India or Poland? Churches eager for 1st “St. Carlo” title

When Saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati were canonized on September 7, parishes and schools under their patronage around the world rejoiced.

At least two were eager to get the distinction of being the “first” church/chapel to claim the title of Saint Carlo in their names.

A brand new church was consecrated on the day of the canonizations, named for St. Carlo Acutis. Located in Kerala, India, it may hold the distinction of being the first new parish dedicated to St. Carlo.

Meanwhile in Poland, also on September 7, the opening ceremony of the world's first chapel dedicated to him took place at the Shrine of Our Lady of Licheń.

The church there was built from 1994 to 2004, and is a major pilgrimage site in Poland. During a liturgy on the canonization day, first-class relics of the new saint (specifically, a reliquary with Carlo's hair) were brought in. After Mass, the faithful processed to the lower part of the basilica, to the Shroud of Turin Hall. It was there that the Chapel of St. Carlo Acutis was dedicated.

While these two spots were quick to officially grab the “saint” title, they are far from the only places to be named after St. Carlo, or the saint canonized with him, Pier Giorgio Frassati.

The Parish of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the United Kingdom is one such church, established as a merger between three existing parishes. On the day of the canonization, a Mass was celebrated in honor of the newly recognized saint.

Then, there’s the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Catholic Church located in the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina in the United States. In 2021, the members of their Catholic community voted 4:1 to name their parish and future church after Frassati. 

According to the South Carolina parish, churches named after people yet to be canonized need to receive special permission from the Vatican. In this case, the “indult” was given and the parish was formally erected in 2023. 

There’s also a Frassati Chapel at Auburn University in Alabama established in 2019. 

There are also a number of schools who have honored St. Carlo and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati by their names.

Frassati Catholic High School is a co-ed high school in Spring, Texas, run by the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia. The night before the canonization, the school went big and celebrated by holding a lock-in party throughout the night.

Not too far away, in the Houston Bay area, another high school is in the developmental phase, dedicated to St. Carlo.

Across the world, a new K-12 school for 1,800 students in southwest Sydney, Australia, will be named after Carlo.

Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy is, as its name implies, a unique school with two faith traditions united under the name of Carlo Acutis. The school posted on X on September 7,

The Diocese of Madison took St. Carlo’s example of digital evangelization to heart, naming their online school after him.

While there are sure to be more churches and schools named after these two Italian saints, this first group is leading the way. 

These Catholic communities are bound together by their dedication to St. Carlo and St. Pier Giorgio.

Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish in Chicago and Blessed Acutis Parish in England have even started a relationship as pen pals!