This week, the Catholic Church announced the canonisation of the first millennial saint – a teenager from Edmonton called Carlo Acutis, who died from leukaemia in 2006 at the age of 15.

Being recognised as a saint in the Catholic Church can take decades, and sometimes even centuries – an 18th-century Argentinian woman was the most recent person to be pronounced a saint in February of this year. So, Acutis’ ascension into saint canon has been swift in comparison, which is perhaps fitting given his nickname as ‘the patron saint of the internet’ and ‘God’s influencer’.

While the official canonisation has yet to take place, Acutis has already gained a devoted following across the world – there’s already t-shirts and icons dedicated to the young saint on sites like Etsy and Redbubble. The canonisation ceremony led by Pope Francis will take place at the Vatican in 2025, meaning that the Catholic Church can name churches and parishes after him, and that he will be remembered annually on a ‘feast day’. Here’s everything we know about Acutis so far.

HE WAS BORN IN LONDON

Acutis was born in Edmonton in north London in 1991, making him the first-ever millennial saint in existence. After moving to Milan with his parents when he was young, Acutis’ mum describes how her son would donate money to poor people in the city from the age of three, defend disabled peers at school, and take meals and sleeping bags to the homeless.

HE IS PATRON SAINT OF THE INTERNET

Acutis taught himself to code at primary school, eventually using his skills to create websites for Catholic organisations, including one which documented miracles around the world, listed in over a dozen languages and complete with maps and other visuals. A true digital native, Acutis enjoyed playing video games such as Halo, Super Mario and Pokémon – he also made funny videos of his dogs and posted them online. 

“He loved nature and animals, he played football, he had many friends of his age, he was attracted by modern means of social communication, passionate about computer science, and, self-taught, he built websites to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values and beauty,” the cardinal said.

HE’S RESPONSIBLE FOR TWO MIRACLES

For a person to be declared a saint, they must have played a hand in two healing miracles after their death. The first miracle Acutis was attributed to took place in 2013 when the Vatican recognised that he interceded from heaven in 2013 to save the life of a Brazilian child who was suffering from a rare pancreatic condition. According to the Vatican, the four-year-old was healed after praying to Acutis and coming to contact with a piece of his clothing.

A second miracle was attributed to Acutis in May of this year when a girl from Costa Rica recovered from a serious head injury after a bike accident. She recovered after her mother prayed at Acutis’ tomb in Assisi.

HE IS CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY IN UMBRIA, ITALY

Acutis’ body is currently in an open tomb at Assisi’s Sanctuary of the Spoliation, where he’s said to be dressed in his favourite outfit: blue jeans with black Nike sneakers. It turns out – saints, they’re just like us. 

THE CANONISATION WILL TAKE PLACE IN 2025

The timeline for Acutis’ official canonisation into sainthood is unclear, but according to Vatican News, he will likely be recognised during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee celebration. Taking place in a Papal mass ceremony, the Pope will process to the altar and the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints will make three petitions to the Pope to proclaim the blessed or blesseds among the saints.