The Exaltation of the Cross & Saint Carlo Acutis
God’s Influencer for All Generations
Dear Parish Family,
On September 7, 2025, the Church joyfully canonized Saint Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian teenager and the first millennial saint. Known affectionately as “God’s Influencer,” Carlo lived a short but deeply impactful life, marked by a profound devotion to the Holy Eucharist and a love for using modern technology to evangelize.
As we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14, the life of Saint Carlo offers us a fresh and powerful lens through which to contemplate the mystery of the Cross. At just 15 years old, Carlo embraced the Cross in his own life—through his daily Mass, his personal sacrifices, his offering of suffering during leukemia, and his deep Eucharistic faith. For Carlo, the Cross was not a burden, but a bridge – as he called “The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven.”
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is not just a remembrance of an ancient relic; it is a call to lift high our own crosses in union with Christ. Saint Carlo models this beautifully—not in grand gestures, but in the ordinary rhythm of daily life: in prayer, in technology used for good, in love for others, and in silent endurance of suffering.
“All people are born as originals, but many die as photocopies,” Carlo once said.
What a powerful challenge to us all to live authentically, to love generously, and to pursue holiness in the midst of our everyday lives.
Whether you are young or old, healthy or homebound, active or quietly prayerful—your life matters in the Body of Christ. Carlo’s life is the fruit of the faith passed on by parents, grandparents, priests, catechists, and everyday saints—people like you.
As we honor the Cross this week, may we, like Saint Carlo, embrace it not as a symbol of loss, but of victory and transformation. May we lift high the Cross in our own lives, and through it, lead others to Christ.
Saint Carlo Acutis, pray for us!
May we, like you, be holy, be original, and be God’s.