International Exhibition of Eucharistic Miracles
by Blessed Carlo Acutis
Life and Spirituality of Blessed Carlo Acutis
International Exhibition of Eucharistic Miracles
by Blessed Carlo Acutis
Life and Spirituality of Blessed Carlo Acutis
Blessed Carlo Acutis
1991 - 2006
Born 3 May 1991, London to Italian parents
Baptism 18 May 1991, London, Our Lady of Dolours, Chelsea
Family returns to Italy September 1991, to Milan
First Holy Communion 16 June 1998, Italy
Confirmation 24 May 2003, Italy
Died 12 October 2006, Italy
Servant of God 13 May 2013
Venerable 24 November 2016, Milan
Blessed 10 October 2020, Assisi
Saint TBC 2025, Rome
'The Eucharist is my motorway to heaven.'
A future Patron Saint of the Internet?
Blessed Carlo fell in love with Jesus and Mary, as a small child, and decided that he would go to Mass every day and pray the Rosary every day. And from the age of 7, this is exactly what he did. At the age of 11 he became a catechist in his local Italian Parish and also discovered the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. Carlo was amazed by this Miracle and shocked that information about Eucharistic Miracles wasn't readily available. He decided to change this. Widely regarded as a computer genius, he designed the website www.miracolieucaristici.org, and, with the help of his parents, set about collating all the Eucharistic Miracles that have been approved by the Church. This project was to take three years. In October 2006, at the age of 15, Carlo became ill with what appeared to be a virus, but which transpired to be fulminant leukaemia. Carlo died just a week later. Doctor Jankovic said that Carlo passed through his care like a 'meteor.' His downloadable, online Exhibition, rapidly spread all over the world. Carlo's progress towards Canonization has been unusually rapid, and there is talk that he will become a Patron Saint of the Internet.
Blessed Carlo was a warm hearted and generous child who was loved by his many friends and by his many pets!
Although Carlo was a conscientious student and studied hard, he was a normal boy, who loved football and his friends, towards whom he was ever generous with his time and in whatever other way he might help them. Carlo also loved his pets.
Interview with the Antonia Salzano Acutis, the mother of Blessed Carlo
https://youtu.be/W8E5vTpL_Ew?si=nAvBnkSYHv2llXAC1
This interview is by Chris Stefanick in 2024
A Johannine Spirituality
'We are all called to be the 'Beloved' disciple.'
Carlo taught that we can all be like St John, the Beloved disciple, who rested his head on Jesus' heart at the last supper. Carlo said that when we pray before the Blessed Sacrament we can be like St John resting our heads on Jesus' heart and that when we go to Mass we can be like St John at the foot of Jesus' cross on Calvary.
First Class Relic
Ex Capillis - Hair - with wax seal and certificate of authenticty
Gifted to Anna Johnstone by the family of Blessed Carlo, with approval from her Diocesan Bishop
Miracle for Beatification, during Veneration of a Relic
Tap this link for a lovely article, by America magazine, on the veneration of a Relic of then Venerable Carlo by Mattheus Vianna, then aged 4, who was instantaneously healed of a pancreatic defect in 2015. This was the miracle that enabled Venerable Carlo Acutis to be Beatified.
Can this Relic visit your Parish?
In theory yes, the issue is one of logistics. Anna lives on the Isle of Wight and will prioritize requests within the Diocese of Portsmouth or those hosting the Exhibition, even if further afield. A formula for a visit could look like this:
Reception of Relic on Saturday afternoon
Talk on Exhibition followed by Rosary.
Tea and cakes
Evening Film of Blessed Carlo, with talk.
Wine and nibbles
Sunday afternoon talk on Spirituality of Blessed Carlo
Service of Veneration
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Benediction
Tea and cakes
Certificate
Signed by the Postulator, Nicola Gori
Hosting the Exhibition
Initial things you need to know in order to host the Exhibition
The Exhibition Panels
There are about 160 Panels in the complete Exhibition, but a Parish would typically mount just 30 panels.
This being the case you may choose to print 30 panels yourself, retain the Exhibition and lend it locally.
An example of a selection of about 30 would be:
Miracles of the Eucharist across the world
Carlo
Sacred Heart
Lanciano x 2
St Thomas Aquinas
Sokolka x 3
Legnica x 2
Buenos Aries x 3
Tixtla x 2
Chirattakonam
Betania
Blessed Alexandria Maria Da Costa
Andre Frossard
Poznan
Montserrat
Santarem x 2
Bolsena x 2
St Claire of Assisi
Angel of Peace, Fatima x 3
If you are in Scotland and Ireland there is a wonderful combined apostolate of the Exhibition and a First Class Relic run by the Blessed Sacrament Fathers in collaboration with Maria Novani and team.
If you are in Kent, Mike Southern is willing to lend his Panels locally
Logistics
Obtaining the Exhibition from ukmiracles.com
1. You must be in the UK
2. Please read the information in this section
3. Please make an initial email enquiry
You will need to show that the resource will be safely and appropriately curated before it is posted to you.
Please note that if enquiries are made from outside the Parish or School context, enquiries will be made as to the safeguarding provisions for the proposed event.
