Catholics worldwide are preparing for a historic moment as Blessed Carlo Acutis, the teenage computer whiz dubbed the “patron saint of the internet,” will be canonized on Sunday, September 7, alongside Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter’s Square, Rome.
The canonization, presided over by Pope Leo XIV during the Vatican’s Jubilee Year of Hope, will mark Acutis as the first millennial saint.
In the months leading up to the ceremony, a pilgrim relic of Acutis has traveled through Asia, drawing massive crowds for veneration.
The first-class relic, which included strands of his hair, first arrived in the Archdiocese of Seoul, South Korea, in November 2024 for an extended visit ahead of World Youth Day 2027.
Since then, it has continued its journey across the continent, providing the faithful with opportunities to honor the soon-to-be saint and reflect on his life. This week, Thailand became the latest country to welcome Acutis’s relics.
Father Suwat Leungsaard, CBCT deputy secretary-general, told LiCAS News about the relics’ global pilgrimage.
“On Wednesday, September 3, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand (CBCT) held a ceremony to welcome the World Youth Cross, which was given by the late Pope John Paul II on World Youth Day in 1984. The Holy Cross to the youth from the Holy Father is a sign of Christ’s mercy towards humanity and declared that ‘only through the death of Christ can humanity be saved,’” explained Fr. Suwat.
The priest explained that in 2003 Pope John Paul II introduced the image of Our Lady of Rome to accompany the World Youth Cross on pilgrimage, recognizing her as the guardian of the Roman people and of humanity.
Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, president of the CBCT, presided over the event on Wednesday in front of the CBCT office.
Father Dolthit Chatbanyong, director of the Catholic Commission for Laity, Youth Division, announced at the ceremony that the first-class relics, the image of Our Lady, and the Holy Cross will tour all 11 dioceses of Thailand from September 3 to October 19, before being handed over to the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference on October 20.
Hundreds of Thai Catholics flocked to St. Louis Church in Bangkok on Friday to venerate Acutis’s relic.
Among them was 11-year-old Grace, who recently visited Acutis’s tomb in Assisi during the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries.
She recalled seeing the young Italian “dressed in a dark blue pullover sweater” in the glass tomb and expressed her joy at experiencing his presence again in Thailand. “He is one of us,” Grace said.
Her mother, Maria Thearrat Amornnontarith, described the moment as deeply moving. “It’s a truly special, very emotional moment. We are overjoyed to have Carlo’s relic with us. Carlo Acutis is incredibly powerful and strengthens our Catholic faith,” she told LiCAS News.
Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at just 15, became widely known for his devotion to the Eucharist and for building a website cataloging Eucharistic miracles.
A typical teenager of his time, he loved video games and sneakers but stood out for his deep faith, offering his illness as a sacrifice to God.
The Vatican recognized two miracles attributed to Acutis: the healing of a six-year-old boy in Brazil in 2010 from a severe pancreatic malformation, and the recovery of a 21-year-old student in Italy from a brain hemorrhage last year.
Pope Francis, who promoted Acutis’s beatification, once highlighted the young man’s devotion to the Eucharist as “the highway to heaven.”
In his 2014 message to youth, the pope encouraged young people to imitate Acutis by making prayer before the Eucharist their “most important daily appointment.”
As the canonization approaches, Acutis’s relics continue to inspire Catholics across Asia and beyond. For many, his life and witness embody a bridge between the digital world and eternal faith, reminding the faithful, in his own words, that “our goal is heaven.”
