“God’s Influencer” an Example for the Young Church at St. Ann’s

Direct from Italy, a four-foot-tall resin statue of Saint Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, has found a home at St. Ann Church and National Shrine in Metairie.

The statue arrived at St. Ann on Sept. 3 and was blessed by St. Ann’s pastor Father Billy O’Riordan at a school Mass on Sept. 10, just days after Saint Carlo’s canonization on Sept. 7. He and Saint Pier Giorgi Frassati are the first two saints canonized by Pope Leo XIV.

“The statue is very lifelike and looks like a regular boy standing there,” said Father O’Riordan. “I have been ending the Prayers of the Faithful praying to several saints and have been including Saint (Blessed at the time) Carlo along with the other saints and wanted a statue of him in the church. I thought it was cool that he was only 15 years old and had achieved sainthood.”

In the statue, he, like many saints, is holding a Rosary and a Bible, but is also wearing blue jeans and LSU colored tennis shoes, carrying a backpack and has a cell phone in his pocket. 

“The statue has generated a lovely excitement especially for the younger church and they are sharing him with others and visiting the statue and reading the information about his life in the picture next to statue,” Father O’Riordan said. “The young people are finding a commonality with him. And I think they like that he is the first saint to wear blue jeans.”

About Saint Carlo Acutis

Born in 1991, Saint Carlo is the first canonized millennial saint and for the most part lived a very ordinary life for teenagers of his time. Saint Carlo had lots of friends, loved soccer and basketball and was an avid gamer and computer coder. Above all, however, Saint Carlo had a great devotion to the Eucharist and attended Mass daily or as often as he could. He would also spend time in Eucharistic Adoration, and is quoted as saying, "The Eucharist is the highway to heaven. When people sit in the sun, they get tan, but when they sit before Eucharistic Jesus, they become saints."

He used his computer skills to not only help his Catholic parish and school, but to create an online database of Eucharistic miracles earning him the nickname: God’s Influencer. Saint Carlo died of Leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. 

Thanks to the Friday Rosary Group

Bringing Saint Carlo Acutis’s statue to St. Ann is due to the work and generosity of the parish’s Friday Rosary Group. The 40-member group has been meeting for 28 years and is responsible for raising the money and arranging for the statue to be ordered and delivered to St. Ann.

“Father Billy wanted this statue, so the group got the money together and made it happen,” said Les Madere, rosary group member. “All of the money came from donations and Church Supply really helped us with the logistics of ordering and having the statue delivered.”

“Saint Carlo shows the youth that they could be the next saint,” said parishioner Dianne McBride. “He is a great example for our children.” 

According to Debbie Sommers, St. Ann office manager, as an Archdiocesan Jubilee site, it is nice to have the statue of the new saint for visitors to view. 

“It has been exciting to be a stop on the Jubilee. People have already started to come in to see the statue,” she said. “He is an inspiration to all of us, especially parents, and he creates a sense of hope.”

“When we received the statue, it exceeded our expectations,” Father O’Riordan said. 

“Saint Carlo’s whole life was geared to the Eucharist, and I hope that he will draw more people to the celebration of the Mass, especially the youth.”

Saint Carlo’s statue joins 15 other statues around the church. The statue stands on an ornate wooden sconce, that was donated from the poor Clare’s monastery, hung on the wall of the side altar in the church and is among the first statues of the saint in the city.

Saint Ann Church and Shrine is located at 3601 Transcontinental Dr. in Metairie. The church is open for daily Mass at 6:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. and Vigil Mass at 4 p.m. and Sunday Masses at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. For more information visit https://stannchruchandshrine.org.