The mother of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial beatified, visited The Catholic University of America on Monday to share how her teenage son’s devotion to the Eucharist transformed their family and the world. Even before he passed at just 15, his example inspired many around him to convert or revert to the Catholic faith — including his own family.
“Carlo taught me that the sacraments are not symbols. Carlo made me understand the real presence of God in the Eucharist. So he was for me like a little savior,” said Antonia Salzano Acutis to the standing-room-only Della Ratta Auditorium on the evening of October 2. The Catholic Project and Campus Ministry co-sponsored the event with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Blessed Carlo Acutis, who is one step away from being canonized, is often described as a “patron saint of the internet” because he spent several years creating a website to catalog Eucharistic miracles that debuted just before he died of a rare type of leukemia in 2006. Mrs. Acutis, author of My Son Carlo: Carlo Acutis Through the Eyes of His Mother, travels the world to share her son’s story to inspire others to live out their faith.
“When you are close to somebody who really loves the Eucharist this person becomes contagious, like a chain reaction,” said Mrs. Acutis. “Because through the Eucharist, Jesus nourishes us. When we eat the source of love, it helps us to open up our hearts.”
Ahead of her inspiring words, University President Peter K. Kilpatrick said during his welcoming remarks that Carlo’s example is especially relevant as the University community embarks on a spiritual journey as part of the National Eucharistic Revival. Dr. Kilpatrick said he thinks Carlo is so inspiring because his holiness was expressed in the ordinary: he stood up to bullies, volunteered to serve the needy, and went to church daily.
Three University students — biology senior Ben Reese, theology junior Danielle Schmitz, and mechanical engineering junior Mike Bellacicco — shared with Mrs. Acutis before the crowd how Carlo has touched their lives.
Reese said that learning about the faith and science as a University student helped him develop a devotion to the Eucharist, with Carlo serving as a role model. Reese explained that biology tells us that the body breaks down food down to the DNA level, so eating the Eucharist makes God part of us in a deep and unique way.
Schmitz said Carlo’s example has inspired her to “live a true life of radical holiness…simple and normal like his.” Similarly, Bellacicco said “in the life of Blessed Carlo we can see what Christ wants from us and how we can get closer to Him every day. The Lord doesn’t desire us to get by, he desires for us to become great saints.”
Mrs. Acutis, inspired by the students' words, embraced them and gave each of them a relic of her son. At the end of the event, Mrs. Acutis insisted on getting a group photo with everyone in the room and then greeted the attendees who flocked to her to share how much her visit meant to them.
