The strains of “Panis Angelicus” (Bread of Angels) rose from the choir loft as members of the faithful gathered at St. Anthony of Padua, Easton for a Mass that included the rededication of a life-sized statue of now-St. Carlo Acutis.
No more appropriate hymn could have been chosen for the Sept. 6 Mass honoring the tech-savvy saint who created an online catalog of Eucharistic miracles to help foster devotion to the Real Presence.
St. Carlo, who was a daily communicant and frequent adorer before the Most Blessed Sacrament, would call the Eucharist his “highway to heaven.”
“This young man, born in 1991, has something to say to us about the Holy Eucharist,” observed Bishop Alfred Schlert, who celebrated the Mass.
Having asserted that “the eyes of faith allow us to see in the host and in the chalice, Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity,” the Bishop stated simply, “It's what Carlo saw—and every saint before him saw the same thing.
“They didn't see a symbol, they didn't see a wafer. They didn't see something that is just a memorial of something that happened long ago. They saw the Real Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, represented to us at every Mass, the Sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist.”
Not far from the altar at St. Anthony stood a strikingly lifelike statue of St. Carlo, so realistic that it captured the attention of several young children in the congregation.
“He looks like I would have dressed for my ninth-grade school picture,” noted Angelo DeRaymond, indicating the statue. “He's wearing a polo [shirt], jeans, and sneakers, and he has a cell phone in his pocket.”
It was DeRaymond who had headed the effort to obtain the statue for his parish, appealing exclusively to millennials for funds and politely declining contributions from older prospective donors.
“He's our guy, he’s representing our generation,” said DeRaymond, who was born the year after St. Carlo. “It was important for us to do it.”
The names of the donors, who were recognized during the Mass, are listed on a plaque beside the statue.
Concelebrating the Mass were Father Keith Laskowski, Pastor of St. Anthony, and Father James Chalangadi, O.C.D., Hospital Chaplain.
Father Laskowski shared the story of a prayer answered through St. Carlo’s intercession.
“One of our employees was pregnant and there were some health concerns. We had the relic of Carlo Acutis, and we had [requested] prayers for his intercession for a healthy pregnancy. To the glory of God, this mother’s boy was born at 9 pounds, 13 ounces!
“The saints are our brothers and sisters in faith, and they look out for us. We're their little brothers and little sisters.”
In his rededication of the statue, the Bishop praised God “for the gifts of the Spirit bestowed on Carlos Acutis” and went on to exhort the faithful to emulate St. Carlo by keeping their “eyes always fixed on the glories of Heaven.”
Holy cards bearing prayers to St. Carlo, whose canonization would take place the following day, were distributed after the Mass. Many of the faithful touched the cards to a second-class relic that was offered for veneration, making the cards third-class relics of the Catholic Church’s “first millennial saint.”
“I believe there is great hope for young people,” said parishioner Janice Gensheimer, who was planning to set a 3 a.m. alarm so she could watch the livestream of the canonization.
“Sainthood is indeed attainable, and we can all reach for holiness,” she asserted, noting that the canonization would “give hope to a world in much need of hope.
“I’ve never been happier to be Catholic!”
Article by Celeste Behe. Photos by Ed Koskey.
