This weekend, the Catholic Church will get two new Italian saints, including the church’s first millennial saint.
“Blesseds” Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati — who are both beatified, the first step toward sainthood — will be canonized in the Vatican on Sunday, Sept. 7, the first such ceremony by Pope Leo XIV.
“The Holy Father will raise to the altars two 20th-century men whose lives were brief, but whose love for Jesus burned so brightly that they blazed a trail of holiness that continues to invite young people and indeed, all of us, to follow in their footsteps,” Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said in his bi-weekly column in Angelus.
Both future saints are especially recognized among Catholic youth and young adults.
Acutis was born to Italian parents May 3, 1991, in London, and died in Monza, northern Italy, Oct. 12, 2006, of leukemia. The millennial soon-to-be saint was 15. The young Acutis, whose tomb is in Assisi, was known for his computer coding and tech-savvy skills, as well as love of video games. As a young teen, he created a public virtual exhibit featuring over 100 recognized Eucharistic church miracles throughout history, church officials said. The exhibit has been displayed all over the world.
Frassati was born April 6, 1901, in Turin and died of polio on July 4, 1925, at age 24. He was known by the church for his athleticism, love of nature and hiking, adventurous spirit and charitable work. He believed that holiness is possible for everyone, even on earth, and became a humble inspiration for young Catholic men.
As part of the worldwide recognitions, Catholics in Southern California will be able to take part in activities throughout the weekend celebrating the church’s two newest saints.
In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, young people are invited to St. Agnes Catholic Church, 2625 Vermont Ave., at 5 p.m. Sept. 6 for a canonization celebration that will include games, music, and prayer. A first-class relic — the remains or possessions associated with a holy saint, categorized into three classes — of Acutis will also be on-site for people to venerate.
On Sunday, Sept. 7, Acutis’ relic — along with the relics of other young saints such as St. Maria Goretti and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río — will be installed in a ceremony at the “Chapel of Young Witnesses,” to be blessed by Gomez after the 10 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown L.A.
The Diocese of Orange will also celebrate Acutis’ and Frassati’s new sainthood at a vigil celebration at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Christ Cathedral, 12141 Lewis St., in Garden Grove. The event will include worship music, prayer and veneration of Acutis’ relic, and an early morning livestream of the canonization Mass at St. Peter’s Square.
And in the Inland Empire, the Diocese of San Bernardino will gather at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, at 12704 Foothill Blvd, in Rancho Cucamonga, for several events.
Those events kick off with a “Holy Hour” at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 4. The event includes adoration prayer at the church with the first-class relics (3 pieces of hair) of Acutis and a bone relic of Saint Bernardine of Siena, the patron saint of the diocese. A bilingual Mass with Bishop Alberto Rojas will be celebrated at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, at Sacred Heart Church, followed by Italian refreshments.
On Sunday, Sept. 7, beginning at 2 a.m., the church will livestream the canonization Mass in Vatican City. The relics will be available for people to see at the church beginning at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5 through 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7.
The Rev. Cristobal Subosa, pastor of Sacred Heart Church, said the relic’s visit to the parish is a blessing.
“For me as a pastor, it’s a blessing to the parish and especially to young people and their families, to be able to emulate the example of faith of blessed Carlo (Acutis). His story shows that, even from a young age, we can all be mature in our faith and make it our No. 1 priority in life. And the Eucharist is the highway to heaven — to be able to bring the good news of Jesus to other people, and to bring the community together,” Subosa said. “As a pastor, my prayer is that our people will be inspired and enriched by the presence of his relic, especially for family and children.”
There’s also another local link to Frassati’s canonization. In 2017, after suffering a serious leg injury while playing basketball, Juan Gutierrez, associate pastor at St. John the Baptist Church in Baldwin Park, prayed for Blessed Frassati’s intercession and was healed. The miracle helped in Frassati’s cause for sainthood, L.A. Archdiocese officials said.
The Archdiocese also created FriendswithFrassati.com as a place where people can find opportunities to reflect, pray and work in service with others, reflecting Frassati’s own life.
Haley Henry, coordinator of liturgy at Sacred Heart Church, said that as a young Catholic, the canonization of both saints, Acutis and Frassati, means “sainthood is obtainable.”
“As young people, it’s easy for us to be discouraged especially in the church, which has a history of being led by older generations,” Haley said. “It shows that we need to listen to young people too, and they have a voice. It’s a common misconception that youth are ‘the future’ of the church. We are in the pews now; we are the church.”
Acutis’ canonization, originally scheduled for April 27, was postponed following the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
Catholic News Service contributed to this report.