On September 7, Pope Leo XIV will canonize two new saints!  These two young Italian la ymen will be the first saints he canonizes as a new pope.  These canonizations were originally scheduled for April 27, but due to the death of Pope Francis, were postponed to September.

St. Carlo Acutis was a teenager known for his devotion to the Eucharist.  He created an online exhibition of Eucharistic miracles to help deepen our faith and belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  He was born in 1991 and was known for his joyful faith and compassion for others before dying of leukemia in 2006 at age 15.  His body is incorrupt and is in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, Italy, where he is displayed for public veneration (Catholic News Service).

St. Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in 1901 and was admired for his deep spirituality, love for the poor and enthusiasm for life.  A member of the Dominican Third Order, he served the sick through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He died at age 24 after contracting polio, possibly from one of the people he assisted (CNS).  Pier Giorgio was an accomplished athlete.  While he was an avid swimmer, boatsman, and hiker, his great passion was for mountain climbing.  His life motto came from his Alpine adventures.  “To the heights!” or in Italian, “Verso l’alto!” referred not only to his conquest of peaks in the Alps but also to his spiritual life.  His goal in life was to scale the heights of holiness and bring many souls to Christ.

Both saints knew that nothing was possible without the help and love of Christ in the Eucharist.  St. Pier Giorgio once said this, “I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharistic Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles.”  St. Carlo once said, “the Eucharist is my highway to heaven…when we face the sun we get a tan…but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.”  This wisdom gives us HOPE!  Be with Jesus, walk with Him, receive Him, and we will be on our way!

Let’s become saints too!
Fr. Jeremy

PS Don’t forget to come close out the summer with our parish family next Saturday, September 13 at the Parish Festival! The festival starts with Mass at 4:00 p.m. There will not be a 5:00 p.m. Mass that day.