Latest news with #sainthood
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Pope Leo Says He'll Canonize First Millennial Saint in September
Pope Leo XIV said on Friday that Carlo Acutis, a teenage computer aficionado dubbed 'God's influencer,' would be canonized on Sept. 7, making him the Roman Catholic Church's first millennial saint. The sainthood ceremony for Carlo, a London-born Italian who died in 2006 at age 15, was originally scheduled for April 27 but was suspended because of Pope Francis' death six days earlier. Described by those who knew him as exceptionally smart and internet savvy, with typical teenage interests, Carlo also had a deeply spiritual side. He attended church every day, set up a website listing miracles attributed to the eucharist and carried out countless acts of kindness, according to his biographers and the people who championed his cause for sainthood. His brief but exemplary life struck a chord with the faithful, and since his 2020 beatification — the penultimate step toward sainthood — his tomb in Assisi has drawn multitudes of pilgims. Many are teenagers themselves, and the planned April 27 canonization date coincided with the Jubilee of Teenagers, one of dozens of events scheduled during the church's 2025 Holy Year that is attracting millions of pilgrims to the Vatican. Carlo's path to sainthood has been meteoric. Whereas in past centuries it took an average of 262 years between death and canonization, in his case it has taken just 19 years from the time he died of leukemia to global veneration. Since his beatification, chapels and schools have been dedicated him throughout the world. 'It's quite amazing,' said the Rev. Anthony Figueirida, who wrote a book about the teenager, whom he described as 'a sign of goodness' in a world filled with bad news. Domenico Sorrentino, the archbishop of Assisi, who has enthusiastically promoted the cause for sainthood, has described Carlo as 'a boy full for life' and of positive, if unfulfilled, intentions. The archbishop said in an interview in April that the teenager gave hope to younger generations who face 'a future that is not so easy to envisage.' During a meeting with cardinals on Friday morning, Leo also decreed that Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died at 24 in Turin a century ago, would be canonized alongside Carlo. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the head of the Vatican's saints department, described Frassati as a 'wonderful model of Christian life.' The ceremony is expected to take place in St. Peter's Square.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Sister Clare: Family ask visitors to be respectful at graveside
The sister of a nun, who has taken the first step towards sainthood, has appealed for people to be respectful when visiting her gravestone and her family Clare Crockett, 33, died after the school she was teaching music at in Playa Prieta, Ecuador, collapsed during a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in April November, Sr Clare was declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church - the first step towards being Gill said: "There are days you come to that grave and you would have to queue and we love that people come to the grave, but they are disrupting other graves around it." 'Have to queue for grave' The council, which owns the City Cemetery in Londonderry, is to consider installing paths and railings around the grave of Sr Clare to accommodate an influx of visitors to the site."There are just so many people that come from everywhere, they are not just from Derry, they travel from afar," Shauna Gill told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today."I totally understand other families' disappointment when they see other people are standing on graves."They are touching Clare's gravestone and posing for photos with the headstone, so some people are just not thinking about their surroundings."A lot of people are respectful, but there are some graves that are being damaged around it." Ms Gill said the narrow path makes it difficult for people to navigate the grave and believes removing hedging at the back of the grave and installing railings could help with access."This could take all that congestion away from the front of the grave," she Gill said she understands why people come to pray to Sr Clare, but they must understand that their parents are also buried said it can be hard for her family to visit the grave for a quiet moment of reflection knowing "you might not get near the grave". Who was Sister Clare Crockett? Sr Clare Theresa Crockett, from Brandywell in Derry, was previously an actor but turned down the chance to present on children's TV channel Nickelodeon to become a were said to be in disbelief after she announced her decision while holding a "beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other".She then took a vow with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother motto in life was "all or nothing" and has previously been associated with fertility Clare and another Irish nun injured in the quake, Sr Thérèse Ryan from County Limerick, had been teaching guitar and singing with five young women postulants - who were entering the religious order - when the earthquake is believed they became trapped on a stairwell as they ran out of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed at least 480 people, injured more than 4,000 and left 231 missing. Catholic Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown has said every grave is sacred and every family should have the right to pay their said the grave was "a major attraction" at the cemetery and a number of signposts had been erected to guide visitors to it."Many people who have even come to visit me in Derry and have asked specifically to visit the grave," he said. "I just hope something can be done for all the family involved."He said long-term plans are being considered to manage the sheer volume of people arriving into the cemetery and sites linked to Sr Clare. 'Strangers outside the house' Shauna Gill said they are also dealing with people arriving at Sr Clare's old house, which is currently occupied by a family member, and said that can also present challenges."They can show up at any time of the day and can knock at the door," she said."We have had people come and touch the walls or stand outside the house."They have even asked for clothes or anything that Clare had, they just want a bit of Clare."This is all new for everybody, so we are all trying to come to terms with it both as a town and as a family and we are just trying to find out what we can do about it."Ms Gill said it was difficult to navigate the many complexities associated with being the sister of a nun who is in the process of becoming a saint.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Pope Leo to make Carlo Acutis first millennial saint on September 7
VATICAN CITY, June 13 (Reuters) - The canonisation of the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation, Carlo Acutis, will take place on September 7, Pope Leo announced on Friday. Acutis, a British-born Italian boy who died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was originally set to be made a saint on April 27, but the event was suspended after the death of Pope Francis. Leo announced the new date during a meeting with cardinals to discuss sainthood causes on Friday.
