Carlo Acutis honored with new sculpture in Assisi

Less than a month before his long-awaited canonization, Blessed Carlo Acutis has been honored with a new bronze sculpture in Assisi. St. Carlo at the Cross, created by renowned Canadian artist Timothy Paul Schmalz, was unveiled in the garden of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, part of the Sanctuary of the Renunciation complex where Acutis is buried.

The work portrays Carlo kneeling before the Cross, holding the laptop computer that became his tool for evangelization.

Known as the “Influencer of God,” Carlo created an online catalog of Eucharistic miracles, showing how technology could serve the faith.

The computer screen in the sculpture displays a chalice and paten — symbols of the Eucharist at the heart of his mission.

A sling, hanging from his backpack, recalls the biblical figure of David facing Goliath. For Schmalz, it represents how the young Acutis confronted the challenges of modern secular culture with digital tools, drawing his strength from Christ.

“This is not only a sculpture about a saint,” Schmalz explained. “It is also a reminder that as we add new figures to the communion of saints, we enrich our heritage with new works of art that speak to our time.”

The unveiling took place on August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption. Bishop Domenico Sorrentino, together with Father Marco Gaballo, rector of the Sanctuary, led the blessing and prayer of the Rosary before the sculpture. The ceremony concluded with a gathering organized by the Capuchin Friars, who oversee the Sanctuary where Carlo’s tomb is visited daily by pilgrims.

Measuring over three meters high, the bronze sculpture is the first dedicated monument to the millennial saint-to-be. Schmalz, often described as “Pope Francis’ sculptor,” is known for globally recognized works such as Homeless Jesus and Angels Unawares. He offered St. Carlo at the Cross as a gift to the city of Assisi.

Carlo Acutis was only 15 when he died of leukemia in 2006. An ordinary teenager with an extraordinary love for the Eucharist, he played video games, enjoyed soccer, and lived with the same passions as his peers. Yet his faith gave him a unique vision: “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven,” he often said.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). Carlo made this reality accessible to the digital generation, using the internet not for self-promotion but to point to Christ.

His canonization is scheduled for September 7 in Rome, during the Jubilee Year, and will be presided over by Pope Leo XIV. It will mark a historic moment: the first canonization of a “digital native.” For the city of Assisi, which already welcomes millions of pilgrims to the sites of St. Francis, Carlo’s tomb has become a place where young people in particular find inspiration.

As the canonization approaches, the new sculpture offers a powerful image of the teenager who used the tools of his time to bear witness to the faith. Across the centuries, the saints have shown that holiness does not belong to one era alone but takes shape within each generation. Carlo Acutis stands as a reminder that to be a saint is to be fully present to one’s own day and age, allowing God’s grace to shine through the ordinary circumstances of life.