© Getty Images

He was born in the UK -

Carlo Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London, England.

© NL Beeld

Roots -

Acutis' father was working in the capital at the time. The family later moved to Milan, Italy.

© Getty Images

Parents -

His parents are Italian-born Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano (pictured).

© NL Beeld

Cancer -

Acutis was diagnosed with leukemia when he was a teenager.

© Shutterstock

Faith -

From a young age, Acutis developed a strong interest in the Church and an inspiring love for God.

© Getty Images

Love for Christ -

Acutis started attending mass at age seven. “My secret is to contact Jesus every day,” he said.

© Getty Images

Inspiration -

Acutis' parents were inspired by his faith and devotion and joined him at mass.

© Getty Images

Lead by example -

“Before Carlo’s birth, I was really caught up in the culture of our time,” said his mother. “I was a prisoner of everything that is relative and limited. But Carlo showed me how to live in my century while turning toward eternity.”

© NL Beeld

He led people to convert -

Rajesh Mohur, who worked as an au pair for Acutis' family when he was young, converted from Hinduism to Catholicism because of him.

© Getty Images

He helped the poor -

Mohur recalls Acutis' love for the poor and how he helped the homeless by bringing them food.

© Getty Images

He stayed true to his beliefs -

Acutis wouldn’t shy away from defending his faith and position on a variety of topics in high school. Many of Acutis' classmates remember him doing so passionately.

© NL Beeld

He was a good friend -

Acutis was known for standing up for kids at school who got bullied.

© Shutterstock

Hobbies -

In addition to his devotion to the Church, Acutis enjoyed playing soccer and video games.

© Getty Images

Gaming -

From PlayStation to Xbox, and Nintendo Game Boy, Acutis was a gamer at heart. He did, however, restrict his playing time to two hours a day.

© Getty Images

Girlfriends -

Acutis was celibate and is not known to have dated anyone. “The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life,” he said.

© Getty Images

Acutis wanted more people to attend mass -

According to Acutis' mother, he used to say, “there are queues in front of a concert, in front of a football match, but I don’t see these queues in front of the Blessed Sacrament.”

© Shutterstock

Another passion -

In addition to his passion for God, Acutis developed a strong interest in computer programming.

© Shutterstock

Website -

Acutis was self-taught in computer coding languages and went on to create a website that compiled information about miracles.

© NL Beeld

Miracle website -

Acutis believed that the scientific evidence of Eucharistic miracles would help people go back to Church.

© Getty Images

Acutis' contribution to the Church -

Acutis created both a website cataloging 187 Eucharistic miracles from around the world and a portable exhibition to go with it. This helped expose the Church to a larger audience.

© Getty Images

Influencer -

“Carlo was the light answer to the dark side of the web,” his mother said. His life “can be used to show how the internet can be used for good, to spread good things,” she added.

© NL Beeld

Death -

Carlo Acutis passed away on October 12, 2006, aged 15. His body is in Assisi, Italy.

© Getty Images

Miracles -

Miracles have been attributed to Acutis following his death. People from around the globe told Mrs Acutis about miracles that happened after they prayed to her son.

© Getty Images

Path to canonization -

In 2020, Pope Francis attributed the healing of a young Brazilian boy named Matheus Vianna with a malformed pancreas to Acutis.

© Getty Images

Blessed Carlo Acutis -

Acutis became the first millennial to become beatified. This is an important step on the path to becoming a saint.

© Getty Images

Second miracle -

The second miracle was recognized by Pope Francis on May 23, 2024. A 21-year-old Costa Rican university student recovered from severe head trauma after falling off her bicycle in Florence, Italy.

© Getty Images

Canonization -

The Vatican hasn’t announced a date for the canonization of Carlo Acutis. He will become the first millennial saint in the history of the Church.

© Getty Images

Saint to be -

“Carlo used the internet and his computer skills to spread his faith, offering the Catholic Church an opportunity to show a more positive side to social media,” said Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a history professor at the University of Notre Dame.

© NL Beeld

Saint -

“Making Carlo a saint may also help the church connect with young Catholics, many of whom have become increasingly disengaged,” she added.

Sources: (The New York Times) (Catholic.com) (Catholic News Agency)

See also: The brutal ways saints have died

© Getty Images