Carlo Acutis was born in London (Great Britain) on May 3, 1991, to Italian parents: Andrea and Antonia Salzano, who were in the City for work. He was baptized on May 18 in the church of “Our Lady of Dolours” in London. In September 1991 the family returned to Milan. At the age of four, his parents enrolled him in nursery school, which he attended with great enthusiasm. When the time came for compulsory schooling, he was enrolled at the San Carlo Institute in Milan. After three months he was transferred to primary school at the Tommaseo Institute of the Marcelline Sisters, because it was closer to his home.

June 16, 1998 marked a decisive stage in his life: he received his first Communion, earlier than the usual age, thanks to a special permission from his spiritual director, Don Ilio Carrai, and Archbishop Pasquale Macchi, former personal secretary of Saint Paul VI. The celebration took place in the Monastery of the Romite of the Order of Saint Ambrose ad Nemus in Bernaga di Perego (Lecco).

Another important milestone for Carlo was the Sacrament of Confirmation, on May 24, 2003, which was conferred on him in the church of Santa Maria Segreta, by Monsignor Luigi Testore, former secretary of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini and parish priest of San Marco in Milan.

At fourteen, he went to the classical high school of the Leone XIII Institute in Milan, directed by the Jesuit Fathers, where he fully developed his personality. With a computer engineering student, he took care of the website of the Milanese parish to which he belonged. Although his studies were particularly demanding, he spontaneously decided to dedicate part of his time to preparing children for Confirmation, teaching Catechism in the parish of Santa Maria Segreta. That same year, he designed the new website for volunteering at the Leone XIII Institute, and promoted and coordinated the creation of commercials for volunteering by many classes as part of a national competition. He spent the entire summer of 2006 designing the website for this project, also organizing that of the Pontifical Academy “Cultorum Martyrum”.

At the school of St. Francis of Assisi

Because of his affability and cordial hilarity, Carlo was always the center of attention of his friends, also because he helped them in using the computer and its programs. There are many certificates of recognition of his computer skills and his complete willingness to make them available to his schoolmates and anyone who needed them, including family members. One of Carlo's characteristics was to spend most of his holidays in Assisi in a family home. In the Umbrian town, in addition to having fun with friends, he learned to know Saint Francis and Saint Clare. From the Poverello he learned to respect creation and to dedicate himself to the poorest. The examples of the Seraphic Father and Saint Anthony of Padua pushed him to practice charity towards the poor, the needy, the homeless, and immigrants, whom he also helped with the money saved from his weekly allowance.

Love for the Eucharist and devotion to the Madonna

The core of Carlo's spirituality was the daily encounter with the Lord in the Eucharist. He often repeated: "The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven!" This was the center of his entire existence spent in friendship with God.

This translated, after his first Communion, into attending Mass every day, with the permission of his spiritual director. A great devotee of the apparitions and the message of Fatima, in imitation of the Little Shepherds, he offered small sacrifices for those who did not love the Lord Jesus present in the Eucharist. When, due to school commitments, he could not go to Mass, he made spiritual Communion. He also carried out a valuable work of apostolate among his schoolmates and friends, explaining to them the Eucharistic mystery with the use of the stories of the most important Eucharistic miracles that had occurred over the centuries.

Thus, as an apostle of the Eucharist, Carlo chose to use his computer genius to design and create an international exhibition on “Eucharistic Miracles”. It is a large photographic exhibition with historical descriptions, which presents several of the main Eucharistic miracles (about 136) that have occurred over the centuries in countries around the world and recognized by the Church.

The other fundamental pillar of Carlo's spirituality was devotion to the Madonna. This was expressed in the daily recitation of the Rosary, in the consecration to her Immaculate Heart and in the planning of a scheme of the pious exercise that he reproduced with his computer. He dedicated particular attention to the Last Things, which projected his existence into the reality of eternal life.

Illness and death

In October 2006, Carlo contracted type M3 leukemia, considered the most aggressive form, which was initially mistaken for a strong flu. He was admitted to the De Marchi Clinic in Milan. Later, due to the worsening of his condition, he was transferred to the San Gerardo hospital in Monza, where there is a specialized center for that type of leukemia. A few days before being admitted, he offered his life to the Lord for the Pope, for the Church, to go to Heaven. In the hospital, a priest administered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to him. Some of the nurses and doctors who were treating him were edified by his acceptance of his illness and suffering. Brain death occurred on October 11, 2006; his heart stopped beating at 6:45 a.m. on October 12.

The news of his birth into Heaven spread immediately among his classmates and those who had known him. After his body was laid to rest in his home, a continuous influx of people paid him their last respects. The funeral was held in the church of Santa Maria Segreta in Milan on 14 October 2006. His body was buried in the family tomb in Ternengo (Biella), then in February 2007 it was transferred to the municipal cemetery of Assisi to satisfy his wish to remain in the city of Saint Francis. On 5-6 April 2019, Carlo's mortal remains were transferred to the Santuario della Spogliazione, church of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Assisi.

Traits of spirituality

In the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Carlo learned to recognize God's love for humanity. In it he found the quickest way to access the treasures of divine grace and it made him a faithful disciple of the Master. In love with Jesus, he never tired of announcing to the world the indescribable joy of friendship with God. The real presence of Jesus Christ in the consecrated Host was for Carlo a reality from which every good thing came to him. It was also the guarantee that man is never left alone, not even in the hardest moments of trial. His days therefore became centered around the Mass and, when he could, he also stopped in Eucharistic adoration. In his short life, he continually put evangelical values into practice, making himself a herald of Christ not only with words, but above all with the testimony of his life.

Carlo's Legacy

As a young layman, he was able to revive the fervor and Christian practice in many consecrated people and Priests. He lived entirely focused on the Absolute, on Jesus who he felt close and present. He was also a witness in the school environment, as a model for students of all levels. The main legacy that Carlo left, especially to the new generations, is the coherence of life with the values of the Gospel. Precisely because of his ability to share the mysteries of faith with others, Carlo can be defined as a true apostle in all the environments in which he lived, which are typical of an adolescent: family, school, sports, free time, travel, games.

In particular, to children and young people of all times, Carlo indicates that in the Eucharist is found the salvation that never disappoints. Living intensely the mystery of the Mystical Body of Christ, he shows everyone the need to practice charity. In fact, he promoted acceptance and peace between people of different ethnic groups, languages and traditions. He asked to embrace the needs of the homeless and the poorest that are encountered on the streets of the world. In the face of violence, wars, conflicts even within families, Carlo suggests opting for Christ and his Gospel and entrusting oneself to the maternal protection of Mary.

An authentic witness of Christ in all the environments in which he lived, his existence is a shining example for today's youth. In fact, the message that Carlo transmits to the new generations is more important and timely than ever. He invites us not to look at the limited earthly horizon, but to project life towards a reality that already begins in this world and will have its fulfillment in the afterlife.