A relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis is heading back to Ireland, where it will continue a tour of the Emerald Isle that has been ongoing since June and will see the relic visit all 26 Irish dioceses. The upcoming leg of the tour runs to November 27 and will see the relic visit three more locations.
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. He believed “when we put ourselves before Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints,” and his passion for his faith led him to create a website that tracks Catholic miracles around the world, which can still be visited today.
The relic in question is a piece of Blessed Carlo Acutis’ pericardium, the fibrous membrane that encloses the heart and blood vessels. It is considered a first-class relic, as it is an actual piece of the beatus’ body.
The tomb of Bl. Carlo Acutis is located at Assisi’s Sanctuary of the Renunciation, where many of his relics are housed as well. Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of the Italian Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino said of the relic’s Irish tour:
"What a blessing it is for the pericardium heart relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis to be welcomed in the Archdiocese of Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland! This first millennial Blessed, who follows in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, is an invitation to all, especially the young and families, not to waste life, but to make of it a masterpiece.”
A press release listed the locations that Bl. Carlo Acutis’ relic will visit:
...in the Capuchin Friary, Church Street (November 24-25), Holy Redeemer, Bray, with the presence of Archbishop Dermot Farrell (25-26 November), Holy Family, Aughrim Street (26 November), and Saint Kevin and Saint Kilian, Kilnamanagh-Castleview (27 November).
In June, the relic visited the Irish Archdiocese of Armagh and the Diocese of Down and Connor, before it made an appearance at World Youth Day. In September the relic returned to Ireland where it was displayed for veneration at four more parishes. The relic’s tour of all 26 Irish dioceses is expected to continue well into 2024.
