Antonia Acutis grew up in a Catholic-imbued culture, as do most Italians. However, actual faith—a living relationship with God—was not something anyone in her house practiced.
If you happened to meet her on a Sunday afternoon and conversationally asked if she’d been to Mass, she would have answered, “Oh, yes! I went for my First Communion, my Confirmation, and my wedding.”
For Antonia, the Catholic Faith existed in her external life, and that was all.
Then, when she was about twenty-five, God came knocking on her door through her first child: a sweet-tempered, joyful little boy named Carlo.
Carlo seemed to make up for the faith his parents lacked by the superabundance of his own. When he was just three years old, he wanted to go into every church, say a prayer before the tabernacle, and bring flowers to the Marian altar. When he was older, he started praying the Rosary every day, and after he made his First Holy Communion, he never missed daily Mass.
Antonia was mystified—intimidated—challenged. She wasn’t exactly the picture of a “good Catholic mom.” How could she raise this radiant child?
There was only one thing she could do—learn how to be a good mother by following the example of her son.
So, Antonia watched and learned. Her relationship with God deepened steadily, encouraged by Carlo’s incandescent faith. When God called Carlo home to Him, she was able to bear the loss of her only son because of the faith she had found through him. We now know him as Blessed Carlo—the first millennial saint.
Now Antonia wants others to be reignited by Carlo’s example. My Son Carlo: Carlo Acutis Through the Eyes of His Mother tells the full story of this extraordinary teenager as only a mother can tell it. Accurate and unexaggerated, this account of Blessed Carlo will capture your heart and inspire you to seek holiness as eagerly as he did. Get your copy today!
