FOREST HILLS — When Daniella López set out for Rome in late April, her pilgrimage was supposed to be a joyful witness to the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis.
Instead, she and fellow pilgrims — parishioners of Blessed Sacrament-St. Sylvester Parish in Cypress Hills — found themselves swept up in an unexpected moment of Church history: mourning the death of Pope Francis alongside thousands in St. Peter’s Square.
Now, with the Sept. 7 canonization of Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, López, 23, said that experience has only deepened her connection to the new saints.
On Sept. 5, she participated in an hour of Eucharistic adoration with the Jornada Movement and joined parishioners in venerating their relics at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Forest Hills. The Jornada Movement is an ecclesial movement of Latino youth and young adults in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
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“As part of my pilgrimage, I went to Assisi to visit Carlo Acutis. Even though [the canonization] is happening now and I’m not there, I kind of feel that tie, that I am there,” López said.
22-year-old Gilbert Perez Moronta, a fellow Jornadista and pilgrim of that trip, said what felt like sadness in that moment in Rome turned into surrendering to God and feeling closer to the soon-to-be first millennial saint.
“It brings me a lot of joy, especially because now both canonizations are on the same day,” Moronta said. “The Lord works in mysterious ways, as they say.
“For young people, it will be an incentive for us to search for Christ and to search for the life of holiness that can lead us to heaven.”
The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry organized the Mass and evening of prayer as part of a weekend event series, “Brothers in Christ,” to celebrate the dual canonization of Acutis and Frassati.
Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated the Mass. He expressed gratitude for the youth in attendance and reminded them that their presence is much like the two new saints’ devotion to Christ.
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“These two young people have been recognized for their holiness, and it’s a model,” Bishop Brennan said in his homily.
He noted that Acutis loved prayer and the Eucharist, but also soccer and video games, and that Frassati was immersed in knowing Christ. “What makes them so amazing is not that they’re all that different — it’s that they loved God,” he said.
A procession with the relics of Acutis and Frassati immediately followed Mass.
The relics available for veneration included a small lock of Acutis’ hair and a cloth belonging to Frassati. Because Frassati’s body remains incorrupt, his relics typically consist of cloth items connected to his life, such as clothing or bedding.
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Eucharistic adoration continued until midnight, with different youth groups leading each hour of prayer through music, reflections, and devotions.
Father James Kuroly, director of the Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the diocese and rector of Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary, said the evening was designed as an opportunity for young people to encounter Christ together.
“It’s a chance for them not just to participate passively,” he said, “but to really invite us to encounter Christ and bring us closer to him through their gifts and talents.”
Prayers, songs, and reflections were led by the Queens College Newman Center FOCUS Missionaries, Comunidad Siervos de Cristo Vivo, the Shalom Community, and the Jornada Movement.
Throughout the evening, the groups prayed for the intercession of both Acutis and Frassati.
“I think what really speaks to the heart of our young people is how realistic their lives are. These are not two saints that lived a long time ago, but saints that our young people can connect with, who lived through the same joys and struggles they do,” Father Kuroly said. “When our young people see that holiness is possible for them too, it gives them hope and a desire to draw closer to Christ.”
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López said that encountering Acutis during her pilgrimage led her to a deeper personal reflection on her own role in the Church.
This month, she will officially begin serving as a delegate of apostleship for the Jornada Movement, a leadership role focused on organizing service initiatives and helping young people live out their faith in concrete ways.
López said the position feels like a natural continuation of her pilgrimage experience, calling it “a no-brainer” to use her talents in service of others and to carry forward the mission of fostering holiness among her peers.
“I definitely find a connection with [Acutis and Frassati], especially in my new leadership position. I feel like I have this duty to organize events that help us serve and care for the most vulnerable and also give back to our community,” she said.
“That’s really the tie I have between these saints — their ability to foster a joyful community among their peers, and that spiritual growth tied into it,” López added.