The Boy Who Knew Carlo Acutis

Daniel's just been diagnosed with leukemia. As he struggles to come to terms with his uncertain future an unlikely friendship develops between him and a holy dead boy called Carlo Acutis-who may not be quite so dead after all.

In the face of death, the hope of every man is put to the test. When one is dealing with the illness and death of a young boy, one seems to oscillate on the edge of incomprehensibility. Yet there are testimonies that enter the darkness of the mind like a ray of light and warm the hearts of those who have ceased to hope. The life of Carlo Acutis is one of these rays of light. Indeed, it was the light of a lightning bolt on a summer’s night that overcame the darkness of fear and meaninglessness and permitted us to see what there truly is beyond the night of life.

Carlo Acutis, born May 3, 1991, fully embraced the gift of life. Known as a computer whiz, he also liked to play soccer, video games, and the saxophone. He enjoyed watching his favorite police dramas and making short films with his star cast of cats and dogs. He had many friends and enjoyed spending time with them. Yet Carlo was a little "different" at school, in the pizzerias, and on the soccer field. What set Carlo apart was his constant pursuit of holiness. In addition to his fun hobbies, he spent time teaching catechism classes and serving in soup kitchens. Carlo loved to attend daily Mass and frequent Eucharistic adoration. The Word of God and the Eucharist were the center of his life. Carlo's unwavering devotion to the Eucharist inspired him to tell the story of Eucharistic miracles through a website he created just for fun. He wanted to deepen his own knowledge of these phenomena, to strengthen his devotion to Jesus, and to invite others to grow in love for the Eucharist. The website subsequently caught the attention of people across the globe, introducing countless people to Eucharistic miracles. Carlo died from a sudden and violent illness in 2006 at the age of fifteen. In less than a decade, his story spread across Italy and around the world. After Pope Francis declared him venerable in 2018, his beatification was celebrated in Assisi on October 10, 2020. The next step will be canonization, making him the first millennial saint.

In each generation, heroes of the Faith, whom the Church recognizes as saints, emerge. There are many characteristics that they have in common, but none thus far have used cell phones, played PlayStation video games, or searched for information on Google. That is about to change. A young "computer geek" named Carlo Acutis, who created a website cataloguing every reported Eucharistic miracle in the world and died of leukemia a year later at age fifteen, was beatified in November 2019, after a healing miracle in Brazil was attributed to his intercession. Since the beatification ceremony one year later, solemn crowds have been filing past the exposed relics of the blessed youth in Assisi's Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Carlo is a sign of contradiction in the modern world who serves as a heroic model for today's young people--a teenager who programmed computers and enjoyed films and comics yet lived as an authentic and sincere disciple of Christ. In these pages, you'll discover how he embraced the Faith as a boy and developed the virtues necessary to live a Christ-centered life in a secular society, how he overcame the vices that plagued him, and how he gracefully dealt with heartaches he could not divulge even to his parents. When he developed leukemia, he offered his suffering both for Pope Benedict XVI and for the Catholic Church, saying: "I offer all the suffering I will have to undergo for the Lord, for the Pope, and the Church." In this surprising and inspiring book, you'll also learn: How Carlo became holy, in only a few short years The young man's unusual loneliness and how he dealt with it His strategy for resisting peer pressure How he had fun without losing control and learned to resist gluttony How he interacted with teen girls who became his friends Why his explanations about the Mass are used in today's catechism classes in Italy How he dealt with friends who were sexually promiscuous and what he told them How he responded to the shocking news that he was dying (which happened two weeks later) His remarkable Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition--made possible by his computer skills--that is now touring churches all over Europe

A beautiful new life of Carlo Acutis the IT enthusiast who died at just 15 years old but lived his life for Christ. The author introduces us to the five simple practices which helped to make Blessed Carlo Acutis the first Millennial Blessed. Richly illustrated with photographs of Blessed Carlo and with a great selection of his sayings this is an ideal introduction to a wonderful life. "We make a choice in life: God or nothing. Blessed Carlo Acutis chose God - "Not I, but God" - in five simple practices. The Mass, Adoration, Confession and spiritual guidance, befriending the Blessed Mother and the saints, and charity. These daily "appointments" led Carlo to a life of intimacy with Jesus and love for neighbour " - Cardinal Sarah

IN MARGO'S WORLD, IF YOU DON'T PASS YOUR SORTING AT 18 YOU ARE RECYCLED. LITERALLY. Margaret Verrall dreams of marrying the boy she loves and spending her life with him. But she's part of the underground network of Believers - and that carries the death penalty. And there's just one other problem. She's going to fail her Sorting. But a chance to take on the system ups the stakes beyond mere survival. Now she has to break out of the Facility - or face the worst punishment of all. Conscious Dismantlement. 14+ "Great style - very good characters and pace. Definitely a book worth reading, like The Hunger Games." EOIN COLFER, author of Artemis Fowl "An intelligent, well-written and enjoyable debut from a young writer with a bright future." STEWART ROSS, author of The Soterion Mission "This book invaded my dreams." SR MARY CATHERINE BLOOM OP

Mother. Nun. Bishop. Healer. Teacher. Brother. Businesswoman. Mystic. Convert. These are titles worn by six holy Canadian men and women, now also known by the title of saint. From Canada's first teachers in the 1600s, to a simple religious brother whose prayer effected amazing miracles in the 1900s, these saints remain an example of faith and love today. St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Andre Bessette, St. Marie of the Incarnation, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, St. Francois de Laval, and St. Marguerite d'Youville lived ordinary lives of great service and love to those around them. Filled with stories, word puzzles, colouring pages and more, kids will have fun exploring the lives of these holy men and women. While learning about these six saints, children will also learn about other aspects of the Catholic faith such as spiritual communion, sacramentals, mystics, the corporal works of mercy, and more. Canadian Saints Kids Activity Book is suitable for homeschools, Catholic schools, parish catechsism classes or kids clubs, and more.

Katie has everything she thinks she wants-friends, popularity, and a gorgeous athletic older boyfriend. But the more time she spends with Shaun, the more miserable she feels. Can the carpenter from Nazareth help?