Diocese to welcome relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis

Source: Diocese of Shrewsbury

The Diocese of Shrewsbury is to welcome the relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the Italian teenager who is likely to become "the first millennial saint".

A relic of his heart will be brought to Wythenshawe, Manchester, for four days of public prayer, veneration and devotion.

Blessed Carlo, who was born in London to Italian parents, died from leukaemia in 2006 at the age of 15 after dedicating himself to spreading devotion of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist through a website he designed himself. He became known as 'God's influencer' because of his inventive use of social media in the cause of the 'new evangelisation'.

His relic, which is kept in an ornate reliquary, will arrive in St Anthony's Church, Wythenshawe, on the morning of Friday September 20 and will remain in the parish until the morning of Monday September 23.

The visit is expected to draw thousands of pilgrims, following the success of previous visits to the Diocese of Shrewsbury of the relic of the heart of St John Vianney in 2012 and the relics of St Bernadette of Lourdes in 2022.

St Anthony's Church is open to all people who have booked a time to prayer before the relic through an Eventbrite link on the website of the Diocese of Shrewsbury: www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org

The Rt Rev. Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury, said: "The witness of Blessed Carlo Acutis will continue among us through the pilgrimage of his relic.

"The days of prayer and celebration in Wythenshawe will invite us to draw closer to Jesus Christ as this teenager did in the first years of our century, above all by knowing His real and loving presence in the Holy Eucharist."

LINKS

Twitter: @ShrewsDiocese
Shrewsbury Diocese website: www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org