6 young millennials on their way to the altars in the Catholic Church

Six young people who lived with a deep faith and a life commitment to the church that founded Jesus are on their way to the altars, most of them on their way to beatification.

From Carlo Acutis, the “cyber and the Eucharist”, to Akash Bashir, the first servant of God of Pakistan who gave his life protecting the faithful, these witnesses from the end of the twentieth century challenge the idea that holiness is a thing of the past of the past of the past .

Here we tell you a little about these young millennials – born between 1980 and 2004 – who followed Jesus with all his heart and today are a source of inspiration for the new generations.

1. Capently pierged

The Servant of God Pierancelo Capuzzi He was a young Italian who suffered from leukemia since the age of 14, but lived with a strong faith and deep confidence in God. He was born in Taranto in 1990 and grew in a serene environment with his family in Faggiano.

His illness, far from plunging him into hopelessness, led him to intensify his spiritual life, dedicating his time to prayer, study and contemplation of the beauty of creation. Admirer of the Thought of the Saints and with a great passion for the history of the Church, his testimony of serenity and delivery left an indelible mark on those who knew him. He died on April 30, 2008, at age 17, with the conviction that his suffering was a gift from the Lord.

On April 26, 2018, the Holy See granted the Níhil obstat For the opening of its cause of beatification, and on January 20, 2024, the Diocesan phase of the process concluded, after an exhaustive compilation of testimonies and documents about their life and virtues.

Now, all documentation will be sent to Dicastery for the causes of the saints in the Vatican, where it will be evaluated by theologians and historians. If its heroic virtues are recognized, Pierangelo will be declared venerable, which will mark a new step in its path to the altars.

2. Hna. Clare Crockett

The Hna. Clare Crockett She was a young woman who abandoned a promising career in the world of cinema and television to surrender to God as a religious of the mother’s home. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1982 and, although his life seemed to be directed to artistic life, an encounter with Christ during a retirement changed his destiny. She felt God’s call, entering the congregation in 2001 and casting her perpetual votes in 2010. Her life was marked by a cheerful spirit, a total delivery to others and a testimony of faith that impacted many. He died on April 16, 2016 at Ecuador’s earthquake, while helping his students in a community school in Playa Prieta.

On January 12, 2024, the diocesan phase of its cause of beatification was officially opened in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, after the Dicasterio for the causes of the saints granted the nothing stands In 2023. Since his death, numerous testimonies have reported thanks and conversions attributed to their intercession, including religious vocations and possible miracles. Now, the ecclesiastical court will investigate its life and heroic virtues, a key step on the road to its possible beatification.

3. Matteo Farina

Matteo Farina He was a young Italian born in 1990 in Brindisi. Inspired from a young age by San Francisco and Padre Pío, he developed an intense spiritual life, with great devotion to the Eucharist and the prayer of the daily rosary. From the age of nine he felt the call to evangelize, seeking to influence his teammates. At 13 he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which did not weaken his faith, but strengthened it. During the six years that his illness lasted, he accepted suffering with love, offering his pain for others and living with joy and hope until his death on April 24, 2009.

His testimony of holiness led the Church to initiate its cause of beatification. On May 5, 2020, Pope Francis recognized his heroic virtues, declaring him venerable. Currently, the Church investigates possible miracles attributed to its intercession, which would allow to move towards its beatification.

4. Helena Agnieszka Kmieć

Helena Agnieszka Kmiec She was a young Polish missionary born in 1991 in Krakow, raised in a home of deep faith. Since childhood he showed a strong love for Jesus, attending Mass almost daily and surrendering to the service. During his university studies at the Technological University of Silesia, he joined the Missionary Salvator volunteer service, with which he carried out missions in Hungary, Zambia and Romania, especially dedicating himself to children and young people in vulnerable situations. In 2017, he traveled to Bolivia to collaborate in a Cochabamba school, where, just a few weeks after his arrival, she was killed during an attempted robbery.

After her death, a spontaneous fame of holiness between those who knew her, inspired by her life of surrender to God and missionary service arose. In April 2024, the Archbishop of Cracovia announced the opening of its cause of beatification, after receiving the consent of the Dicasteria for the causes of the saints. Currently, the Church investigates its life and testimony in the process that could lead to be declared Blessed.

5. Akash Bashir

Akash Bashir He was a young Pakistani and former Salesian alumnus who delivered his life to protect hundreds of faithful in the church of San Juan, in Lahore. On March 15, 2015, with only 20 years, he prevented a suicidal terrorist from entering the temple during the Sunday Mass, hugging him firmly and saying: “I will die, but I will not let you enter the church.” The attacker detonated the bomb and both died, but Akash’s sacrifice avoided a massacre. His unwavering faith has made him a symbol of hope for the Christian community in Pakistan, a country where the faithful suffer constant persecution.

On January 31, 2022, Pope Francis proclaimed him servant of God. Two years later, on March 15, 2024, the Diocesan phase of the process in the cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Lahore concluded. Now, all documentation has been sent to the Vatican for evaluation. If the Pope approves martyrdom decree, Akash will be beatified without a miracle. If this recognition occurs, it would become the first Blessed of Pakistan.

6. Carlo acute

Carlo acute He was a young Italian born in 1991 who, despite his short life, left a deep legacy of love to the Eucharist. Known as the “Cybercapostol of the Eucharist,” Carlo used his computer skills to evangelize, creating a digital exposure about Eucharistic miracles. As a child, he showed a special devotion for the Mass and the prayer of the Rosary, and when he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006, he offered his sufferings “by the Lord, the Pope and the Church.” He died on October 12 of that same year and was buried in Assisi, following his desire to be close to San Francisco.

His path to the altars advanced rapidly. He was declared venerable in 2018 and Blessed in 2020, after the approval of a first miracle. On May 23, 2024, Pope Francis recognized a second miracle, which occurred in Florence, where a young Costa Rican recovered miraculously a serious accident. Carlo will be canonized during the jubilee of adolescents in April 2025, becoming the first Millennial Holy and a model of holiness for the youth of the digital era.