The Diocese of Cartago received this Friday a sample Carlo Acutis’ hair. Acutis will be proclaimed a saint for a miracle granted to a Costa Rican woman. The Vatican has sent to the Diocese of Cartago a relic of Carlo Acutis, who will be proclaimed a saint after granting a miracle to the young Costa Rican Valeria Valverde, 21 years old.
“We are going to receive in the Diocese of Cartago a first-degree relic. When we talk about first-degree relics, we talk about parts of the body. In this case, it is from this young man who is an example for the youth. Through a normal and ordinary life, he celebrated his faith and believed in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and as he said, ‘the most ordinary way to get to heaven is to attend mass,’” noted David Arley, a priest of the diocese.
The relic arrived during on Friday at the Cathedral of Cartago. It will remain there for the weekend.On Sunday at 2:00 p.m., it will be transported to the Parish of Santa Maria Goretti—in the Pitahaya sector—where it will reside permanently. A mass will be celebrated at the site by the local Bishop, Mario Enrique Quirós.
For the Church, this is very symbolic as St. Maria Goretti also died young, so both figures will now be known as the patron saints of diocesan youth.
The Diocese of Cartago also stated that other parishes will be able to request a visit from the relic for a few days.Acutis was born in London in 1991, where his family was based for work. He was an avid Catholic and was very active on social media, which he used to spread his faith. This led him to become an “influencer” of the Church or “internet apostle.”
Acutis died of leukemia in 2006, and since then, prayers to him began to spread. In 2018, he was declared “venerable,” the first step towards sainthood. By 2020, his first miracle was recognized when the unexplained healing of a child in Brazil was attributed to him. According to the norms of the Catholic Church, another case of intercession needed to be presented, and a few days ago, the Vatican recognized the unexplained recovery of a young Costa Rican woman named Valeria Valverde.
