for Our Lady, whether a rose he bought with the money his parents gave him or the wildflowers he collected on walks. Growing up, Carlo was able to make pilgrimages to the birthplaces and hometowns of saints around Italy, but most of the journeys he made were for the Blessed Virgin Mary. His family had a special devotion to Our Lady of Pompeii, so Carlo visited there often. He also traveled to Lourdes when he was eleven and to Fatima just a few months before he died. For Carlo Acutis, “the most important appointment of the day” was praying the Rosary. 

Image Credit: carloacutis.com | Carlo at Lourdes

4. He converted the family caretaker 

Rajesh Mohur was a young man who worked for the Acutis family as Carlo’s caretaker, and he became fast friends with the boy. Rajesh was Hindu, and his father was a Brahman priest. Yet Carlo’s deep Catholic Faith made an impact on Rajesh: Carlo taught him to pray the Rosary, and they would watch cartoon Bible and saint shows together. Carlo would ask Rajesh to bring him to Church for Mass and prayers on his way to and from school, and Rajesh graciously did. In 1999, when Carlo was eight, Rajesh was baptized. The Acutis family threw a party to celebrate, and at Carlo’s suggestion, they topped off the special occasion with dinner at a Chinese Restaurant.

5. Carlo liked to play soccer, but he was not good at it

Carlo was a lively child who enjoyed the outdoors and having fun. He played soccer with his friends, but at the same time, as his mother shares, he was “quite bad” at it. Still, he played it as an important way to connect with his friends.

Image Credit: carloacutis.com. Carlo is second from the left in the back row, in the white t-shirt.

6. Carlo Acutis made funny dog videos with Star Wars soundtracks 

Carlo loved his animals, especially dogs. He had a dog named Briciola, which means “biscuit crumb.” Briciola accompanied Carlo and his family on their pilgrimage to Lourdes, for the three-month-old puppy was small enough to be smuggled into Carlo’s grandmother’s purse. When Briciola made noise from inside the purse during a tour, Carlo’s grandmother coughed continuously to hide the noise so that security would not find the puppy – and Carlo caught all this on videotape! On occasion, Carlo got his dogs and cats to play lead roles in his amateur short films. Sometimes Star Wars references and soundtracks snuck into these video creations as soundtracks for a goofy yet epic touch!

Image credit: National Catholic Register / Antonia Acutis

7. He might be the first saint to have played Pokémon

Yes, saints can play video games! Carlo received a PlayStation when he was 9, and his mother recalls that he also enjoyed playing Nintendo Game Boy, Pokémon, and Xbox. And yet, Saint Carlo limited himself to one or two hours of gaming per week so that this fun hobby would not take away important time. By keeping his priorities in order, Carlo kept from wasting a minute on things that did not please God, yet was still able to have fun.

8. Carlo Acutis wanted to become a professional chef 

An interest in good food seems fitting for a young Italian saint. Carlo’s grandparents had a first-class chef in Turin who prepared delicious meals for the family. Carlo would be sure to stop by the kitchen to thank the chef for his excellent dishes. Because of him, Carlo wanted to be a first-class chef too and showed great interest in learning recipes.

Image Credit: EWTN Great Britain / Acutis Family

9. The Acutis family had a saint of the year tradition  

Carlo’s parents recall that they picked saint names from a hat every December 31st. Carlo himself often drew important saints like the Holy Family, but in the year he died, his random selection turned out to be the saint whose feast was October 11th (the day before Carlo would die), St. Alexander Sauli. The saints were Carlo’s friends, and he was soon to join them in heaven! 

10. He learned coding from college-level textbooks 

Electronics fascinated Carlo, and he quickly became fluent in computer lingo. His mother shares, “He used C++ and Java at the age of 9, when he was already reading computer-programming textbooks that we would buy from the Polytechnic University of Milan.” His remarkable ability to solve advanced engineering codes caught the attention of a few professionals. He used his coding skills for many practical purposes: he assisted others with projects and even created statistical programs for his dad. But his own projects were an internet apostolate to spread the Catholic Faith, and in particular, to share about the Eucharistic Miracles he was so passionate about. Carlo Acutis is the patron saint of computer programmers and the internet.

11. Carlo taught himself to play the saxophone

Nothing like a shiny musical instrument to jazz life up a little! It wasn’t just computers and sports that held his interest –– Carlo Acutis also took on the challenge of teaching himself to play the saxophone, an accomplishment that impressed his mother.

Image Credit: carloacutis.com | Carlo with his mother 

12. Carlo offered his sufferings for the pope

Carlo’s death came quickly and very unexpectedly: what at first seemed to be the flu was actually the most aggressive type of Leukemia, and he died within a week of his diagnosis. While he was ill, before he was taken to the hospital, his parents heard him say, “I offer all the sufferings that I will have to undergo to the Lord for the pope and the Church, so that I can avoid purgatory and go straight to heaven.” Interestingly, Carlo Acutis died one year after Saint John Paul II, during the reign of Pope Benedict XVI. He was beatified on October 10th, 2020, by Pope Francis and will be one of the first saints canonized by Pope Leo XIV!

13. His favorite saint was St. Francis

Saints inspire future saints! Carlo Acutis was deeply devoted to St. Francis of Assisi and shared his love for animals, as is clear from the fact that Carlo had four dogs, two cats, and several pet fish. But more than that, like St. Francis, Carlo had deep compassion for the poor. He met those who were needy with a great compassion that always recognized their humanity. In fact, he would offer them hot home cooked meals because he understood that they also needed to have good food, not just the canned foods and grocery leftovers from food pantries. Carlo’s mother also shares that he used his savings to buy sleeping bags and hot drinks for the homeless.

Image Credit: carloacutis.com

14. Carlo Acutis is buried in Assisi, his happy place 

Assisi, Italy, was Carlo’s favorite vacation spot. He loved to pray inside the Porziuncola, the 4th-century church where Christ spoke to St. Francis and told him to rebuild his church. Carlo also enjoyed hiking and running in the fields around Assisi. Carlo’s spiritual advisor testifies that Carlo was happiest in Assisi, and he specifically asked to be buried there. In 2007, his remains were taken from the Acutis family burial place to be laid in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi. According to EWTN, this is traditionally thought to be the church where St. Francis renounced his worldly possessions and where St. Clare also experienced a conversion.

15. We still have Carlo’s catalogue of eucharistic miracles 

It’s safe to say that Carlo’s line, “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven,” has found its way to the top Catholic saint quotes of today. These words are pretty fitting for a saint who spent a couple of years cataloguing eucharistic miracles, all the way until his death, his own entrance into eternal life! Carlo Acutis designed, photographed, and catalogued a collection of all the “Eucharistic Miracles of the World.” He assembled them into a website, and today, a print form of the exhibition still travels all over the world. The tall, double-sided, color panels that tell the story of over 130 Eucharistic Miracles are displayed at parishes and all sorts of Catholic events. You can view his Eucharistic Miracles project and some of his other exhibitions online at carloacutis.com!

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