Posted: Sunday, 7 September 2025
Carlo Acutis, the teenager was canonised on Sunday, 7 September 2025 by Pope Leo XIV, was also somehow inspired by Don Bosco's spirituality in his journey of faith. His love for the Eucharist, seen as "the highway to Heaven", was at the centre of his life and actions, in line with the Salesian spirituality that places the encounter with God at the centre and that Don Bosco proposed as the pillar of his educational system along with devotion to Mary Immaculate.
In a telephone conversation with Fr Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General for the Causes of the Saints of the Salesian Family, Carlo's mother, Antonia Salzano, spoke of Don Bosco's presence in Carlo's life and that of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, Salesian Cooperator, a Eucharistic mystic.
Antonia recalled how Carlo had photocopied a book that commented on the Catechism of St Pius X with episodes from Don Bosco's life. She also recalled how several times with Carlo she had gone to the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin to attend Holy Mass and to pray at the casket of the saint of young people and pray to St Dominic Savio, who was a model for Carlos especially in his commitment to "doing catechism". Talking about the relationship between Carlo and Dominic Savio, his mother Antonia recounted an event that took place in a school Carlo attended. In a classroom there was a painting of St Dominic Savio that someone wanted to remove, claiming that he was an outdated saint. Carlo firmly opposed this, defending the exemplarity of his life and the relevance of his witness.
In the exhibition conceived by Carlo Acutis and dedicated to Eucharistic miracles, he speaks of Don Bosco as a saint who was always devoted to the Eucharist and of the numerous writings in which the saint speaks of the importance of this sacrament. He recounts the episode when, as there were only eight Hosts left in the pyx, Don Bosco began to multiply them so that he could give communion to the 360 boys present at Mass.
Concerning his relationship with Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, his mother underlines how Carlo was struck both by the fact that for about 13 years the Portuguese mystic lived only by the Eucharist and how she was the recipient of Jesus' request for the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in harmony with the message of Fatima. Carlo also speaks of Alexandrina in the exhibition dedicated to Eucharistic miracles:
'Also in the exhibitions dedicated to Hell, Purgatory and Paradise and the one dedicated to Angels and Demons Carlo speaks of Don Bosco, Blessed Alexandrina and Saint Dominic Savio recounting some of their visions and experiences linked to the ultimate realities of Christian life'.
Carlo's passion for information technology and his ability to use technology to spread the Gospel are in line with the Salesian approach to evangelisation, which aims to reach young people through modern and creative means. Don Bosco himself used innovative methods to approach young people, and Carlo Acutis followed in his footsteps by using technology as a tool for holiness. Carlo's mother also confided how Carlo, inspired by Don Bosco's preventive system, advised a careful and vigilant use of the new means of communication, recognising both their value, but also their risks and dangers.
In short, Carlo Acutis embodied the Salesian spirit through his profound Eucharistic spirituality, his creative use of technology to evangelise and his love for others, demonstrating that holiness is attainable even in modern environments and that faith can be witnessed through concrete and loving acts. To the children and young people of today, he offers his "kit for becoming a saint": a great desire for holiness, daily Mass, Communion and Rosary, a daily ration of the Bible, some Eucharistic adoration, weekly confession, and a willingness to give something up for others.
