New, young saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati encourage faithful locally

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press

Young people, parents and priests were among those celebrating locally the canonization of Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, the two young men whom Pope Leo XIV named saints on Sunday.  

School projects, social media messages, relics, and a live viewing of the Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica helped spread the word, especially about St. Carlo, the first millennial to be canonized. (He died of leukemia at age 15 in 2006.)

All Saints Academy in Webster marked the canonization with activities for different ages.
Kindergartners were excited to add the new saints to the book of saints they’re making, reported Ellen Tagg, assistant head of school. Given the school’s name, the kindergarten class learns about a saint a week throughout the school year.CNS Photos | Lola Gomez

St. Carlo Acutis
Grade 3 held a canonization party, watching videos about Sts. Carlo and Pier Giorgio, creating booklets about them, decorating their classroom and enjoying cannoli in honor of both saints’ Italian heritage, Mrs. Tagg said. The third-graders received holy cards of the new saints and asked for their intercession. Other classes also watched videos, prayed, and colored pictures.

St. Carlo has been called patron or co-patron of the internet, which led to a related project for grades 7 and 8.St. Pier Giorgio Frassati
“Through thoughtful discussions and collaborative brainstorming sessions, students shared creative ideas on how to use the internet to live out their faith and support others in meaningful ways online,” Mrs. Tagg reported. Ideas included creating a secure app/digital platform to connect children with specific childhood illnesses with other children their age who are experiencing similar challenges and need someone to talk to; developing a website that will help children with a problem, that then shares a Bible passage for them to reflect on; and a video game for acting out the lives of saints.

Father Jonathan J. Slavinskas, pastor of Our Lady of Providence Parish at St. Bernard Church in Worcester, also used technology to highlight St. Carlo. He said he posted a series, “Walking with Carlo,” on social media; he loves the way this saint is buried in Nikes.  

“I’m taking pictures of my different sneakers each day with little thoughts,” Father Slavinskas informed The Catholic Free Press last week. “The kids always bug me to get good sneakers. So I tell them, ‘You make the sneakers; the sneakers don’t make you. A saint is wearing Nikes. He’s ordinary, but it’s the soul in the sole that brings it value.’”Photo courtesy of Ellen Tagg
First-graders at All Saints Academy in Webster wear hats to celebrate Sunday’s canonization of Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. 
His post “Preparing for a Saint, Day 1: First Steps,” quoted St. Carlo, “We are all born originals, but many die as photocopies,” and added, “Step one: Choose holiness, choose to be original. What kicks you wearing?”  

Day 2 focused on Mass and the Eucharist and said, “My steps should always be heading to the altar.”  

Father Slavinskas said he preached about St. Carlo on Sunday. Among his points were: “He teaches us that holiness is possible today – right now, in sneakers and sweatshirts – if we put Christ first. ... What does it look like for me to follow Jesus completely – at school, at work, online, in my family?”

Father Slavinskas said a parishioner decorated the church’s shrine with the saint’s relic, with flowers.

St. John, Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton also has a relic of St. Carlo, which was carried in procession at Sunday’s Masses, said Father James S. Mazzone, pastor.  

At 4 a.m. Sunday, more than a dozen people gathered in the church hall to watch an EWTN broadcast of the canonization on a large screen.

“There is an excitement [about] seeing the canonization live, and I knew people would come,” Father Mazzone said. “We always enjoy getting together as a parish.”

“This was nice,” Richard “Rick” Ricardi said afterwards. “If I waited to watch a replay, I would have never seen it.” He liked watching it with the others.

“It was pretty special,” said his son Caleb Ricardi, 29. “I just like Carlo ... because, when I was young, I was like him. ... I prayed even when I was very young. ... In terms of the canonization ... I was proud of him” for his devotion to the Eucharist. “He was helping the youth. There’s a lot of challenges for my generation.”  

Ornella Quinn talked about young people facing a culture in which people do not believe in or stand up for truth, yet “there’s a real desire for the truth.” She spoke of the new saints sharing the truth of the Catholic faith in a way youth and young adults could understand.

“For us as parents, you are so grateful” that these young men said what you’re saying – “in a young person’s language,” she said. “I think St. Carlo and Pier make them feel ... a part of the Church” by giving them a voice.

She told about a couple of young strangers encountering her setting up a display about St. Carlo in the church hall last week, in preparation for Sunday’s canonization, after-Mass socializing and religious education classes starting.

The young men didn’t know about St. Carlo, so she gave them information, she said, and they couldn’t believe St. Carlo was so holy, yet relatable.  

Both were shocked that his research about eucharistic miracles, posted on his website, still exists, and they recommended she display a QR code to help people access it, she said. (Last year the parish hosted an exhibit stemming from his research, which can be accessed at miracolieucaristici.org.)  

Mrs. Quinn said the young men “were so excited; one of them said, ‘He would be my age,’” if still alive.

“Holiness is now more approachable to young people,” commented Father Thiago Ibiapina, associate pastor. They realize that if St. Carlo could be holy, perhaps they can be too.

This canonization was historic in being the first of a millennial, but also because the new saints were young, ordinary men, not priests or religious, Father Ibiapina said.

“We’ve been praying to Blessed Pier” for about 10 years, for fellow parishioner Thomas Beirne, who had a mitochondrial disorder and died in August at age 20, said Maryellen Kottenstette, attending the canonization showing with her 23-year-old daughter, Tess Kottenstette. “I just felt like I wanted to be here with everyone to celebrate his canonization and to pray,” especially for sick young people.  

“We moved up here from Nashville,” where people prayed to the now-St. Pier Giorgio for a young parishioner with cancer who was then healed, she said. “And so, when I heard about Thomas, I said, ‘We should all pray’” to St. Pier Giorgio for him.  

Theresa Hoggins spoke of a belief that there will be conversions among the young after St. Carlo’s canonization.  

“For me, it’s a really exciting day, because its already starting to happen,” Mrs. Hoggins said. “Young people are coming back to the faith.”