A relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis will visit Ireland for a brief tour of the Archdiocese of Armagh and the Diocese of Down and Connor. The relic will be in Ireland from June 11 to 15 and will be displayed for veneration by the faithful and pilgrims.
Blessed Carlo Acutis would have been 32 years old as of May 3, 2023, had the young man not died of leukemia in 2006, at the age of 15. Acutis was known for centering his life around the Eucharist, attending Mass and Adoration daily.
The relic will travel to Ireland from Assisi's Sanctuary of the Renunciation, an Italian church where Blessed Carlo Acutis' remains are housed and displayed. The church is located at the site where it is said that St. Francis of Assisi cast off his rich clothes and took up the poor habit. According to the Society for Religious Information, Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of the Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino, where Assisi’s Sanctuary stands, said of the relic’s Irish pilgrimage:
"We are happy that a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis can reach Ireland because we are convinced, given previous experiences, that devotion to this young man, who lived in the wake of the Gospel, is an example and a help to the Church and to many young people who I am looking for points of reference to grasp the beauty of faith.”
The relic itself is a first-class relic, meaning it is a piece of the body of Blessed Carlo Acutis. The relic in question is said to be a piece of his pericardium, the fibrous membrane that encloses the heart and blood vessels. The pericardium keeps the heart separate from the lungs and it helps facilitate the movement of the muscular organ. The relic will be accompanied by Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo, a Vatican representative who concerns himself with international relations.
This is not the first trip for the relic, which has been traveling the world for some time. Most recently, it toured through the United States, Poland, and Venice. After its stint in Ireland, it will make an appearance at World Youth Day, in Lisbon, for which Bl. Carlo Acutis is a patron. From Lisbon, it will head overseas to visit several dioceses in Brazil.
