Invitation to venerate the Holy Relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis in AJHS' St Kostka Chapel until 24 November 2024

Our Ateneo community is blessed with the presence in our midst of the Holy Relic and Pilgrim Image of Blessed Carlo Acutis, whom we welcomed to the AJHS yesterday during the Fiesta Mass of our patron, St. Stanislaus Kostka. This is a very rare occasion, and so we invite you to make the most of it!

Carlo Acutis, who lived in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, was a boy just like any other - full of life, curiosity, and interests. Yet, Carlo’s deep love for the Eucharist set him apart. Often described as a modern-day "digital apostle," Carlo used his passion for technology and the internet to spread the message of God’s love. Carlo studied at the Leone XIII Institute, Milan, a school founded and run by the Jesuits.

At just 15 years old, Carlo passed away from leukemia, but not before leaving behind an extraordinary legacy: a website dedicated to documenting Eucharistic miracles from around the world, ensuring that others could encounter the transformative power of the Eucharist, just as he had. Website here: http://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/liste/list.html

Carlo’s story shows us that sanctity knows no bounds—neither in age nor in the circumstances of one's life. While St. Stanislaus walked over a thousand kilometers to join the Jesuits, risking his health for the love of Christ, Carlo used the tools of his time—the internet and social media—to bring others closer to the Lord. Both of these young men show us that holiness is not confined to any particular era, method, or tradition, but that God calls us all, no matter where or when we live, to seek Him with all our hearts.

Carlo’s devotion to the Eucharist is perhaps the most striking parallel to St. Stanislaus’s own love for the Blessed Sacrament. For Carlo, the Eucharist was not just a sacrament—it was a "highway to heaven," a means to deepen his relationship with Christ. And just as St. Stanislaus found heaven in the simplest tasks of his Jesuit novitiate, Carlo found holiness in the everyday, using his talents and passions for the greater glory of God.

We invite the Ateneo Community to come and pay a visit to the Kostka Chapel, to venerate Blessed Carlo Acutis, and ask his intercession for your prayer intentions. His Holy Relic and Pilgrim Image will be available for visits and veneration from 14-23 November 2024, from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM; and on November 24, Sunday, from 7:30 am to 12:00 noon.

You may also join us for daily Mass at 6:45 AM in the Kostka Chapel from November 19 to 23 (weekdays), 2024. 

Sincerely yours,

Fr Mamert Mañus SJ

AJHS Chaplain