Saint Carlo Acutis was born on May 3, 1991 in London and eventually moved to Milan, Italy. While his family was not particularly religious at the time, Carlo demonstrated great interest in Catholic churches from a young age. He was commonly observed praying before and after Mass at the tabernacle. He also went to Confession weekly. He enjoyed visiting Assisi and the tomb of St. Francis.
In addition to his love for the Church, Carlo was like other kids his age and loved playing video games and soccer. He was deeply interested in computers and taught himself how to code and build websites for Catholic organizations. His most popular website listed Eucharistic miracles from around the world based on a catalog he compiled since age 11. He completed the site shortly before his death.
Carlo was also known to give away his pocket money to the poor, to speak up in defense of the disabled, and he had a habit of inviting kids whose parents were divorcing to his house to support them.
When Carlo developed leukemia as a teenager, he offered up his suffering for Pope Benedict XVI and the Church. He said, "I offer all the suffering I will have to suffer for the Lord, the Pope, and the Church." As part of his devotion, Carlo asked his parents to take him to various Eucharistic shrines, although his declining health made travel increasingly difficult. Carlo died on October 12, 2006 at age 15.
Exactly four years to the day after his death, his mother gave birth to twins which she attributed to her son's intercession. She also said her son has appeared to her in dreams foretelling his canonization.
Carlo Acutis was named a "Servant of God" in 2013. A miracle was attributed to him in November of 2019 when a young boy born with a pancreatic defect was miraculously cured. Pope Francis announced the beatification of Carlo Acutis while visiting Assisi in 2020. In 2024, his intercession was attributed to a second miracle—a 21-year-old Costa Rican girl who was healed from a serious head injury after a bicycling accident in Italy. This led to Pope Francis declaring that he would be recognized as a saint in 2025, during the Jubilee Year. He was canonized on Sunday, September 7, 2025. His mother, father, and younger siblings were present at the canonization.