Eric Reece
During some of my time as a minister, I have heard plenty of church discussions about “young people.”
If they would be more committed, attend more and give more, then the church would grow.
It is as if all the causes of the problems of the church are the fault of the younger generation.
Someone even wrote, “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at
the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”
If that quote sounds familiar, that’s because it is attributed to Socrates, who died 399 BCE.
While we debate the religiosity and spirituality of youth, the Catholic Church has made history recognizing a young person as a saint: Carlo Acutis, who died at age 15 in 2006.
The amazing thing is he is “Gen Y,” the millennial generation.
Born between 1981-86, millennials were affected by the 2008 recession and 9/11.
They are tech savvy and grew up with the internet, cell phones and computers. They embrace diversity, sharing experiences and working with others.
They are very adaptable, but not very religious – yet value spirituality.
As Carlo evangelized online, he inspired many people. He reached many people his age that the church could not. Sadly, he developed leukemia and died shortly after.
He said, “To always be close to Jesus, that is my life plan.”
Pope Leo XIV held a mass on Sept. 7 in St Peter’s Square, where Carlo Acutis was canonized and became the first millennial to be made a Catholic saint.
It can take centuries to be recognized as a saint.
Acutis is called the “patron saint of the Internet” and “God’s Influencer.”
Carlo grew up a typical boy in Milan, Italy who loved his pets, Star Wars and sports. His family were not frequent church goers, but he was attracted by mass and loved the Lord’s Supper.
His nanny was a devoted Catholic and answered many of his questions about faith.
Gifted with computers, a coder and web designer, he knew the web could be a dark place for youth. He was led by God to use social media and the internet to spread God’s word. As his online presence grew, he attracted many to the faith and used the web as a way to evangelize.
The powerful thing was this was not an organization or parachurch group that reached out to youth, but one of them. He loved playing video games, but limited his time to one hour a week to devote more time to sharing the Gospel over the internet.
A faithful youth that was taken from us too soon, Carlo’s influence has moved beyond the internet – as millions visit his shrine and his faith draw many closer to God.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church and can be reached via email, ereece@wnccumc.net.