The Millennial Saint: A book tells the story of the 15-year-old internet-loving boy who will be canonized on Sunday.

Almost everything has been said and written about new technologies—which are no longer so new. One new aspect could be added: they can be a vehicle on the path to holiness . In fact, they were a key medium used to spread aspects of Catholicism. Carlo Acutis , who died in Italy in 2006 at the age of 15. He will be proclaimed a saint next Sunday, September 7, in St. Peter's Square . –the first millennial– by Pope Leo XIV in what is expected to be a mass ceremony.

From a religious perspective , Carlo's case is also unique . Becoming a saint at 15 is a rarity in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. But it becomes absolutely exceptional when the adolescent actually led an extraordinary religious life, enough to embrace holiness, but he was not a consecrated religious man (that is, one who took the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience), nor did he die a martyr (the other requirement for embracing holiness).

But what is most surprising is the great veneration he aroused , which has been intensified since 2020 when Francis declared him blessed (the first step toward sainthood). His tomb in Assisi—the birthplace of St. Francis—is visited by thousands of faithful.

In Argentina, more and more devotees of this teenager are joining the ranks every day. He dedicated himself to spreading the so-called Eucharistic miracles (the transubstantiation of the consecrated host) and apparitions of the Virgin Mary through the internet .

“ His connection with new technologies brought him closer to us in a faster and more comprehensive way , which makes him very Catholic, that is to say a great universal saint,” says the Argentine writer Jesús María Silveyra , author of several books on saints and now of San Carlo Acutis, a biography, which has just been published by the V&R editors label.

Silveyra says he was surprised that “as a child, he converted his parents to the path of faith they had lost.”

Her spirituality also caught her attention . “I was also struck by her spiritual discipline, since she received her First Communion at age seven, and she went to Mass every day, took Communion, adored the Blessed Sacrament, and prayed the rosary,” she says.

He notes that " he did this every day, from the age of seven until the age of fifteen, when he died . I am also impressed by his phrase: 'Happiness is looking to God.'"

Silveyra believes that the explanation for the fervor he provoked lies in the fact that "he died very young and his fame spread rapidly throughout the world through social media , but this, supported by the depth of his words and spiritual thought, added to a permanent smile on his face, even to the end of his days. Carlo," she adds, "bear[d] the pain with joy, saying: 'There are others who suffer more than I,' as he lay dying of terminal leukemia."

He also believes that Carlo can bring many young people—who are currently reluctant—toward religion . “His closeness through social media and the natural physicality of a young man who combined a desire to live and enjoy life with a spirituality that fueled the desire to be and live close to God, make him a saint within reach, a very special influencer of God,” he says. “As if he were saying to other young people: being close to God is not a bad thing, but a source of joy,” he adds.

Furthermore, Silveyra believes that new technologies can greatly contribute to the spread of faith , "although this does not imply nourishing faith solely with technology, nor allowing oneself to be spiritually formed by a Spiritual Intelligence, but rather knowing how to use them as tools for a greater good, as he did. In this sense," he notes, "Pope Francis said of Carlo: 'He was able to use new communication techniques to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values ​​and beauty.'"

San Carlo Acutis, a biography , by Jesus María Silveyra (V&R editors).