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CNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 14:34 pm
Blessed Carlo Acutis, the gaming teenager who had a deep love for Christ in the Eucharist, is about to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint. Acutis will be canonized during the Church’s Jubilee for Teenagers on April 27 in St. Peter’s Square.
Catholics can participate in the novena to Acutis starting on April 18 and ending on April 27, the date of his canonization. The novena consists of an opening prayer, daily meditations, and the recitation of five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Bes, which are meant to thank God for the graces bestowed upon Acutis during the 15 years of his earthly life.
The opening prayer is:
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for all the grace and favors with which you enriched the soul of Blessed Carlo Acutis during his 15 years on Earth. Through the merits of this angel of youth, grant me the grace that I earnestly seek: (ask for the grace that you seek).
Day 1: “Not me but God”
Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who made your life a continual renunciation and setting aside of unimportant things, give me the grace to seek heavenly things and despise that which is transient. Amen.
(Pray five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Bes.)
Day 2: “Always to be united with Jesus — that is my life’s program.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have lived in the heart of Jesus, give me the grace to apply Jesus’ plan of love to everything. Amen.
(Pray five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Bes.)
Day 3: “Continuously ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel has to become your best friend.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who saw the company of holy angels while you were already in this world, give me the grace to live righteously, as my guardian angel desires. Amen.
Day 4: “Our soul is like a hot-air balloon... If by chance there is a mortal sin, the soul falls to the ground. Confession is like the fire underneath the balloon enabling the soul to rise again… It is important to go to confession often.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have lived this sacrament of reconciliation so well, give me the grace constantly to seek confession and the grace of a deep contrition. Amen.
Day 5: “Sadness is looking at ourselves; happiness is looking toward God.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have never looked away from your great love, Jesus, give me the grace also to live with this happiness in this world. Amen.
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Day 6: “The only thing we have to ask God for, in prayer, is the desire to be holy.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have always asked God for what is essential, give me the grace of a deep desire for heaven. Amen.
Day 7: “The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who loved the Virgin Mary above all women, give me the grace to respond to her kind and good love. Amen.
Day 8: “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have always looked for your hidden Jesus in the tabernacle, give me the grace of a deep fervor for the Eucharist. Amen.
Day 9: “I am happy to die because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things that do not please God.”
Blessed Carlo Acutis, give me that grace of graces — perseverance to the end and a saintly death. Amen.
End each day with the following prayer:
Almighty God, father of mercy, we thank you for raising Blessed Carlo Acutis to the glory of the altars in the upcoming Jubilee of Teenagers, so that through him you may be even more glorified. He lived your will in all things. Through his merit, give me the grace that I so ardently desire. Amen.
The novena can also be found on EWTN Travel Jubilee app, which can be downloaded for free on the Apple Store and Google Play store.
Francesca is a staff reporter for Catholic News Agency. She received her degree in Communications with an emphasis in Digital Media from the University of Colorado - Denver. She is also in charge of the social media for Catholic News Agency.
