By Miramon Nuevo
Nereida Velasquez beamed with excitement as she ushered an enthusiastic crowd at the vestibule into Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rancho Cucamonga. The sweltering heat of the summer was no match for the numerous pilgrims and visitors seeking to see the relics of Saint Bernardine of Sienna, the patron saint of the diocese, and erstwhile “Blessed” Carlo Acutis.
“The relics attract many people who come to seek blessings and honor these saints,” Velasquez, a long-time volunteer at the parish said. “The long lines of visitors reflect the deep reverence and devotion people have for them.”
On September 5, Bishop Alberto Rojas, in anticipation of the official canonization that took place in Rome two days later, held a solemn Thanksgiving Mass at Sacred Heart in honor of Acutis and Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, who was also canonized on September 7. Families from different nationalities and young Catholics filled the pews, creating a vibrant and joyful atmosphere.
“So who are the saints and why are they saints?” Bishop Rojas asked his young audience during his homily. “We can say that the saints are normal, regular people like you and me, whom by the grace of God and their openness to God’s will, they’ve lived holy lives in accordance with the saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Together with Bishop Emeritus Gerald Barnes, eight other priests from nearby parishes and a pair of deacons joined Bishop Rojas in celebrating the Mass. Bishop Rojas emphasized that sainthood is not limited to those who are exceptionally good or virtuous, but a universal vocation meant for everyone. He encouraged people to recognize that “even those with faults” can strive for holiness and embody the spirit of the gospel in their lives.
“They are not perfect by any means,” he explained. “And actually, some of them are bad boys and girls who turned around their lives and through the practice of the Beatitudes they’ve became very close with the Lord. They practiced humility, charity, love of God, compassion and mercy, faithfulness and commitment to their faith, and were able to remain in Christ’s love throughout their lives.”
Exactly four months to the day that Pope Leo XIV was elected, both Acutis and Frassati made history together as being the first saints canonized under his pontificate. Acutis, the first millennial saint, is celebrated not only for his piety, but also for his ability to integrate his faith with modern technology, resonating deeply with young Catholics around the globe, and thus, earning the monikers “God’s Influencer” and “Patron Saint of the Internet”. Before his death, he was able to catalog 187 Eucharistic miracles during a period of two and a half years.
Frassati, on the other hand, is the global Patron and Companion for young adults, athletes, and ordinary people. Saint John Paul II called him the “Man of Beatitudes” for his exemplary work of “bringing comfort and happiness to those who were poor, suffering, meek, hungry, thirsty, and in need of mercy, and who was himself clean of heart, a peacemaker and persecuted for the sake of the Gospel.” He is also a patron saint for World Youth Day.
Though these saints belonged to different times – 100 years apart, to be exact – they share important commonalities: a life lived in complete abandonment to God’s will, where every moment was dedicated to glorify God; a life lived in virtue, devotion and service to others; and extreme love for the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Frassati died of polio on July 4, 1925 at the young age of 24, while Acutis passed away on October 11, 2006 at the age of 15 due to leukemia.
As the choir delivered a moving rendition of the “Litaniae Sanctorum (Litany of the Saints)” during the Mass, many were close to tears, including Velasquez.
“Saint Carlo Acutis is the saint that inspired me in my devotion to the rosary. I’ve actually struggled with just being consistent with the rosary for a very long time. Now, I’ve been more consistent with my rosary devotion and I’ve actually even progressed by doing more than one rosary a day, and I became more in tuned with Mother Mary when I pray,” Velasquez admitted.
For Queeny Cruz, a new mother who went through the heartbreak of losing five babies in her journey to become a parent, finally giving birth to her four-month old baby girl “Giorgia” is a miracle she could only attribute to her devotion to Frassati.
“I felt like a complete failure as a woman after suffering five miscarriages. Despite dozens of tests, my doctors struggled in diagnosing the problem. I was battling depression, my marriage was in shambles, and I was a complete wreck,” Cruz confessed. “Then a visiting Dominican priest in our parish introduced me to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. He gave me devotional materials to pray daily and seek his intercession. At first I was skeptical, but I was also desperate, so I told myself if this is the final straw, I’m going to give my whole heart to it.”
“The overwhelming feeling of joy, love, fulfillment when she was placed on my chest is something I cannot describe,” Cruz recalled after giving birth. “Something I never knew I would ever get to experience in my lifetime!”
Caught in a whirlwind of family drama, the 74-year-old retired professor Douglas Harrington had not seen his 16-year-old daughter Amanda in more than 25 years after she eloped with her high school boyfriend in 1999. Amanda, he was told, had moved to Central America. Despite an exhaustive search, he could not find them.
“My life turned upside down. I became alcoholic; I became addicted to gambling, in my attempt to forget this nightmare. I went through counseling before I began to fully accept that things happen for a reason and I must move on,” Harrington opened up.
Last year, while in hospital after a mild stroke, a nurse left a prayer card of Blessed Carlo Acutis at his bedside. Three months earlier, a priest friend also gave him a booklet about Eucharistic miracles incidentally documented by Acutis himself.
“In that darkest moment, at the height of my loneliness in the hospital, I looked at the prayer card and I cried. Talking to Blessed Carlo Acutis, I mumbled: ‘please, please, bring my daughter back to me.’”
Last June, when he came home one afternoon, he saw a woman and her three children playing in his front yard. It was Amanda!
“She came home!” Harrington wept. “She came home for good. My prayer was answered.”
Father Clarence Saldua, MS, Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Montclair, has attested that countless miracles have been experienced by so many through their devotions to the saints.
“Throughout history, the Catholic Church has lifted up certain men and women as saints. Not because they were perfect, but because their lives reflected God’s grace in radiant ways. Saints are believed to have a special connection with God, allowing them to intercede on behalf of the faithful. When people pray to the saints, they ask for the saint’s help in reaching God. Miracles serve to affirm the faith of believers and demonstrate God’s power. Saints are considered miraculous due to their ability to intercede for the faithful, leading to extraordinary events that reflect divine intervention,” Fr. Saldua explained.
Miramon Nuevo is a freelance writer and a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes, Montclair.