Inspired by Carlo Acutis: Projects, Schools and Shrines Adopt First Millennial Saint as Patron
Here is a snapshot of three projects and their impact on the Catholic communities in which they reside.
During the last few years, there has been an explosion of schools, shrines and projects named after and inspired by Carlo Acutis — who will be canonized on April 27 — around the world.
Did you know there’s a boarding school in Malawi, an elementary school in Australia, a joint Catholic/Anglican school in England, a school in Wales and a Catholic educational foundation in Chile all named after Carlo?
The list goes on and on and on.
Here is a snapshot of three projects and their impact on the Catholic communities in which they reside:
Ireland
During the summer of 2023, two young Irish musicians entertained a crowd at a Legion of Mary event in Dublin. Séamus Ong played traditional music on the uillean pipes alongside his sister Mary-Aoife on her flute. Two Italian Capuchin brothers were in the audience that day, and their friendship with these Irish siblings would make a major impact in their lives. The Capuchins were in Ireland to study English.
“We knew next to nothing about Carlo Acutis,” said Mary-Aoife, who is 24 years old today. Her brother Séamus is 21.
“The Capuchin brothers exchanged phone numbers with us and wanted to get together. We ended up inviting them over for tea to our house where we live with our parents, and they told us their story of how they became Capuchin brothers,” she said.
Afterwards, the Capuchins invited the entire Ong family to visit them in Assisi.
“We arrived in Assisi during the week of St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day in October 2023. The Capuchins took us under their wings and showed us everything. Then they took us to Carlo Acutis’ tomb,” Mary-Aoife said.
Prior to visiting Carlo Acutis’ tomb, she had been having panic attacks for two years.
“But after seeing Carlo’s tomb and praying there, all my panic attacks just stopped. They have never come back since then,” she said.
The Ong family loved Carlo’s story, and once they returned to Ireland, Mary-Aoife and Séamus decided they had to speak about Carlo to other young people in their country. The group they became a part of is called Carlo Acutis Ireland. The Ong siblings are in charge of youth evangelization. The group has the support of Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, primate of Ireland, and Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi.
“We didn’t know where to start when we came back from Assisi, but we had brought back a relic of Carlo’s. The first thing we did was create a shrine under the stairs in our house for people to come and pray to Carlo,” Mary-Aoife said.
The relic is a little piece of cloth that Carlo was wrapped in after his body was exhumed. It is a second-class relic given to them by the Capuchin friars who exhumed Carlo's body from the Assisi cemetery (his body was originally buried in the Piedmont region and the moved to Assisi’s cemetery and then reinterred in Assisi’s Shrine of the Renunciation). The relic stays in the Ongs’ house shrine. People visit their house frequently and pray for resolutions to all kinds of problems: family problems, mental health, alcoholism, etc.
“We prayed to Carlo to help us to bring people to our house, and people began to come,” recounted Mary-Aoife.
The second relic that Carlo Acutis Ireland has is a lock of his hair. This relic travels all over Ireland to parishes, churches and hospitals upon request.
“We decided to take a year off of university for this project,” said Mary-Aoife. “We prayed, ‘If this is your project, Carlo, help it to work.’ And it really has. We couldn’t have done this ourselves.”
Since then, the Ong siblings average about three events per week: bringing Carlo’s relic to hospitals to pray with people, taking part in Eucharistic adoration services, and speaking at elementary schools and university groups, as well as video calls to promote Carlo.
“We bring people together and let them experience the sacraments. My brother has met many famous musicians, and he invites people over to our house and speaks to them about the Catholic faith. It has been a really incredible journey,” Mary-Aoife said. “Carlo has brought so much happiness to our family. He has increased our devotion to the Eucharist.”
Given the pervasive secular culture in Ireland, speaking about Carlo Acutis has brought hope for renewal to Catholics there.
“During the last 10 years, there has been a huge increase in secularism in Ireland,” said Mary-Aoife. “But we have also noticed in the last year that people are more open and searching for meaning. When I go to speak about Carlo at the university [Maynooth University and TU Dublin], I see young people who are really interested: This ranges from very devout people to non-practicing Catholics.”
“Carlo Acutis is a revolution. He makes faith accessible. People are very intrigued,” she said. “Our hope is that Carlo can give people hope and create little communities to become people of joy.”
Texas
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston boasts an area of 8,980 square miles. Within this vast area, there are only 11 high schools. One area of the city — 60 miles in diameter — has no Catholic high school at all.
