Saints of Our Time · Week 2 · Grades 9–12
Guided Notes: St. Carlo Acutis
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
A saint from our own era
Carlo Acutis was born in London on May 3, blank 1, to Italian parents, Andrea and Antonia, and raised in Milan. He is the first saint born in the 1990s, formed by the internet, cell phones and video games.
His parents were not very religious at that time. Yet after his First Communion at seven he attended blank 2 daily and prayed the Rosary. His mother later said he helped her come back to her faith.
At his blank 3 high school he defended bullied students and supported classmates whose parents were divorcing. He befriended the doorman of his building and the staff at his school.
From Milan to the altar
Write what happened in each year.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Write your answer |
| 1998 | Write your answer |
| 2002 | Write your answer |
| 2006 | Write your answer |
| 2013 | Write your answer |
| 2018 | Write your answer |
| 2020 | Write your answer |
| 2025 | Write your answer |
The Eucharist at the center
Catholics believe that at Mass the bread and wine become the blank 4 and Blood of Jesus. This is the Eucharist. Carlo called it “my highway to heaven.”
He taught himself several computer languages from college textbooks. At about 11 he began cataloging blank 5 miracles online. These are events where the Eucharist showed signs of being real flesh or blood. The project became an exhibit shown in thousands of churches and schools on every continent.
He limited himself to one hour of video games a week so that games would not control him. He bought sleeping bags for the homeless with his blank 6. He said giving to the poor was a way to meet Jesus.
Apply it
A friend says saints must reject modern culture. Which fact about Carlo best answers that? Circle one.
- A He gave up computers to pray more
- B He avoided classmates who did not believe
- C He coded and gamed, with limits he set himself
- D He thought the internet was mostly harmful
Why is that the right answer?
Apply it
“Sadness is looking at ourselves. Happiness is looking at God.” Which habit fits Carlo’s point best? Circle one.
- A Checking how many likes a post received
- B Putting the phone down to pray or serve someone
- C Comparing your profile with other people’s
- D Deleting every account you have ever made
Why is that the right answer?
Take a side
Carlo said, “All people are born as originals, but many die as photocopies.” Resolved: social media and AI make it harder for our generation to stay original than it was for Carlo’s.
My side: ☐ Agree ☐ Disagree
- Carlo died in 2006. What has changed about life online since then, and what has not?
- Do feeds and AI tools copy us, or do we choose to copy them?
- Carlo used the web to make something of his own. Is that easier or harder now?
- Is the pressure to be a photocopy really new, or only faster?
- What would a rule like Carlo’s one hour a week look like for your feed?
My strongest reason, with evidence from the slides:
The best argument for the other side, and my response:
Let us pray
“I am the bread of life.”
John 6:35
Lord Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, draw us to yourself.
Free us from whatever controls us, and keep us original.
Teach us to say with Carlo: not me, but God.
St. Carlo Acutis, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Go and be an original
A fifteen-year-old from Milan was canonized on September 7, 2025, alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati. His feast day is October 12.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Carlo Acutis shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Set one concrete, self-chosen limit on a screen habit for seven days. Spend the time you free on prayer or on a person who needs you.