Blessed and shameless youth"Saints are not unreachable heroes," Francis encouragesAntonia, mother of Carlo Acutis: "My son is a sign of hope for young people".The announcement made by Pope Francis of the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis (who died at the age of 15), in the Jubilee of 2025, is a good reason to offer a few glimpses of children and adolescent saints. There have not been many so far, but their life and death can be an example for everyone in the Church. We begin with some children from the earliest times of the Church, mostly Romans. From the nearest centuries, four are Mexican, one Chilean-Argentinean, three Italian, and two Portuguese.
On the solemnity of All Saints last year, the Pope stressed that "the saints are not unreachable or distant heroes, but people like us," and that "if we think about it, surely we have met some of them, some of them, some of them, some of them, some of them, some of them, some of them, some of them, some of them, some of them, some of them. santos "from next door" generous people who, with God's help, have responded to the gift received and have allowed themselves to be transformed day by day by the action of the Holy Spirit".
Moreover, the vast majority of the saints have not been formally declared saints or blessed by the Church. Here are some of them who are on the altars, despite their youth, or who will be very soon, such as Carlo Acutis.
Not included are young people such as Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who will also be canonized during the Jubilee of 2025, because he was 24 years old when he died, or the French Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, patroness of the Missions, who died at the same age.
Santa Inés (13 years old)
"Pure", "chaste", sto means in Greek Agnes. It is one of the martyrs most revered in the Church. We are in 304, the time of Emperor Diocletian. She belonged to a noble Roman family. She preferred martyrdom to losing her virginity. Her feast day is January 21.
St. Tarcisius (14 years old)
For defending the Sacred Eucharistwas stoned by a mob. Patron saint of altar boys. Cemetery of St. Callixtus. The young man Tarsicio He was entrusted to bring communion to some Christians who were prisoners, during the persecution of Valerian. Feast, August 15.
Santas Eulalias
Diocletian's time. Virgin and martyr, while still young, Eulalia (of Merida) did not hesitate to offer his life to confess Christ (304). In the Prado Museum there is a oil about her by Gabriel Palencia y Ubanell. The girl is also a saint Eulalia of Barcelonapatron saint of Barcelona.
Saints Justo and Pastor (7 and 9 years old)
Known as the Holy childrenborn in Tielmes (Madrid), Hispano-Roman, were martyred in 304 in Alcalá de Henares during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. They were 7 and 9 years old, respectively, and refused to renounce Christianity.
St. Pancrazio
Martyr who, according to tradition, died in Rome, in the midst of the adolescence for his faith in Christ, being buried on the via Aurelia. Pope St. Simmacus built a famous basilica over his tomb and Pope St. Gregory the Great often summoned the people around the tomb.
Santo Domingo Savio (14 years)
Sunday, which means "the one who is consecrated to the Lord"., was born in Italy in 1842. From child expressed his desire to become a priest. When St. John Bosco began to prepare some young men for the priesthood to help him in his work for the abandoned children of Turin, the parish priest of Dominic recommended him to the boy.
Blessed Laura Vicuña (13 years old)
The Chilean Laura Carmen Vicuña was born in Santiago in 1891. After sensing that her mother was not living in the grace of God, she offered herself to the Lord for her conversion. Weakened by illness, she died in Argentina in 1904. St. John Paul II beatified her. Her feast day is January 22.
St. Maria Goretti (11 years old)
Maria forgave her murderer, Alexander, who wanted to rape her, invoked Our Lady and died twenty-four hours later, in July 1902, when she was not yet 12 years old. Alejandro would convert some time later, beginning to live a Christian life. Maria Goretti was beatified in 1947 and canonized three years later by Pope Pius XII. Her feast day is July 6.
San José Sánchez del Río (14 years old)
Adolescent Cristero, tried, tortured and executed by Mexican government officials. Declared blessed by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins at Guadalajara in 2005, and canonized by Pope Francis in 2016 in Rome. In order to make him deny his faith so that he could be saved, he was tortured and forced to attend the hanging of another boy imprisoned with him. Joseph, when he was wounded, shouted: 'Long live Christ the King! Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe!'.
Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto - Fatima (10 and 9 years)
On May 13, 2017, on the centenary of the apparitions of Our Lady, Pope Francis. canonized in Fatima (Portugal), to Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the three little shepherds of Fatima. The process of Sister Lucia is ongoing.
The Pope said on May 13: "As an example for us, we have before our eyes St. Francisco Marto and St. Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense sea of the Light of God, so that they could adore him. From there they received the strength to overcome adversities and sufferings. The divine presence became more and more constant in their lives, as is clearly manifested in their insistent prayer for sinners and in their constant desire to be close to the 'hidden Jesus' in the Tabernacle".
Saints Christopher, Anthony and John
The children martyrs of Tlaxcala are considered the first martyrs of America, since they were killed in Mexico between 1527 and 1529. Cristobal was introduced to the Catholic faith thanks to the evangelizing work that the Franciscans carried out between 1524 and 1527. After being baptized, he worked for the conversion of his family, and died at the age of 12 as a result of the blows and burns caused by his father. Antonio and Juan received training from the Franciscans and Dominicans, and were killed.
Carlo Acutis (15 years old)
During Wednesday's Audience, Pope Francis announced the canonization of Blessed Francis during the Jubilee of 2025. Carlo Acutis, young Italian who died at the age of 15 from fulminant leukemia.
On October 11, 2020, the Pope said: "Yesterday, in Assisi, Carlo Acutis, a fifteen-year-old boy in love with the Eucharist, was beatified. He did not settle into a comfortable immobility, but understood the needs of his time, because in the weakest he saw the face of Christ. His witness indicates to the young people of today that true happiness is found by putting God in the first place and serving him in our brothers and sisters, especially the least. Let us applaud the new young blessed!".
The Holy Father referred to the future blessed in his Exhortation Christus vivitin which he mentions the risk of the digital world that can place young people "at risk of self-absorption, isolation or empty pleasure".
Y quote to a "creative and brilliant" young man, Carlo Acutis, who "knew very well that these mechanisms of communication, advertising and social networks can be used to make us numb, dependent on consumption or obsessed with free time". Instead, he was able to use the "new techniques of communication to transmit the Gospel and to communicate values and beauty".
