The canonizations of two faithful young adults

I will be missing my usual radio time this week, but will be back with John, Glen, and Sarah on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 8:20 am eastern. In the meantime, there is some big news in the church: this weekend, Pope Leo will canonize Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis. Carlo Acutis is the first millennial saint, being born in 1991. He was just 15 years old when he died. Pier Giorgio was born in 1901 but died at age 24. So, this is something people tend to focus on in discussing these two soon-to-be-saints: their youth. I have seen many takes along the lines of, “See! Young people, look! You can be holy like them, too!” And then a discussion of the novelty of how Carlo used the internet for evangelization. You know how those young people are with their computers!

I am being a little sarcastic here, but these takes do rub me the wrong way. I understand I am probably in the minority in that. But to me, every saint has something that everyone of any age and station can learn from or emulate, not just those who are demographically similar. It’s also a tad condescending to imply that it is exceptional when young people display holiness. The catalogue of saints is positively overflowing with children, teenagers, and young adults. Look at Maria Goretti, Joan of Arc, or St. Germaine Cousin. Pier Giorgio Frassati was the same age as St. Therese of Lisieux when she died. I’ve never heard anyone particularly fixate on her youth.

So instead, I’d point out the things from these saints that stand out to me aside from their youth: for Pier, it was both his optimism and love of the poor. Even some of this closest friends didn’t know the extent to which he visited and served the poor, until thousands of people showed up for his funeral. His most famous quote is, “Verso l'alto!" or, “To the heights!” He also said, "Jesus is with me. I have nothing to fear".

For Carlo Acutis, what stands out to me is how he was drawn to Mass and communion at a young age. From what I gather, his family were rather agnostic and it was by his request as a very young child that they began to attend Mass. From there, he maintained his faith, and it grew, even in the midst of growing up in a secular, 20th-century world. There are famously pictures of him hanging out with his friends, playing video games. So how did he do it? That’s what I want to know. How did he keep friends who were not as devout as him, and work on his eucharistic projects (using computers and the internet, as we know) without being seen by his secular friends as, well, weird? That’s what fascinates me. This is a big question for anyone, of any age, right now, when the culture at large is post-Christian. How do you live as a devout Catholic in a world which is opposed to just about everything you believe?

Nonetheless, this is a big occasion for the Church and the world. Carlo is the first millennial saint. They are canonized together for their similarities, one of which is, yes, their youth. To me, the bigger thing that unites them is their bravery. So, I pray that I may have their bravery, their love of the Lord, and to myself be with God in Heaven for eternity, as they most certainly are. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, pray for us!