Our faith teaches us to look to the Saints as examples of great love and faith. Students at St. Michael’s School learn about the lives of many saints and we teach them that they should aspire to be saints too. It is sometimes difficult for children (and adults) to relate to the Saints, because so many of them lived so long ago.
Students in Mrs. Morey’s and Mrs. Wright’s Religion classes have been learning about the life of a contemporary Saint in the making, Blessed Carlo Acutis. Carlo was born on May 3, 1991, to an Italian family living in England. He was fascinated by computers and eventually became a programmer. He is known for his documentation of Eucharistic miracles and he even created a website to post his stories. At the age of 15, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and died within a few weeks in Italy on October 12, 2006.
Carlo’s mother gave birth to twins at the age of 44, four years after his death. She attributes the births to Carlo’s intercession. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints also attributes Carlo’s intercession to a miracle in Brazil. A young boy, Mattheus, was born with a pancreatic defect that made eating difficult. His mother prayed a novena to Carlo asking for his intercession, and Mattheus was healed. Carlo was beatified on October 10, 2020, at the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. His feast day is October 12.
Carlo is a wonderful contemporary example for our students. He was a “computer geek,” who liked films, comic editing, and playing video games. He also regularly wore hooded sweatshirts and Nike tennis shoes. Next week Tuesday, October 12, on his feast day, students in all grades at St. Michael’s School will learn more about him. We will pray the prayer (see below) and watch a short video about his life (also below). Students may wear jeans, sweatshirts, and Nike tennis shoes (or any other sneakers) to school that day. Who knows, maybe a future saint is among our midst?
Deo Gratias,
Kathy
