This year, the Catholic Church has experienced new energy in many different aspects, with the passing of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XVI, the canonization of seven new saints, and the Church’s Jubilee. In light of these events, we focus on a specific saint who was canonized, Saint Carlo Acutis. The Church also celebrated its Jubilee, a Jubilee which was named “Pilgrims of Hope”. With the state of our current world, finding faith and new saints to guide not only devout adult Catholics but also the next generation of Catholics is crucial to continuing the Church’s mission. Through all of the celebrations in the Church, Catholic youth around the world have been attracted to the Church in a new way, a way that inspires a new generation of faith to spread the Gospel throughout the world.
Every twenty-five years, the Catholic Church declares a Jubilee Year; these years symbolize exceptional years of the Church with a specific focus on reconciliation, homecoming, and pilgrimage. 2025 has been selected as a Jubilee Year, as it marks the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of our Lord; the Incarnation of our Lord refers to the time that Christ first came to Earth. The primary theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year is hope, with the title of the year being “Pilgrims of Hope.” As the most recent Jubilee Year was in 2000, the world has faced many obstacles since, including COVID-19, foreign conflict, and the climate crisis. Another element that makes this Jubilee Year so unique is its emphasis on getting the Catholic youth more involved. Leaders of the Church have made a special effort to include the youth by referring to the Jubilee year as the Jubilee of Young People. This gives the Catholic youth the incredible experience to transform and grow in their relationship with Christ.
On October 10th, 2020, the Catholic Church announced Carlo Acutis, a young Italian boy who passed away from Leukemia, as a blessed of the Church. Carlo was born on May 9th, 1991, in London to Italian parents. Shortly after he was born, his family moved to Milan, where he grew up. Carlo’s parents did not practice Catholicism, but his mother did all her sacraments and recognized their importance. Even at a young age, Carlo was intrigued by the Catholic churches and Jesus. He would look into them as he and his mother passed by in awe of their beauty. In school, Carlo was always standing up for his classmates who were being picked on. And outside of school, he would attend daily mass at his parish. He would ask himself why people weren’t lining up for Mass and Eucharistic Adoration like they were to see their favorite soccer team. Carlo truly believed that Jesus was in the Eucharist. He used teachings that we find in scripture to define his life. He knew that we must help the needy, and he did just that by helping homeless people in his hometown. Carlo also had the talent for computer programming, and he used these skills to create a website that highlighted Eucharistic miracles from around the world. However, in 2006, when Carlo was 15, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He only lived for five days after being in the hospital. He died on October 12, 2006. Today, young people around the world can see St. Carlo Acutis as a representation of the youth of the Church. He used his God given talents to spread the true miracle that was being done in the consecration of the bread into the body of Christ. Carlo lived out our Holy Child mission, Actions not Words, and became a saint because of it. He shows us that no matter your age or your background, sainthood can be for anyone. Christ is always ready to walk with you, and He can guide you to spread a good message across the world like St. Carlo Acutis did.
As members of the Catholic youth, we can look at these two major aspects of new life, the Jubilee Year and the canonization of Saint Carlo Acutis, with excitement towards the future of the Catholic Church. The youth have begun to be viewed as the current members of the Church, who are able to spread the word of the Lord and build up the Church, rather than just as the future of the Church, whose role will not be significant until the vague future. In an ever-changing society, it is always important to have all different voices and perspectives heard, and the Catholic Church is making this happen by focusing on the inclusion of younger Catholics. Pope Leo recently explained, “Young people of our time, like those of every age, are a volcano of life, energy, sentiments, and ideas. It can be seen from the wonderful things they are able to do.” Clearly, Pope Leo has a solid understanding of the possibilities that come with having the youth involved as active participants in the Church. At Oak Knoll, we focus on rooting ourselves in faith, wisdom, and service. Through the new presence of youth in the Catholic Church, we can see these pillars coming to life. By giving the youth the opening to involve themselves, they can become even more faithful, wise, and service-oriented and grow with the Church.