The canonization of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati on Sunday will highlight youthful holiness and inspire a new generation of believers, Fathers Jason Charron and Rob McKeon told Newsmax Saturday.
Father Jason Charron, pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church, told “Wake Up America Weekend” that Acutis’ witness shows that sainthood is not about age but love for the Eucharist.
“Well, I think the important thing with him is that it shows that it doesn’t take time to make saints. It just takes a lot of love. And that’s what he had. He had love for the Eucharist.
“And that’s what the world needs to see, that it’s not dependent upon our age. It’s dependent upon our love of the central mystery of the church, the Eucharist,” Charron said.
Father Rob McKeon, pastor of Saint Catherine of Alexandria Parish, said Acutis’ embrace of technology makes him relatable to young people.
“[S]o many young people are immersed in that world. They are constantly using social media and the internet to communicate and to get information,” McKeon said.
“I think because of that connection specifically with this young man, and he is of their generation, he will become a great attraction for young people to consider. I can be both involved in social media, but also be a holy person.”
The canonization ceremony is expected to draw large crowds to St. Peter’s Square. Father Charron said it will showcase the vitality of the church.
“We’re going to see a lot of young faces,” Charron said. “The demographers tell us that the church is dying, that, you know, the pews are graying.
“And there’s a little bit of truth to that, but we’re going to see a lot of enthusiasm at the canonization. We’re going to see a lot of young people, and we’re going to see a side of the church that people don’t always see: a lot of enthusiasm, joy, and youth.”
McKeon added that the ceremony could strengthen a growing trend among young Catholics in the United States.
“Yeah, there’s been a little trend that we’ve noticed recently in the church and here in the United States of young people becoming Catholic or coming back to their faith. And I think through these canonizations, that trend will continue in an even greater manner,” he said.
The canonizations of Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15, and Frassati, who died in 1925 at age 24, will be marked with special stamps issued for the occasion. The ceremony will be the first canonization of Pope Leo XIV, following approvals initiated by Pope Francis.
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