The Vatican is set to welcome thousands of pilgrims from around the world as Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati are canonized together on September 7, 2025.
This historic event marks the first time a millennial will be declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
Acutis, born in London in 1991, was a devout Catholic who used his computer-coding skills to spread the teachings of the Church, earning him the nickname “God’s Influencer”.
Acutis’s deep devotion to the Catholic faith was evident from a young age. According to his mother, Antonia Salzano, “he would go to mass and do the rosary each day.”
His faith was not limited to personal devotion; he actively sought to help those in need, often bringing food and blankets to beggars in Milan. Salzano described her son as “a child who could not be indifferent to sorrow”.
As a skilled coder, Acutis created websites for Catholic organizations, including one that listed miracles.
His mother noted that “Carlo was an internet geek, but he had the temperance to use technology for good, and was not exploited by it”. Acutis’s online presence was a testament to his dedication to spreading the Catholic message.
The canonization ceremony will take place in St. Peter’s Square, where thousands are expected to gather to celebrate the lives of these two young saints.
Acutis’s relics, including a splinter from his wooden bed and locks of his hair, have been on display in various churches, attracting a steady flow of pilgrims.
His body, dressed in a blue tracksuit top, jeans, and trainers, has been on view in the Santa Maria Maggiore church in Assisi, drawing over 1 million visitors in the past year.
Acutis’s mother believes that her son’s relics serve as a reminder that “each one of us is called upon to become holy”. “Carlo reminds us that it’s possible for everyone to become a saint,” she said.
This sentiment is echoed in the lives of both Acutis and Frassati, who demonstrated extraordinary devotion to their faith despite their youth.
Pier Giorgio Frassati, born in 1901, was a mountaineer and Third Order Dominican known for his charitable outreach. His motto, “Verso L’Alto” or “to the heights,” reflects both his love of mountain climbing and his spiritual aspiration toward heaven.
Frassati’s legacy has endured among Catholic youth movements and service organizations around the world.
The decision to canonize both men on the same day highlights the Vatican’s desire to place young, relatable models of holiness before today’s faithful.
As Andrea Vreede, Vatican correspondent for NOS, noted, “The church wants to have a young saint who is a millennial, somebody who belongs to the modern age”. This move is seen as part of the church’s quest to attract more young people to the faith.