Few stories have captured the imagination of Catholics today quite like that of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the teenage computer whiz who used his talents to share the beauty of the Eucharist with the world. Known for his deep love of Jesus, his care for the poor, and his joyful witness to the faith, Carlo will soon be raised to the altars as a canonized saint. But behind the headlines and worldwide devotion is also the story of a son and his mother.
In this conversation, EWTN Contributor Chris Stefanik speaks with Antonia Salzano, the mother of Carlo Acutis, about the young man who inspired her own conversion, the ways he lived his faith in daily life, and the hope he offers to parents everywhere who are striving to guide their children toward holiness. With candor and love, Antonia shares personal memories of Carlo—from his devotion to the Eucharist and his charity toward the poor, to his discipline with video games and his serenity in suffering—offering a moving portrait of a modern saint seen through the eyes of his mother.
Learn more about Saint Carlo Acutis
A lot of parents blame themselves if their children leave the faith. With you, Carlo saved you.
Carlo was really the means God used to make me understand that Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. The way he spoke about the Eucharist—that Jesus is really there, that it is the Real Presence.
He also loved the poor and kids who were picked on, tell us about that.
Carlo couldn’t remain indifferent to this poverty. He began buying sleeping bags and blankets and bringing meals to those in need. He was only 9 years old when he started organizing small acts of charity on his own.
I’m sure a lot of people will congratulate you now that, I mean your son is gonna be canonized. I mean your son’s a Saint. Do you find yourself ever wishing this had not ever happened, is it hard to struggle with the joy mixed with the sorrow of losing him so young?
The fact that he is now being canonized doesn’t surprise me, because a few months after he died he appeared to me in a dream and said, “Mama, I will be beatified and then I will be canonized.”
Do you pray to your son?
Yes, of course. I ask Carlo to help me, to intercede for me, but I also pray directly to God. I always remind Carlo that everything is in God’s hands. I pray a lot to God and to the Virgin Mary, and especially to Jesus.
So, Carlo is a Saint and he’s also a teenage kid, what was his favourite video game?
He loved video games, especially the PlayStation, even when he was only 8 years old.
He had a PlayStation?
Yes, Carlo was given a PlayStation as a gift. But he had read in the newspaper—in English, which he knew well because my mother-in-law is half English—that in the United States many young people were being hospitalized for video game addiction. So Carlo said, ‘No, I don’t want that. I’ll play for at most one hour per week,’ and he always kept to that resolution.
When our kids suffer, and this is an unfortunate reality, that’s when you see the full greatness of their souls. What did he teach you in his suffering about how to suffer?
His illness lasted about seven days. One morning he woke up unable to move, so we decided to take him to the hospital. The doctor advised us to do so as well. On the way to the hospital, he told us, ‘I won’t come out alive from this hospital, but I will give you many signs.’
You knew…
Throughout his illness he was always smiling and never complained. When the doctors asked if he was suffering, he would reply, ‘There are people suffering much more than I am.’ Always with a smile—truly, he died as a saint.
What a grace that kid had, it’s unbelievable. Do you have any last word, I’m thinking of parents who have lost a child, who don’t have the consolation of their child being canonized a Saint. What would you say to that mom or dad who’s maybe watching us?
They shouldn’t be afraid, because their child is truly with God, and God cares deeply for each one of us—He is our Creator. It’s not that someone who is canonized is more important, while another is less important.
Miss Acutis, thank you so much for this time.
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Adapted by Jacob Stein
Produced by Chris Stefanik; Camera by Gianluca Gangemi; Video Edited by Andrea Manna; Special thanks & Credits to Amici di Carlo Acutis.
