Coffee & Saints

Born: May 3, 1991, London, England
Died: October 12, 2006, Monza, Italy

What I appreciate about St. Carlo Acutis:
He was only a few months younger than me, so we are both children of the 90’s. He enjoyed gaming, sports, and the internet so I believe we had a lot in common. The internet can be viewed as a scary place; however, he used it as a way to bring awareness of Eucharistic miracles – an incredible way to evangelize!

Coffee Order:
Mocha latte with hazelnut syrup

Today’s Saint is someone that I am very excited to be writing about. Oftentimes when researching the Saints, they seem to be from so long ago. Saint Paul walked with Jesus. Saint Augustine was alive in the 400’s. Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Teresa of Avila were from the 1500’s. This is the reason why I designed this website. It can be hard to connect with someone who lived so long ago. Their lives must have been so different from our own. This idea led me to consider what it would be like to interact with these Saints today, to be able to chat with them about their lives.

As a retired Youth Minister, I can look back on my experience and realize that some of the best conversations that I had with teens was off-campus. When we would get coffee and just chat. There is something about sitting in a coffee shop that makes it easy to connect with another person and welcome real conversation. That is why I picture each of these incredible Saints sitting with me at a coffee shop – a safe space to open up about their lives.

Saint Carlo Acutis was not from the early days of the Church; he was born in 1991 and on Sunday, September 7, 2025 he was canonized as the first Millennial Saint! Having a coffee with him would be so exciting as I know that we had a lot in common. Because he was born much more recently we know a lot more about his story then some of the Saints who were alive centuries ago. Also, a really beautiful fact that brought tears to my eyes as I looked up his canonization – his younger brother read the first reading at Carlo’s canonization Mass!

When trying to think of somewhere that Carlo would want to meet for coffee, I picture a modern café on a city street with small tables and chairs on the sidewalk. I picture us sitting outside, enjoying the rays of the sun tingling our skin as we sip our beverages. Saint Carlo Acutis was obsessed with Nutella (my kind of guy!), so I think he would appreciate the flavor of a mocha latte with hazelnut flavored syrup added in.

Carlo was born on May 3^rd, 1991 (one of my very good friends was born on this same day in 1991!). He was the son of Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano who lived in London at the time. Carlo loved all the normal things that those of us from the 90’s did: video games, the internet, and creating funny videos for YouTube. He was just a normal kid who loved to play sports and be with his friends. But he also very deeply loved the Lord.

Carlo began a strong devotion to the Eucharist at a very young age. His own mother has said how surprised she was by this because she nor her husband were especially devoted to their faith. The only times that she had been in Catholic Mass were her baptism, first communion, Confirmation, and marriage. And yet, her son felt the pull of the Eucharist and began attending daily Mass so as to keep himself centered with Christ. Because of his deep love for the Lord, his mother grew deeper in her own faith – meaning that he brought her back to the Lord! This really stands out to me because most teenagers and young people are dragged to Church by their parents, not the other way around! I wish that over coffee I could ask him how this all started as even his parents do not have a full answer. How did young Carlo, who was not dragged to Mass as a child, become so devoted to the Eucharist?

When he was not at Mass or adoration, Carlo was doing what most teenagers do – playing sports, video games, and being with his friends. He was a very disciplined boy, by his own choice, and was careful with how often he was on computers and gaming systems. He liked to only play for one hour a day so as not to waste the entire day away. As a gamer myself, I do recognize how easy it is to lose track of time when playing games, and it takes a strong individual to be able to turn it off after one hour.

His devotion to the Eucharist led him to research different Eucharistic miracles. He begged his parents to take him on pilgrimages to the spots where these miracles occurred. I can picture the awe on his face as he gazed upon the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ fully apparent in the Eucharist’s he visited. He wanted more people to be able to learn about these miracles where the Host truly became flesh and blood – so he used his computer knowledge to create a website which catalogued each miracle for anyone to be able to find them. This is a huge gift as the website is still live today! (https://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/Liste/list.html)

This teenage boy who loved sports, gaming, and who stuck up for other kids at school – was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of fifteen. This means that as a teenager he was told that his life would be over soon. I cannot imagine what I would have thought if this had happened to me. Carlo remained strong, welcoming his diagnosis as part of God’s Plan. Instead of wallowing in sorrow he decided to offer up his suffering for others: “I offer all the suffering I will have to suffer for the Lord, for the Pope, and the Church.”

Carlo Acutis passed away on October 12^th and left his loving parents, friends, and community behind. He had told his mother before his death not to be sad as he was excited to be with the Lord for eternity. He was buried in his jeans and favorite pair of Nikes as this was what he preferred to wear.

This Saint used the internet to reach people all over the world with the reminder that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. He loved his parents dearly and his mother has said that he sent her a miracle from heaven four years after his death: twins! She gave birth to a healthy son and daughter on October 12^th, 2010, exactly four years (to the day) that she gave her own son over to the Lord. What I take away from his story is that we are all called to be Saints. Yes, many of the Saints that we know of are from a very long time ago. However; Carlo is a child of the 90’s and he is proof that Saints are still walking among us today! To be a Saint is not to be perfect, old, a monk, etc. To be a Saint is to love the Lord with all our hearts and to strive endlessly for holiness. Just think, you may be friends with a future Saint right now!

Prayer:
Saint Carlo Acutis, you had a deep devotion of the Eucharist, fully understanding, even at a young age, that it truly is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This devotion brought your own family back to the faith in a powerful way. You did not keep quiet about your love of the Lord and desired for everyone to be able to learn about Him. Your website has ensured that people from all over the world are able to learn about Eucharistic miracles. May we too find a way to use our gifts to bring others closer to Christ. As someone so young, you are proof that Sainthood has no age limit and we are all called to be Saints! Saint Carlo Acutis, pray for us! Amen.

I hope you enjoyed learning about this Saint! The artwork above was created using AI and my own imagination (with help from my wonderful husband Joe!) – this is how I picture what it would be like to sit with Saint Carlo Acutis in a coffeeshop today. I would love for you to share your own thoughts in the comments below!

Cheers! ☕
Maggie