- 08
- Dec
- 2024

Relics of ‘internet saint’ connect with young people of Limerick
Sunday 8 December 2024: The relics of a devout Italian teenager, who died in 2006 from untreatable Leukemia, proved a big draw for young Limerick people as they were presented in the diocese last week.
Hundreds turned out at both the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Newcastle West and St. John’s Cathedral recently to venerate the relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis, who next year will be beatified a saint less than 35 years after he was born.
According to Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy, the number of young people, in particular, that turned up was especially heartening.
“The story of Carlo Acutis is one that so many young people gravitate to today and it was no different in Limerick as many young people came to see his relics. A number of schools gave students the option to attend both St. John’s Cathedral and Newcastle West and it said a lot about young people and their willingness to connect with faith that they attended,” he said.
“Many young people came from local schools, some in groups of 40 or so from different schools. Time off school is always popular, but the students were really respectful, and you could see that they could relate to Carlo Acutis’ story.
“That might be because he will be known as the only saint of the internet age so far. He is the internet disciple of Jesus who was buried in jeans and Nike shoes. The youth connect with him because he was so like so many of them. He played play-station, was a Spider-Man fan, loved sport. Yet he’ll be canonised a saint next year. He was an ordinary, modern boy who watched cartoons and used the internet but wanted holiness with all his heart at all times.”
From the age of three or four Caro Acutis had a devotion to Mary and always wanted his parents to go into Churches and pray, which was surprising to his parents as they were not practicing Catholics. He had a gift for empathy and was known for defending kids at school who got picked on, especially disabled kids, and had a particular care for immigrants. Later he created a website celebrating all the Eucharistic miracles of the world.
He was diagnosed with an untreatable Leukemia aged 15 and died not long after. He died in 2006 and at his request he was buried in Assisi because of his love of St. Francis. His cause for canonization began in 2013 and he was designated “Venerable” in 2018. A healing miracle has been attributed to his intercession and every day his family receives messages of healing and miracles from people praying to him.
Many people’s lives have been changed due to his witness of the faith but anyone who comes across his story is inspired, Bishop Leahy said.
“It was quite special to see his relics here in Limerick. There was a serenity about it, not least about the involvement of young people. It’s reassuring to think that we don’t have to look to long ago for saints and that there was one walking among us only a few short years ago whose relics were here in Limerick. I would encourage anyone to look up his story,” he added.
Ends