St. Carlo Acutis (1991–2006) is the first saint of the millennial generation: an Italian teenager who loved video games, soccer and computers, and above all the Eucharist. He used his talent with computers to build a website about Eucharistic miracles, and he died of leukemia at fifteen, offering his sufferings for the Pope and the Church. He was canonized in 2025, and his feast is October 12.
Below are prayers to St. Carlo for young people, for the right use of technology and the internet, and for love of the Eucharist, with his story and a few of his best-known sayings.
A prayer to St. Carlo Acutis
Written for this page:
St. Carlo, you loved Jesus in the Eucharist with all your heart,
and called it your “highway to heaven.”
Pray for me and for all young people.
Help us to put Jesus first, to use our talents for good,
and to become the original person God created us to be. Amen.
A prayer for young people
St. Carlo Acutis, friend of young people,
watch over (name).
Keep him (her) close to Jesus and Mary,
protect him (her) from harmful influences online and off,
and give him (her) the joy of friendship with God. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See also Catholic prayer for children.
A prayer for the right use of the internet
St. Carlo, you used the internet to spread the love of Jesus.
Help me to use my phone, my computer and social media wisely:
to tell the truth, to encourage others,
to waste less time and to make room for prayer. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer for love of the Eucharist
St. Carlo, you went to Mass every day and spent time before the tabernacle.
Help me to discover Jesus truly present in the Eucharist,
to receive him with love and to visit him often. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See Eucharistic adoration prayers and First Communion.
Sayings of St. Carlo
- “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.”
- “All people are born as originals, but many die as photocopies.”
- “Not me, but God.”
The story of St. Carlo Acutis
Carlo was born in London on May 3, 1991, to Italian parents, and grew up in Milan. Though his family was not particularly religious, from a young age he asked to go to Mass, made his First Communion at seven and from then on went to daily Mass and prayed the Rosary. He was a normal teenager who played soccer and video games, loved animals and filmed funny videos, and he was known for kindness to classmates who were bullied and to the poor and homeless of his neighborhood.
A gifted self-taught programmer, he spent years creating an online exhibition of the Eucharistic miracles of the world, which has since traveled to thousands of parishes. In October 2006 he was diagnosed with acute leukemia. He offered his sufferings “for the Lord, the Pope and the Church,” and died in Monza on October 12, 2006, at fifteen. He was buried in Assisi, where his body can be visited in the Sanctuary of the Renunciation.
He was beatified in Assisi on October 10, 2020, and canonized on September 7, 2025, together with St. Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Frequently asked questions
When is St. Carlo Acutis’s feast day?
October 12, the day of his death.
What is St. Carlo Acutis the patron saint of?
He is widely invoked as a patron of young people, computer programmers and the internet, and of those who love the Eucharist. These patronages come from popular devotion rather than official declaration.
Where is St. Carlo Acutis buried?
In the Church of St. Mary Major (Sanctuary of the Renunciation) in Assisi, Italy.
More saints for young people
- Patron saint of the internet
- Patron saints of sports and hobbies (St. Pier Giorgio Frassati)
- Confirmation saint names
- Patron saints of the family
- Saint of the day
Sources
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and the homily of the canonization Mass (September 7, 2025).
- The prayers were written for this page; his sayings are quoted from accounts of his life.