A nice looking Italian boy (check!) who loves super heroes (check!) and is an avid video gamer (check!). A web designer whiz and candidate for sainthood? Check… for real.

Carlo Acutis was born on May 3, 1991. According to Catholic News Agency (CNA),  Carlo developed “a special love for God from a young age, even though his parents weren’t especially devout.” He went to mass, confession, and adoration often. In addition, he prayed the rosary frequently after making his First Communion. Carlo’s passion for his faith later influenced his mother to begin practicing her faith more seriously.

The boy currently one step away from becoming a saint was in many ways a normal and relatable teenager. America Magazine notes that Carlo was “avidly interested in computers, video games, and the internet.” It goes on to state that Carlo loved his PlayStation 2 but limited his gaming time to one hour a day to make time for prayer.

He incorporated his faith into his love for technology by creating a website listing Eucharistic miracles from various countries. Blessed Carlo Acutis’ website describes such events as “the wonders of the consecrated bread and wine that are Jesus’ body and blood.”

“Carlo used the internet in service of the Gospel, to reach as many people as possible,” Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the papal legate for the Assisi basilicas, said during a homily, adding that the teen saw the web “as a place to use with responsibility, without becoming enslaved.”  Perhaps this is why Acutis is already being called “the patron saint of the internet.”

Although he developed leukemia in his early adolescent years, Carlo offered his illness up for the good of the pope and the Church. He continued to dive even deeper into his Catholic faith until his death on October 12, 2006.

Blessed Carlo Acutis started his official journey to sainthood in 2013 when one of his relics helped to heal another cancer patient. One of Carlo’s t-shirts was held against a young Brazilian boy with leukemia, and a few days later the teen was completely healed.

Since 2013, miracles through the intercession of Carlo Acutis have raised his status from “venerable” to “blessed.” With more miracles through his intercession surfacing, he could reach the title of “saint,” declaring that he is definitely in Heaven and his intercession can be requested through prayer (Catechism of the Catholic Church 828).

His body was found to be “incorrupt,” meaning it is not decomposing. This incorrupt state has existed for many saints, leaving their bodies to look just as they would if they were still alive.

Senior David Fall stated, “Blessed Carlo Acutis is a great example for teenagers on how to live out and take the Catholic faith seriously.”