Saint Carlo Acutis: the saint in jeans who prayed the Rosary every day

Original article in Portuguese 👈

Perhaps not many people know this, but among Carlo Acutis’s ministries was that of being a catechist at his parish, Santa Maria Segreta, in Milan, where he helped prepare children for First Communion and Confirmation. To help his catechumens understand that faith is not just something we learn, but something we are called to live out concretely in our daily lives, Carlo developed some guidelines. Among them was one that was very simple yet deeply meaningful: “Remember to pray the Holy Rosary every day.”

God first

When I think about it, something touches me deeply: Carlo was only between 11 and 12 years old. He was a teenager like so many others; he had friends, went to school, liked technology, had his own interests, and went through the experiences typical of his age. But in the midst of all that, he had discovered something essential: God had to take first place in his life. And perhaps that is precisely where Carlo’s testimony begins to speak to us as well. 

What can a 15-year-old boy, who prayed the Rosary every day, teach us today?

Carlo shows us, first and foremost, that holiness is not something for later. We don’t need to wait until we’re older, have more time, get our lives better organized, or overcome all our difficulties to begin seeking God. Holiness can begin right now, in the small choices we make every day. Amid school, friends, technology, and so many activities, Carlo found a daily space for God. And the Rosary was one of those concrete choices. It wasn’t just a prayer he recited out of habit. It was a way to remain close to Our Lady and, through her, closer to Jesus.

Perseverance and faithfulness in prayer

This also makes me think that praying every day is an exercise in faithfulness. We won’t always feel like it. We won’t always be focused. There will be days of weariness, worry, distraction, and even spiritual dryness. But to pray is also to say, “Lord, even today, I want to be with you.” Because, without a doubt, it is precisely this perseverance in the little things that gradually transforms our hearts. Carlo also teaches us something very relevant today: he did not need to flee the world to seek holiness. He lived in the world, but without allowing the world to take God’s place. 

Heaven begins here and now

Amid so many notifications, videos, social media, commitments, worries, and distractions, can we still set aside a few minutes of our day to be with God and the Virgin Mary? When I look at Carlo’s life, I see an arrow pointing toward Heaven. At his canonization, so many people were able to experience, in some way, a profound certainty: the certainty that there is a Heaven waiting for us. And during that celebration, we were also able to grasp another lesson that Carlo left us: Heaven begins here and now. It begins when I choose to live my faith seriously; It begins when, in the midst of my daily activities, I seek to correct my shortcomings; It begins when I recognize my limitations and, instead of settling for them, I ask God for the grace to change; It begins when I seek to put into practice the charity that Jesus himself taught us; It begins when I choose to forgive, serve, help, listen, welcome, and love, even when this requires some sacrifice on my part. Carlo left a message for the world—and especially for us who, in some way, have come to know his story—that holiness is not far from our reality. It lies in the small choices we make every day. 

An invitation to spiritual life from a friend

And when Carlo tells us, “Remember to pray the Holy Rosary every day,” perhaps we can hear those words not just as guidance, but as an invitation from a friend: pause for a moment, place yourself before God, hold the Rosary in your hands, and let Our Lady lead you closer to Jesus. May Carlo intercede for us on this journey toward Heaven. So be it. Amen. 

Daniele Santos
Canção Nova Missionary in Rome, Italy