Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old teenager, was canonised by Pope Leo XIV at Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Sept. 7, 2025.

As the first saint born in the Millennial era, St. Carlo Acutis has captivated the hearts of hundreds of thousands of Catholics worldwide, with people of different nationalities and ages visiting his tomb.

Carlo acutis was born in london in 1991, but was raise in Italy. Growing up he had developed a passion for catholicism and technology, which he used to spread the catholic faith. He died of leukemia in 2006 and after his death two miracles were accredited to him which led to his canonization.

Carlo Acutis love for the Eucharist were recognised by the late Pope Francis. Father Michael Collins, a priest at the Archdiocese of Dublin, wrote a book on the new saint, God’s Influencer: A short biography of Carlo Acutis.

Fr. Collins told TheCity.ie that there has already been an increase in young people who are showing interest in the new saint.

“I regularly get people contacting me saying ‘that I’ve been interested in Carlo Acutis’ and they share with me their stories” he said.

Nowadays, when the Church is experiencing a lack of young Christians, Saint Carlo Acutis serves as a reminder that even the younger generation can be influenced through modern Eucharistic practice.

“The fact that he combined a reverence for the Eucharist, which has been in the church since the beginning, with new ways of presenting the Eucharist to the younger generation makes him an important saint,” Fr. Michael Collins added.

Aside from being an inspiration to the youth, Saint Carlo Acutis has also impacted the development of the modern Eucharist.

In his lifetime, St Carlo Acutis was fascinated with the internet. In his life the internet was still in its infancy, but that did not stop him from creating his own website and documenting the Eucharistic miracles from different places he visited.

Dr. John Scally a lecturer in theology at Trinity College, Dublin, told TheCity.ie that although the new saint doesn’t have a huge theological significance, he has so much to offer to the development of the modern Eucharist.

“I would see him as an innovator, I mean he’s gone bravely where no saint has gone before in terms of taking the church in a new direction.” Dr. Scally said.

Dr. Scally explained that in this new generation, St Carlo Acutis has developed a method that would allow him to easily connect with people.

“Jesus was a brilliant communicator because he communicated in the language of the time, in ways that people could understand. So young people can relate to Carlo, and he was able to come up with a new way of nurturing Eucharistic devotion” he said.

In his first few weeks as saint, St Carlo Acutis has already caught the devotion of the masses and it could possibly help in promoting the Catholic faith to people and specifically the younger generation.

Dr. John Scally said he “would not have great confidence in the fact that the church is using Carlo, as a poster boy to sell Catholicism […] Carlo’s story on his own is not going to be enough to save the church. We need much more people getting involved and living, being ambassadors for Jesus on Earth.”

Fr. Michael also pointed out that having a saint from this era is more than a publicity stunt for the church. “The church would be foolish to look as if it’s looking for publicity […] all we want to do is share when there is good news.”

St Carlo Acutis’ tomb is currently housed at the Santa Maria Maggiore church in Assisi, Italy, where devotees visit and pray to him daily.