Canonization of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, the first saints of Pope Leo XIV

Those attendeding the canonization of the two newest Catholic saints are wearing a variety of T-shirts expressing their devotion.

“To see so many youth and young adults here, exuberantly passionate in their faith, gives me such hope for the Church. So much energy, so much devotion, so much joy!” said American Dana Marie Buchanan, who is attending the canonization of the two saints.

“St. Pier Giorgio touches young adults and inspires with his love of the Eucharist, his friendship with those who suffer, and his willingness to challenge himself, always climbing ‘Verso l’alto.’ And St. Carlo reaches out to teens, especially, making sanctity approachable, even for them, even in our current time. They both prove that sanctity is a universal call, for young and old.”

“What an honor to be here from Australia to witness the canonization of two young saints, the perfect examples for our modern times,” said Australian Caroline Khouri. “The joy in the atmosphere here is incredible and something I’ll remember forever. St. Carlo and St. Pier, pray for us.”

Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Italians Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis as saints of the Church on Sunday, decreeing their veneration among the Catholic faithful.

The canonizations of the two men, promulgated before an estimated 70,000 people in St. Peter’s Square, were the first of Leo’s pontificate.

Kristina Millare reports.

Watch below to see an EWTN special covering the excitement and inspiration in Rome ahead of the canonizations of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.

A new animated movie depicting the life of Carlo Acutis will be released on Sept. 7 — the same day the young boy, beloved by Catholics around the world, will be declared a saint by the Catholic Church.

“Carlo Acutis, God’s Influencer” brings to life the story of the Church’s first millennial saint who used his passion for technology and the internet to spread his love for the Eucharist and the Catholic faith to people around the world.

The animated film offers children and their families a way to learn about the life of Acutis, depicting his perseverance in faith and the importance of placing one’s talents in the service of God and others.

Learn more here.

The Sept. 7 canonizations of Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati will be a crucial step in a decades-long effort to attract people to the Catholic faith through young, holy patrons.

“Their canonization confirms that holiness is not an abstract ideal but can manifest itself in contemporary ways, close to the sensibilities of young people, in the present and now … through friendship, study, family, the challenges of today, and even through illness faced with Christian hope,” said Leticia Arráez, a communications researcher at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

According to Arráez, the last 40 years have seen youth become “major protagonists” in shaping the Church’s identity and spearheading its evangelical mission throughout the world.

Find out more.

Before he was known as a soon-to-be-saint, Carlo Acutis was simply a boy in a school uniform, lugging his backpack through the hallways of the Tommaseo Institute in Milan. His teachers remember him as joyful, a bit of a prankster, and passionate about his Catholic faith.

“He was certainly not a perfect student,” Sister Monica Ceroni, Acutis’ middle school religion teacher, recalled. He sometimes forgot his homework or showed up late. But he had a “healthy curiosity” and “and wanted to get to the bottom of things.”

Courtney Mares has more here.

“When he became passionate about something, he didn’t give up,” she told EWTN News.

The young faces of Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991–2006) and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925) will be immortalized in special stamps issued on the occasion of their canonization. The canonization ceremony will be presided over by Pope Leo XIV on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 7, in St. Peter’s Square.

To pay tribute to these two young witnesses of the Gospel, the Postal and Philatelic Service of the Governorate of Vatican City State, in collaboration with the postal authorities of Italy, the Republic of San Marino, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, have prepared a special issue of commemorative stamps, according to the service’s website.

Find out more here.

On Sept. 7, Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis together with Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati as the first new saints of his pontificate. A gamer and computer coder who loved the Eucharist, Carlo Acutis will be the first millennial Catholic saint.

So who is Blessed Carlo? Here’s what you need to know.

Children from a Catholic parish in Sydney, Australia, put together an original play about the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis that has inspired Eucharistic devotion among the kids and families in the community.  

Father Epeli Qimaqima, parish priest of St. Joachim Parish, told CNA that the play sparked lasting spiritual transformation and “brought the parish together in more ways than one.” 

“It was not writing a play for the sake of having a play,” Qimaqima said. “But I had been pondering as parish priest how we can catechize the family in this day and age.”

Learn more about the play here.

From African cities to American suburbs and from Australia to Wales, schools named after the Italian teenager known for his Eucharistic devotion and computer savvy are multiplying rapidly. More than a dozen schools already bear his name, many of which will soon be undergoing a name change from “Blessed” to “St. Carlo Acutis.”

Courtney Mares has the full story here.

EWTN News and EWTN Studios are joining forces in Rome to televise the canonizations of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. In addition to the canonizations, viewers who want an in-depth look at the life and legacy of these two young saints-to-be will have the opportunity to tune in to 12 EWTN special programs, including animated children’s programs. 

Here’s the full lineup.