Relic of Blessed Carlos Acutis
The relic of Blessed Carlos Acutis will visit St. Eunan’s Cathedral on Tuesday 19th September: 11 am – 3 pm
Blessed Carlo was born in London to Italian parents, but grew up in Milan where his family relocated when he was just a child. From a young age, he displayed an extraordinary devotion to his Catholic faith and attended Mass daily, regularly received the sacraments as well as developing a deep love for the Eucharist.
On the 10th October 2020, he was beatified by Pope Francis, becoming the first millennial to be declared ‘Blessed’ by the Catholic Church. The Church said that his beatification highlighted “the significance of his witness, particularly for the younger generation, demonstrating that holiness is attainable even in our modern world”.
Blessed Carlo Acutis would have been 32 years old on the 3rd May 2023, had the young man not died of leukaemia in 2006, at the age of 15. Acutis was known for centering his life around the Eucharist and attending Mass and Adoration daily.
The relic has travelled to Ireland from Assisi’s Sanctuary of the Renunciation, the Church where Blessed Carlo Acutis’ remains are housed and displayed. The church is located at the site where it is said that St. Francis of Assisi cast off his rich clothes and took up the poor habit. The relic is a first-class relic, meaning it is a piece of the body of Blessed Carlo Acutis.
The Relic will arrive from St. Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry for 11 am on Tuesday 19th September and will continue to Ards Friary at 3 pm.
Schedule of Prayer and veneration of the relic will be announced next week.
Prayer for the Canonisation of Blessed Carlo Acutis
O God, Our Father, thank you for giving us Carlo, a life example for the young, and a message of love for everyone. You made him become enamoured with Your Son Jesus, making of the Eucharist his “highway to heaven”. You gave him Mary, as a most loving Mother, and with the Rosary, you made him a poet of tenderness. Receive his prayer for us. Above all, gaze upon the poor, whom he loved and helped. Grant for me too, by his intercession the grace that I need . . . and make our joy fulfilled, placing Carlo among the Saints of your Church, so that his smile may shine again for us in the glory of your name. Amen. (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father)