In 2022, a group of concerned parents and community members decided to get together and see if they could do something about this.
“In early 2024, we presented a feasibility study to the Catholic Schools Board,” said María José Valladares, vice president of the proposed Carlo Acutis Catholic High School. “Our first name was Holy Family School. We met with Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston-Houston Italo Dell’Oro.”
The group wanted the school to be unapologetically Catholic and centered on the Eucharist.
“Bishop Dell’Oro said, ‘If you want the school to be centered on the Eucharist, why not name it after Carlo Acutis?’ He added, ‘And I am not just saying this because I am from Milan!’ [where Carlo Acutis grew up].”
The group decided to pray on this decision.
“I had already heard about him,” said Valladares. “But the other four board members did not know much about Carlo. We scheduled a meeting just to talk about Carlo Acutis as the new name of our school, and we all got the chills because we all had one moment when we realized that if we didn’t choose Carlo, we had blinders on. The moment we began to pray to Carlo, many doors began to open.”
The project received legal status in late spring 2024, with official founding and incorporation in fall 2024. The school’s goals are to form disciples, teach academic excellence and build community.
“We want to use technology well, like Carlo. We want to spread the word about Carlo,” Valladares said.
The proposed high school is looking for financial donations, as well as establishing a partnership with a religious order to teach. They are looking to build a school for 400 students, with plans to open in fall 2027 (learn more at CarloCatholic.org).
“But I anticipate that this number will grow,” said Valladares.
New Jersey
During a 2021 pilgrimage to Assisi, a Polish parish priest from New Jersey requested a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis for his home parish of St. Dominic’s in Brick, New Jersey.
“Father Marian Kokorzycki met with the apostolic nuncio of Poland, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, to request a relic of Blessed Carlo to be brought back here to St. Dominic and the Diocese of Trenton. Archbishop Pennacchio agreed and allowed the relic to be brought here for veneration,” said Christina Armellino, director of the Diocesan Shrine to Blessed Carlo Acutis.
An official Mass was held at St. Dominic’s on April 28, 2022, during which Carlo’s relic was officially received the Bishop David O’Connell of Trenton. The relic was then displayed for veneration in the church.
In September 2023, Antonia Acutis Salzano — Carlo’s mother — called the pastor of St. Dominic’s, Father Brian Patrick Woodrow, from Italy.
“It was then that she told Father Brian she would like to visit our parish and her son’s shrine,” said Armellino. “While our parish already had the relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis, it wasn’t until Antonia Acutis Salzano came to our parish on Oct. 1, 2023, that the relic found its new home.”
On Oct. 1, 2023, St. Dominic’s officially opened its diocesan shrine dedicated to Carlo Acutis.
“It was truly the most spiritual and beautiful moment as Antonia carried her son’s relic, processing down the aisle of our Church and placing him into the shrine. Since, it has never been moved and will remain where she placed her son,” Armellino said.
The shrine is located inside St. Dominic’s candle room, just as you enter the main church doors.
“There you will find a total of 17 relics of different saints. The ambiance of the space includes candlelight from St. Killians’ candles [brand of votives], beautiful statuary, and the sound of Gregorian chants in the background,” she said.
Ever since then, the faithful, from parishes, ministries and schools, come on pilgrimage to visit the shrine and venerate Carlo’s relic.
“We have seen an incredible number of pilgrims, young and old, coming to pray to this young saint here at our parish. Since the canonization announcement, the request for group pilgrimages has been incredible. We have welcomed groups as large as 130 students to smaller ministry groups. Pilgrims travel from across the country or even just across the state, far and wide, to visit Carlo Acutis and pray for his intercession. It’s truly a blessing to see, and meet, new people who just stop in throughout the day,” said Armellino.
The shrine has rejuvenated the spiritual life of those who work in and around the parish, including Armellino.
“My faith has grown tremendously, as I am always thinking of, speaking of and learning more every day about this inspiring young saint. Carlo was an unexpected gift in my life, as he redirected me through his insights on Jesus and the Eucharist at a time when I really needed it the most. My perspectives and priorities have shifted as my prayer life has increased,” she said.
“I often speak to Carlo as if he were my younger and yet wiser brother, asking for guidance, intercession, and I joke with him often. I absolutely love sharing his life with our pilgrims; it’s the best part of my day. Imagine — getting to work with (and in a way, for) a saint every day. How awesome is that!”
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