Faithful role models
The feast day of St Pier Giorgio Frassati, who was canonised at the same time as St Carlo, will be commemorated on July 4, also coinciding with the day of his death. Pope Leo XIV said both saints had become role models of faith and commitment for young people.
St Carlo is known for his ‘witness of faith’ in the digital world and his love for the Eucharist, and St Pier Giorgio was described by St John Paul II as a “man of the Beatitudes”. Speaking about the witness of St Carlo, the pope spoke about his encounter with Jesus through his parents, Andrea and Antonia.
Born in London and raised in Milan, St Carlo developed an early interest in computers and video games, teaching himself programming and web design and assisting his parish and school with digital projects.
St Carlo was active in parish life, serving as a catechist and helping to inspire several people to convert to Catholicism. He later created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions. His relics have been displayed in Assisi and his exhibitions on Eucharistic miracles have travelled the globe.
Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to both saints’ extraordinary witnesses to faith, hope, and trust in God. Recalling words from the first Sunday reading from the Book of Wisdom, the pope said, “Like King Solomon, these young men sought the gift of wisdom to better understand God’s plans for our lives and world and follow them faithfully. And in doing so, they used their gifts to bring others to God through their example, words, and actions
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“In the gospel reading, Jesus speaks to us of God’s plan, to which we must commit wholeheartedly, abandoning ourselves ‘without hesitation to the adventure that he offers us, with the intelligence and strength that comes from his Spirit,’” the pope said.
Young people often face crossroads in their lives and have to make difficult choices, said Pope Leo XIV. He mentioned Francis of Assisi, who chose “the wonderful story of holiness that we all know, stripping himself of everything to follow the Lord, living in poverty and preferring the love of his brothers and sisters, especially the weakest and smallest, to his father’s gold, silver, and precious fabrics.”
Daily Mass, prayer, and especially Eucharistic Adoration, marked the lives of Pier Giorgio and Carlo in cultivating their love for God and neighbour through simple acts of charity, the pope added.
Pope Leo XIV said both saints invited everyone, “especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”
Feature image: Carlo Acutis.
Image: Pier Giorgio Frassati.
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