Mounting the Exhibition
The Panels are very easy to work with. They are very light but strong and plasticised. They measure 60cm by 80cm.
On both a wall and a wooden surface they attach perfectly well with blu tac, albeit you need a significant quantity of blu tac! They can also be pinned to surfaces. Double sided tape can't be used due to the need to pack the Exhibition flat in between use.
So far hosts have wanted to mount at least some of the posters on special display panels. You would need to obtain these separately.
This is a picture from St Joseph's Thame which had 60 posters for 4 weeks, combining the Exhibition with 60 hours of Adoration a week.
How much does it cost?
This is presently being determined. Sponsorship and grants will be sought, but until such time as there is sponsorship, this apostolate can no longer be offered for free.
The picture here is the Exhibition in Brompton Oratory. They used 60 posters and hired display boards for 3 days.
Related Resources
Films, online resources and printed materials
- Vatican Produced DVD on Venerable, Carlo Acutis, 'La mia autostrada per il Cielo.' 'My motorway to Heaven.'
There is an English button on the DVD for English narration and subtitles.
This is a wonderful 50 minute film. Highly recommended. See picture.
- Vatican Produced DVD on The Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition
- Free Online Animation on the Eucharistic Catechesis of Carlo
Please scroll down to see this film
- Please see these two websites www.eucaristicimiracoli.org and www.carloacutis.com. These have a wealth of information and free downloads
Anna Johnstone
Anna Johnstone
Is the daughter of a long line of Anglican clergy. Her consistent, passionate ambition for the first 20 years of her life was to marry, have 6 children and become a housewife. To fill in the time before this hoped for eventuality she pursued her other two enduring passions, Theology and Singing. She read Theology at Cambridge and studied singing in London and then Rome. From the age of 15 she pondered why her family weren't Catholic as she could see that Jesus had founded the Catholic Church and wanted His people to be 'one.' She was received into the Catholic Church a year after graduation, in Rome, in 1992, and was confirmed in the Venerable English College a year later in 1993. During her first year as a Catholic, to her amazement, Anna had a series of powerful mystical experiences leading her to dedicate her life to God. Her parents were later received into the Catholic Church, and her father, Peter, was ordained a Catholic Priest in 1999 and recently celebrated his Silver Jubilee as a Catholic Priest.
The 20 years following Anna's Confirmation were eventful and some of the fruit of those years, including CDs recorded in Westminster Cathedral are being released through a new website - Mary, Music and Angels - in 2024.
Anna's desire for domesticity found expression in more than 20 years of Private Household work, which has taken her all over the world. In Governess work she developed a specialization in teaching English as a second language to young children, mainly through play.
Anna's sense of call to Consecrated Life in 1993 proved a complex journey, but in 2012 she heard a call within a call, in Jerusalem, whilst leading the music ministry for a Diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In order to try to correspond to this she made a brief pilgrimage to Assisi in 2014 to rededicate her life and gifts, including her singing, to God, in the Porziuncola in Santa Maria degli Angeli. Within 2 weeks Anna was made redundant from the singing post, in house Opera Singer at Harrods, that she had held for 7 1/2 years! She prayed again and felt called to return to Governess work. A year later things did not make sense. With a further prayer retreat and a cri de coeur to God, 'I begged God to show me His will. I said I didn't mind what it was, but please just be clear,' Anna prayed two concurrent Novenas, one to St Joseph and one to St Therese. On the ninth day she had a Skype interview with the father of Blessed Carlo. The first surprise was to learn that the family was in Assisi itself, as her Governess Agent had told her Perugia. The second surprise was to learn that the deceased eldest son of the family was on track for canonisation.
Acutis family Governess
In 2015 Andrea and Antonia Acutis were searching for an English speaking Governess for their twins, who were not due to start school for another year. Anna was hired and remained in post for 3 years and remains in contact with the family, visiting at intervals. She organised the contacts for Antonia Salzano Acutis to speak in the London Churches, Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, Our Lady of Dolours, Chelsea and Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, in 2023. She was present when Carlo was declared Venerable in Milan in 2016 - pictured on the far left sitting next to Blessed Carlo's half English paternal Grandmother. And she was present at the Beatification in 2020. She is profoundly grateful to the parents of Blessed Carlo for the kindness they have always shown her.
Call within a call
Anna hopes to have more news about this by the time of Blessed Carlo's canonisation.
Anna has been pondering the witness of Blessed Carlo now for 9 years. His witness and mission have touched her profoundly, bringing her both encouragement and a straightening out of various things within her life. She received two particular graces on his anniversaries, October 12th, and has surrendered to the organisation he increasingly seems to bring to bear on her path and spiritual life. 'Of all Blessed Carlo's sayings, the one that has impacted me the most was his declaration that his life's plan was to be always close to Jesus. I have found this very freeing and very simplifying. Our job is to stay close to Jesus. That's it. Nothing else matters. Of course it is easier said than done, but it is a simple goal that we can keep returning to. The disappointments of life, the losses, the errors, the sins repented of, the successes and failures and, importantly, future plans....nothing compares to the love our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ bears us in the present moment and in the great Sacraments of the Catholic Church.'
