Carlo Acutis, a geek who prayed the Rosary

Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) was born into a wealthy, lapsed Catholic family from Milan (Italy), and he died at the age of 15. From the time of his First Communion, he decided to stay united to Jesus always ("the goal of my life" he would say). Although he lived a quiet and ordinary life as a youngster, he managed to use his computer skills to serve evangelization. He created and designed the International Exhibition of Eucharistic Miracles website in close partnership with the Vatican’s website.

He died within a few days of acute leukemia, after bringing most of his close family members back to the faith. The devotion to this engaging teenager, already well known in Italy, is now spreading abroad. Young Carlo, declared venerable by Pope Francis, is now admired in countries even as far away from his homeland as Brazil, the U.S. and Australia.

But what, then, makes Carlo Acutis a model for today’s youth? He was able to grow spiritually and remain faithful to Jesus Christ in an adverse social environment facing the same daily challenges that are common to most of us—an increasingly connected world, the need to witness his faith in a de-christianized society, the loneliness of being an only child, but also friendship, love, and his relationship as a teenager with his parents, and finally his fatal disease and death.

Carlo’s trips abroad also helped to nurture his faith, explains Father Will Conquer, the author of a new biography in French about Carlo Acutis. In February 2005, the young Italian went to Lourdes on a pilgrimage for the first time. In 2006, he went to Fatima, where he learned to meditate on the mysteries of the life of Christ through the Rosary—looking at Jesus’ entire life—with Mary. He memorized those prayers, but he knew it was not enough to repeat them mechanically. The most important thing for him was his intimacy with Jesus.

Since he was a child, Carlo spent his summers at the seaside, in Centola, south of Naples with his maternal grandparents. He would go to the beach in the afternoon, and afterwards pray the Rosary with a group of devout women in the local church. His presence made an impression on others. During Mass, people would remain quiet in order to respect Carlo’s silent prayer and meditation. His kindness was disinterested and he always smiled generously at everyone he met.

Adapted with permission from Carlo Acutis, un geek au Paradis (Carlo Acutis, A Geek in Paradise) by Fr. Will Conquer (MEP), Editions Première Part, (2019) and Aleteia