Adolescents Jubilee: Five essential experiences before the Canonization of Carlo Acutis

More than one million Catholics have made mass to the church of Santa María la Mayor in Assisi (Italy) during the last months to venerate the relics of the future San Carlo Acutis.

The first saint millennial From the Catholic Church will be canonized during a mass in the Plaza de San Pedro, on Sunday, April 27.

Many pilgrims will visit the medieval city of Umbria on a one -day excursion, from Rome, to live the special experience of being close to a very young saint. But there is much more to see and do in Assisi and in the center of Italy and its surroundings, related to Carlo Acutis and his love for San Francisco.

So if you plan a pilgrimage to Italy at the end of this month for the canonization, during the jubilee of adolescents, here are five essential activities that will help you make the most of this transcendental occasion and great spiritual meaning. These activities may not be part of your pilgrimage itinerary, but it is worth the little effort that would be to incorporate them into your jubilee trip; They will help you further deepen your faith and increase your appreciation for Carlo Acutis and San Francisco de Asís.

1. Dedicate time to prayer and reflection inside and outside Santa María la Mayor de Asís. Fray Enzo Fortunato – who was press secretary of the General Custody of the Sacred Convent of San Francisco before being appointed president of the Committee for World Children’s Day – explains that Francisco and Carlo, although separated by several centuries, have much in common. The church where Carlo is buried marks the place where San Francisco renounced his possessions and his worldly lifestyle.

In one Recent interview with Associated PressFray Fortunato explained that “the denial of privileges is a parallel with San Francisco”, since Carlo was very devoted to the saint and, during his short life, he used to help the less fortunate. Carlo, born in London in a wealthy family and raised in the elegant Milan, encouraged his family to donate the poor.

Fray Fortunato also said that even Francisco’s insistence on leaving the churches and going to the squares to preach is a wink to Carlo’s understanding that current public spaces, especially for young people, are virtual. Francisco approached people in his time, and Carlo too. “That’s where young people are, that is where people are, that’s why he lives and carries the gospel in those places. That is one of the reasons why he will become the pattern of the website, the Internet and social networks,” said the friar.

And San Francisco, although often he was only identified as a lover of creation, loved Christ so much in the Eucharist that dedicated his first charity works to repair and clean churches, such as San Damián in Assisi, so that they were considered worthy of the real presence. Carlo Acutis, known as the “influencer From God, “he used his technological skills to disseminate online information about Eucharistic miracles.

2. Do not miss the historic Cathedral of San Rufino de Asís. As I say in my book, Italy’s Shrines and Wonders (Sanctuaries and Wonders of Italy), Italy is not to go with haste, especially if you are looking for a truly spiritual and transformative experience. Unfortunately, too often, even pilgrim groups rush from a religious place to another without enough time for reflection, they often overlook important places related to saints who wish to venerate.

San Rufino is one of those places. The cathedral is named after the first bishop and martyr of the city, and the original building dates from the seventh century. The cathedral not only houses the baptismal battery where San Francisco and Santa Clara were baptized, but also where Clara listened for the first time to the preaching of Francisco.

If this is not enough to make you want to visit San Rufino, the devotees of Carlo would do badly to ignore this wonderful cathedral, since it contains important relics, including the heart of the young saint, which is preserved in a special reliquary towards the front of the cathedral.

3. Visit one or more of the Eucharistic miracles that are preserved in center of Italy. In honor of Carlo’s love for the Eucharist, he visits one or more places where Eucharistic miracles took place near Assisi. One hour to the southeast of Assisi is the lovely town of Casia, where the tomb of Santa Rita de Casia is located. Just below his grave there is a beautiful chapel that contains a reliquary that shows a Eucharistic miracle that occurred in the fourteenth century. A priest who doubted the real presence was asked to take the sacred communion to a sick farmer. Irreverently, he placed the host consecrated in his breviary instead of in a copon; And when he arrived at his house, he discovered that the pages were stained with blood and that the host had become a clot. The blood stained page can be venerated in the basilica.

Go in the opposite direction, approximately one hour to the southwest, to visit the Duomo (Cathedral) of Orvieto, where the Eucharistic Miracle of Corpus Christi is venerated. The miracle occurred in the thirteenth century in the lake city of Bolsena, north of the lace. Another priest, with difficulties for his faith and doubts about the Eucharist, celebrated the Mass when the host bleed over the body cloth, which is now preserved in the Orvieto Cathedral. This miracle gave rise to the solemnity of Corpus Christi.

4. Visit the Verna, the place where San Francisco received the sores of Christ: To fully understand Francisco’s dedication to prayer and his approach to Jesus, visit the Sanctuary of La Verna. Here, on the top of Mount Penna, it is where Francisco, in the midst of a unique rock formation during an intense prayer, received the stigmas. Today, the impressive religious complex dominates the beautiful valleys of the Arno and the Tiber and includes several churches, a retirement center and a museum. The Verna is almost 90 minutes north of Assisi.

5. Read the San Francisco will: Before he died, in 1226, San Francisco wrote what is known as Testament. San Francisco, again, was so dedicated to the Eucharist that most of his efforts to follow the words of Christ pronounced from the Cross of San Damián – in the Church where the Lord told Francisco to “rebuild his church” – they dedicated themselves to ensuring that the structures of the Church were worthy of receiving the body and blood of the Lord. According to the order of the Franciscan friars, or minor friars, Francisco issued the document so that “we could observe in a more Catholic way the rule we have promised to the Lord.” Francisco, who was a deacon, had great respect for the priests, because he recognized his role in the provision of the Holy Communion to God’s people.

Carlo and Francisco, pray for us!

Editor’s note: This article is a translation of a publication by Teresa Tomeo on the National Catholic Register blog. The opinions expressed in this article correspond exclusively to its author.

More information: at the end of this month, join Teresa Tomeo and innumerable Catholics in a special series of Ewtn Learn Series: Saints in Italy (Santos in Italy). Click here To register in the series, which begins at the end of this month.