For the first time in the Northeastern United States, a parish has been renamed to honor St. Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church’s first Millennial saint.
On July 1, Holy Cross Parish — with its sole worship site of the Church of Saint Patrick in Olyphant, Pennsylvania — and Blessed Sacrament Parish — with its sole worship site of the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua in Throop, Pennsylvania — were officially consolidated and became Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish.
The new parish, however, didn’t keep its name for long. After Pope Leo XIV officially canonized Carlo on Sept. 7, it was renamed again, becoming Saint Carlo Acutis Parish.
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The process of getting to this point took a year of meetings, explained Father Scott Sterowski, pastor of the newly consolidated parish.
Both parishes and their finance councils agreed that they should consolidate. After some public meetings, an official recommendation was sent to and ultimately approved by Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton.
After the decision to merge the parishes was solidified, the next step was choosing a name. Parishioners from both parishes were asked to submit three names for consideration.
According to Father Sterowski, the top three names submitted were St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. John Paul II, and Blessed Carlo Acutis. Those three names were then sent to Bishop Bombera, who chose Blessed Carlo Acutis.
“I think with the selection of Carlo there is a certain dynamism, enthusiasm, youthfulness, vigor, and excitement that goes along with that name selection as our new parish patron,” Father Sterowski said.
As a result, Father Sterowski said he was flooded with coverage in the local and national media and on local news programs. The coverage helped reinforce the importance of the renaming and may have introduced those less familiar with the story of the young man’s commitment to his faith, he noted.
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“There’s a certain relatability to Blessed Carlo,” Father Sterowski said. “The reporter from the NBC affiliate said, ‘He’s wearing a golf shirt just like I am.’ ”
A renaming celebration on the day of Carlo’s canonization included a feast and a special program, “An Evening with Carlo Acutis,” which included a short video of his life. There were also presentations from younger parishioners, a special liturgy, and an all-day Eucharistic adoration, followed by a closing benediction later on.
“Another thing about our parish is that we have Eucharistic adoration, so that Eucharistic center that was such an important part of Carlo’s life is also an important center of the life of this parish community,” Father Sterowski said. “And one thing I love about Carlo is that he embodied what I call ‘the simple way to sainthood and to holiness.’ ”
In the end, according to Father Sterowski, “Carlo lived well and died well, and he was not fearful of death because he knew the wonder of eternal life that was in store for him and that was his ultimate hope.”