My dad, Vincent LeVien, works for the Diocese of Brooklyn. As a result, my family is often invited to attend special Church events. In April, we traveled to Italy for the canonization of then-Blessed Carlo Acutis, but it was canceled after Pope Francis died. So, instead of the canonization, we were there for the funeral of a pope, which is something I never thought I would get to witness.
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.
The greatest risk in life is to waste it by not seeking to follow God’s plan, Pope Leo XIV said, proclaiming two new saints – two young laymen of the 20th and 21st centuries – St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Ahead of the canonization of Carlo Acutis, four parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn opened their doors for the faithful to honor the soon-to-be-saint.
On Sept. 7, 2025, the Catholic Church canonized its first millennial saint: Carlo Acutis. The 15-year-old from Milan, Italy was a computer enthusiast who used his tech skills to create websites documenting Eucharistic miracles and Catholic saints until his death from leukemia in 2006 at age 15.
Carlo Acutis, a teenager known for his deep love of the Eucharist and his creative use of technology to share the faith, began his journey toward sainthood shortly after he died in 2006. Here, we trace the key milestones that led to his recognition as the first Millennial saint of the Catholic Church on Sept. 7.
At San Damiano Mission, a parish the diocese established in 2015 to serve young adults in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area, there is great hope that the two new saints will bring more young people into the Catholic Church.
